Big Plays, Smothering Defense Lead Indiana to Victory Over Buckeyes
Columbus, OH - The Indiana Hoosiers opened up conference play today on the road against the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes. Heavily favored, the Buckeyes relied on quarterback Terrelle Pryor to carry them to victory. Indiana knew that, and stopped him on almost every play. As a result, the #17 Hoosiers surprised the nation by winning over the Buckeyes 19-14.
"It was a very defensive game," said linebacker Jonathan Green, who recorded 8 tackles and 2 tackles for loss in the game. "We knew coming in that the only way we would win would be by limiting their scoring to 20 points or less, and we succeeded." Added Andre LaGrone, who made a key tackle on 4th and goal to preserve Indiana's 10-0 lead at the end of the half, "Their offense struggled today, and we took advantage of that by making some key tackles and stops. If you take away one or two of our tackles, we would have lost the game."
The fans attending the game knew this was going to come down to the wire, as neither team could get anything going in the first quarter. It took two quarters, but finally one of the teams started to drive the ball. Indiana, relying on the running of Deleon Eskridge, drove down field and scored a touchdown on a 2 yard run. They intercepted a Pryor pass and scored a field goal with a minute left in the half. The Pryor took over, driving down the field thanks in part to a 62 yard pass to receiver Jake Stoneburner. But with 4 seconds left, the Buckeyes had a 4th and goal on the Hoosiers 2 yard line. A run up the middle was stuffed by Andre LaGrone, and Indiana hung on to their 10-0 lead heading into the half.
The 3rd quarter provided uneventful football. It was so bad that neither team got a first down the entire quarter. "I was screaming at our players every time we got the ball because we couldn't do anything," said coach Anthony Thompson. "It was the worst offensive football I've ever seen from these guys." The screaming proved to be of no help, because it only made the Hoosiers play worse. They failed to gain any yards in the last two minutes of the quarter.
Indiana woke up from their slumber in the 4th quarter, driving down field to set up a 41 yard Ewald field goal. Ohio State, still struggling on offense, couldn't do shit. A horrible punt gave Indiana spectacular field position, but they couldn't do anything. That set the scene for possibly one of the greatest field goals in Indiana history. Kicking with a 21 miles per hour tailwind, Ewald rocketed the ball towards the uprights. It just made it over the crossbar. "It was the best kick of my life," said Ewald. "I doubt that I'll ever have a kick that good again." How far was the kick? 59 yards, a new Indiana record.
Ohio State finally started driving again, but Jaamal Berry fumbled the ball on the Indiana 12 yard line, giving the Hoosiers the ball again. Indiana spent four minutes driving down the field, placing Ewald in a position he hasn't been in for a while; a chance to win the game for the Hoosiers by making a field goal. "It was the most nervous I have ever been," said Ewald. "The game was on the line, and I had to make it." The kick was horrible, and it hooked to the left for an apparent miss. But a fierce wind picked up at that moment and blew the ball back between the uprights. Indiana had a 16-7 lead after the kick, virtually ending the game.
The Buckeyes would score a touchdown on their next drive, but it was too late. A failed onside kick gave Indiana possibly its biggest win under coach Anthony Thompson. "If we don't beat Penn State at the end of the year, this will be the biggest win I've ever been a part of," said fullback Don Brown.
Indiana has a bye week next week, and I hope that they will enjoy their week off after this brutal and violent game.