Ohio State’s undefeated season is over, and the 2025 Buckeyes will have to settle for competing for a national championship after missing out on the conference one.
The defense was incredible again in holding
Indiana to 13 points, but the offense let the team down with repeated struggles in the red zone and on third down in a 13-10 loss that seemed utterly preventable.
Here are the things that fried my pork tenderloin when the Buckeyes played the Hoosiers in Indianapolis. This column is often tongue-in-cheek, but after a loss in a winnable big game like this, it contains actual anger.
Scrap This Bad Tradition
For the second consecutive week, Julian Sayin threw an interception on the first Ohio State possession of the game. The defense held Indiana to a field goal, but it was a poor read and decision on a night that the Hoosiers created confusion in the young quarterback.
Sayin threw to Brandon Inniss in double coverage when he appeared to have both Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate in single coverage.
More Sayin Struggles
As detrimental to Sayin’s performance as Indiana disguising coverage well was the Ohio State offensive line’s inability to keep him upright. Bad pass protection was an issue, leading to five sacks when the team had only allowed Sayin to be sacked six times all season.
The footsteps may have been part of why Sayin missed Inniss on third-and-5 for what would surely have been a long touchdown. Sayin, for all the unexpected difficulties he faced, put up better numbers than his counterpart, Fernando Mendoza, although the latter likely won the Heisman Trophy by winning this game.
Red Zone Follies
Ohio State was substandard in the red zone. As much as one must credit Indiana’s defense, the Buckeyes determined to not dance with the date that brought them.
Gone was the C.J. Donaldson run, the Lincoln Kienholz package, or even an extra handoff to Bo Jackson. The Buckeyes got pass happy on third-and-1 and it was costly. Also costly was a false start on second-and-goal by Jackson that led to a throw away as Sayin was pressured.
Later, the Buckeyes ran twice to the boundary, gaining virtually nothing.
One of the pass plays on third-and-1 in the red zone could have been a quick slant to a single-covered Smith. Instead, it was a one-receiver route that developed slowly, and the pass was incomplete in the end zone. That set up fourth-and-1 and Sayin appeared to pick up the yardage, but his foot slipped on the artificial turf as the hogs up front failed to get good push, and the first down was overturned on review.
Finally, late in the game, the Buckeyes again passed incomplete on third-and-1, which would maybe have been OK had the plan been to go for it on fourth down again. Instead, Ryan Day played safe, settling for a 27-yard field-goal attempt that Jayden Fielding shanked badly.
Ohio State’s kicking game has not been reliable for years. Maybe it’s time to throw some NIL money at a kicker who doesn’t melt down in the biggest games.
No Lessons Learned
A soft defensive pass interference set Indiana up with a first down, and then the Hoosiers called a play that Ohio State’s defense struggled with in the first half against Michigan but seemed to figure out at halftime.
The Hoosiers ran Kaelon Black wide to the boundary side and picked up 37 yards. It was one of only a few big plays by Indiana all night, and at least the Hoosiers missed a field goal on the drive, but it was something that we thought had been fixed.
Kenyatta Jackson Carried Extra Weight All Night
I feel bad for defensive end Kenyatta Jackson. He might be the best player to have to settle for All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, and he then had to experience an entire evening of Indiana’s left tackle using him as a ski boat.
Jackson was not only held most plays, he was held in such a way that it was not only painfully obvious each time, but it was also the only thing that kept Mendoza upright on several occasions. This isn’t one of those “they could call holding on every offensive play” kinds of things. This was simply an embarrassment of leniency.
One of those obvious holds prevented a sack on third-and-2, which allowed the Hoosiers to go for — and pick up — the first down.
O-Line’s Lack of In-Tegra-ty
Tegra Tshabola struggled mightily all night until the coaching staff had finally seen enough and pulled him from the game. The senior offensive line appeared to run the entirely wrong play on one down that ended up getting Jackson tackled in the backfield, and he was beaten for multiple quarterback pressures/sacks.
The blocking was notably better after Gabe VanSickle replaced Tshabola. It was disappointing considering it came on the heels of maybe Tshabola’s best performance of the season in Ann Arbor.
Sacked Without Being Sacked
Sayin pulled a Houdini and escaped a sack… or so it appeared.
The officials ruled him down because reasons, and even though it’s to protect the quarterback, I have a hard time believing the other team would have gotten the same treatment had Mendoza similarly escaped the pocket. That ended up as the fifth sack conceded in one night after a full regular season of allowing Sayin to be sacked only six times.
Mathews Miscues
Jermaine Mathews Jr. gave up two of Indiana’s biggest plays on the night. The life of a defensive back isn’t an easy one, as they are always on an island and there’s virtually no margin of error.
The first time he was victimized, Mathews had excellent coverage and was in position to make a play on third-and-8, but he did not locate the ball before Elijah Sarratt, nor did he jump to defend the pass. Sarratt did jump, and I don’t have to tell you who caught the ball. (But I will. Sarratt caught it and scored the go-ahead touchdown.)
Matthews also gave up a big play late in the game, when Ohio State needed a third-down stop to get off the field and get the ball back for a potential late comeback or tying field goal. As a result, Indiana was able to run enough clock to make Ohio State’s comeback bid virtually impossible.
There were far more than that, but those are the moments and plays that harshed my mellow during the Big Ten title game on Saturday. What bugged you? Let me know in the comments section below.
Next up: The Buckeyes have plenty of time to sit and think about the Indiana loss before facing the winner of the Miami-Texas A&M game in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
