INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Fernando Mendoza’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt gave No. 2 Indiana the lead midway through the third quarter and the Hoosiers' stingy defense shut down No. 1 Ohio State the rest of the way in a 13-10 victory on Saturday night for their first Big Ten championship since 1967.
Indiana likely locked up the top seed in the College Football Playoff while extending the best record in school history to 13-0. The Hoosiers are
also now poised to claim the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time.
They did it by snapping a 30-game losing streak against the Buckeyes that stretched to 1988. Indiana also ended major college football’s longest winning streak at 16 games, sealing the win with a 33-yard pass from Mendoza to Charlie Becker on third down, a play that took the clock down to the 2-minute timeout.
Ohio State fell to 12-1 overall though its quest to win back-to-back national championships for the first time will likely begin with the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
The Buckeyes had a chance to retake the lead on fourth-and-1 from the Indiana 5-yard line late in the third quarter. But a replay review overturned the call on the field, determining Julian Sayin came up short. They also had a chance to tie the score with 2:48 to play, but Jayden Fielding missed a 29-yard field goal wide left.
The two quarterbacks dueling for the Heisman Trophy essentially played to a draw.
Mendoza was injured on the first offensive play of the game but returned after missing one play and finished 15 of 23 for 222 yards and the one TD and one interception. Sayin was 21 of 29 for 258 yards, one TD and one interception.
But when the big plays needed to be made, Mendoza usually got the job done
Indiana took a 3-0 lead after Sayin was picked off in the first quarter, but the Buckeyes turned Mendoza’s miscue into a 17-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate for a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.
The teams traded second quarter field goals as the Buckeyes took a 10-6 lead, but Mendoza found neatly tucked a TD pass into Sarratt near the sideline on Indiana’s first possession of the third quarter and that was all they needed.
Indiana: The Hoosiers showed everyone why they’re no longer taking a backseat to the Buckeyes or anyone else in college football. Defensively, they were as stingy as ever. Offensively, they moved the ball and played keep away — and did just enough for an historic victory.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes aren’t exactly rolling into the playoffs. They struggled — for a half — at Michigan and two halves against the Hoosiers. At times, Sayin showed his inexperience by missing reads and throws. Still, they’re the defending national champs and are as dangerous as anyone.
Both teams await the CFP rankings and first-round pairings to be released on Sunday.
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