A Night of Drama, Missed Opportunities and History at Lucas Oil Stadium
Tonight’s Big Ten Championship, played at Lucas Oil Stadium, felt like a movie. All you could see was red. Some fans wore scarlet. Others wore crimson. But one thing they all knew — this was No. 1 against No. 2. Ohio State vs. Indiana, the two Big Ten teams in contention for the conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
This is territory that Ohio State has visited often. Indiana has not.
Ohio State won its 32 consecutive game against the Hoosiers.
The last time Indiana defeated OSU was in 1988.
But the story felt different tonight. And on a field in Indianapolis so loud it made the structure shake, brash “Indiana football” came out of the tunnel with belief and confidence and heart.
First Half: A Battle of Defense and Missed Opportunities
4 Indifferent Plays Greet LeBron in Return to Playoffs The records beyond that point have rough-and-tumble as well, at least against the West.
It was a shaky start by both teams to open the game. Ohio State took the early advantage in the first quarter with a 7–3 lead. Their star quarterback, Julian Sayin, was sharp in the early going. Indiana responded with a field goal, and that kept the game close, the pounding energy inside Lucas Oil Stadium.
Both teams scored just three points in the second quarter. It seemed like a slow, narrow, defensive war. Every yard mattered. Every play was met with a huge cheer or loud gasp. At halftime Ohio State led 10–6, but there was a sense that something bigger was brewing.
The fans were restless. The tension kept rising. And Sayin and Mendoza, both quarterbacks for Ohio State and Indiana, knew that the winner of the second half would change their Heisman Trophy outlook.
Third Quarter: The Moment Everything Changed
Indiana emerged from the locker room on fire. They needed a big play. They got one.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza had his receiver, Elijah Sarratt covered closely with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter. Mendoza threw a back-shoulder beauty. Sarratt spun around, snatched it and fell into the end zone. Touchdown Indiana.
The stadium exploded.
For the first time all season, Ohio State was behind in the second half. It was a shocking moment. Enterprising “Indiana football” fans could sense that something big was coming.
The big play of that drive was a 51-yard pass from Mendoza to Charlie Becker down the middle. That single throw turned the game around. It would set up the touchdown, and give Indiana a 13–10 lead.
Ohio State tried to answer. Julian Sayin directed a solid 12 play drive. They moved the ball to the Indiana 6. On fourth-and-1, Sayin attempted a sneak for a first down. The referees originally granted it to him. But the call was reversed upon review. No first down. Indiana ball.
It was a huge turn of events. One of the night’s biggest moments.
Indiana led, 13–10, at the end of the third quarter.
The Hoosiers were 15 minutes away from their first Big Ten Championship in fifty years.
Fourth Quarter: Missed Field Goal Sets Off Madness
Texas had possession at midfield with less than a minute left when the Longhorns tried to end the game on a 57-yard field goal.
The fourth quarter was pure theater. Brash “Indiana football” continued to fight, push and protect its lead. Ohio State continued to move, but the clock was becoming an issue.
There was only 4:10 left in the game when Ohio State cobbled together a lengthy drive. They were executing and moving the ball. They were burning clock. Indiana tried to keep it close, but a costly penalty gave the Buckeyes another first down inside the red zone.
The pressure was huge.
Then Ohio State prepared to kick a short 27-yard field goal with 2 minutes 48 seconds remaining. The kick could knot the game at 13–13.
But Jayden Fielding missed it.
He hooked it left.
The stadium erupted again.
It was the time that Indiana fans will never forget. That errant kick left Indiana ahead, 13–10.
Ohio State had one more opportunity, but the defense of Indiana held firm. They kept the Buckeyes from scoring and hung on for the most emotional win in program history.
Final Score: Indiana 13, Ohio State 10
This is the win for brash “Indiana football”.
They upset the No. 1 team in the country.
They snapped a 32-game losing streak.
They were 18-1 in Big Ten play, captured their first title in that conference for almost six decades.
And now, they are bound for the College Football Playoff as an undefeated team.
The loss is a tough one for Ohio State. They had chances. At times they moved the ball well. But squandered opportunities and late miscues did them in.
Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza each had performances that will be dissected for a week. It was a game that looked like it could have been a Heisman showpiece, played with pressure and excitement and big plays.
A New Chapter for Indiana Football
It will go down as one of the greatest nights in bold “Indiana football” history. Fans will be talking about this for decades. The players will never forget the sensation of standing on the field with confetti raining down all around them.
This is why college football is magic.
This is what fans love about the sport.
And tonight, Indiana scripted yet another chapter in its lore — prideful and heart-stuffed and historic.
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