It was almost a fairy tale for Indiana ... almost. After gaining national recognition by lobbying hard for ESPN College GameDay, the Hoosiers went into halftime with a 10-6 lead over No. 1 Ohio State, but after losing starting quarterback Nate Sudfeld and starting running back Jordan Howard to injuries, they didn't have quite enough to pull it out.
Ohio State vs. Indiana final score, plus 3 things to know from the Buckeyes’ 34-27 win
Almost, Hoosiers. Almost.
Matt Kryger-USA TODAY Sports
That said, this was one hell of a performance from an Indiana team that was incredibly outmatched in raw talent. Even after Sudfeld went out, the Hoosiers regained the lead at one point behind an impressive drive from backup quarterback Zander Diamont. Diamont also ran for a 79-yard touchdown later in the game. Moreover, the defense finally looks competent — a first under coach Kevin Wilson — and IU very well may have a bright season ahead.
However, the talent gap was obvious in one area: Ezekiel Elliott vs. the Indiana rush defense. After OSU struggled to run the ball in the first half, Elliott broke out for touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards in the second half. It was too much Zeke in a Heisman-caliber performance, as the Indiana dream died.
Three things to know
1. What’s next from Indiana? The Hoosiers haven’t been to a bowl since 2007, but they have a team good enough to get there this season, especially with four wins already down and Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue still on the schedule. Of course, we’ve all seen IU collapse before, too. If Sudfeld and Howard can come back and the defense stays respectable, the Hoosiers can absolutely turn this into a season to build on. And who knows, maybe they’ll even get GameDay in the future, too.
2. Ohio State is starting to look a lot like Florida State last year. That doesn't mean the Buckeyes will suffer the same fate in the College Football Playoff, but the Buckeyes' offense hasn't looked good at all since the Virginia Tech game to open the season. Cardale Jones made some ill-advised throws and struggled with accuracy, and the Buckeyes seemed to forget they had Elliott until the second half. OSU can't feel great coming out of this game.
3. #iffb4gameday was an awesome effort, and Indiana proved how much fun it would have been. Let’s do it again soon, IU.
at least 7 benches have collapsed in the student section over the course of this game (cc: @crimsonquarry)
— ms. 2spooky (@bkdubin) October 3, 2015 See More:
