The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1) needed the ball to bounce its way a few times, but they defeated the No. 4 Indiana Hoosiers (6-1, 3-1) 19-15 to get redemption for last year's Big Ten Championship game loss.
Here is how some of the players and position groups graded in this matchup.
A+: Bye Week
Kenyatta Jackson, Jay Timmons, and Julian Sayin all left the game with injuries, and Ja'Kobi Jackson, Austin Siereveld, and Brock Boyd did not play in this one due to injuries. The Buckeyes bye week is coming up this week, and it could not be coming at a better time. Ohio State needs to get some guys healthy, and if Sayin misses an extended period of time, and it looks like he will, they need all the time possible to get Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair some QB1 snaps in practice.
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A: Top-five road wins
This game was anything but pretty, and it won't win any awards for aesthetics, but winning a road game against a top-five team in the country that is the defending national champion and is on a 22-game winning streak is never going to be a bad thing. A win is a win.
A: Jay Timmons (and the safeties)
All of the safeties had great moments and are turning into an elite group, particularly Earl Little Jr. and Jaylen McClain, but the true freshman Timmons was the standout. He forced a huge fumble, made a couple of key tackles in the open field, and was the best defensive player on the field for Ohio State. He is arguably the best true freshman in the country, and he has made big play after big play this season.
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B: The run game
The running backs only ran for 78 yards, but Bo Jackson and Isaiah West were both able to pop off big runs at times and move the ball when the passing game was stalled and struggling. With no Ja'Kobi Jackson, the run game did enough to keep Ohio State moving forward at times.
B: Special teams
There has been a lot of criticism leveled at the special teams for the Buckeyes this year, and it is deserved, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Connor Hawkins was 2-for-2 on field goals in a game where Indiana was 0-for-2, and Joe Maguire probably had his best game as a punter, pinning Indiana inside the 20 twice and inside the 10 once. In a game where points were hard to come by, Maguire did his job when he had to flip the field.
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In Flux (Not a grade I know): The current quarterback situation
Julian Sayin did not play well, and it was probably the worst game of his career as a Buckeye, but we also learned that we need him to be healthy. Luke Fahey looked overwhelmed, and Tavien St. Clair did not play. If Sayin misses extended time, the Buckeyes have a tough schedule ahead for whoever the backup is moving forward. However, if Sayin is able to return soon, I am confident he will bounce back from this performance.
