B-Town Now B1G Title Town
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
INDIANAPOLIS -- Why not air it out if you’re Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan with the biggest game in program history on the line when the safe play was to throw short if you throw it at all?
Why not leave it up to quarterback Fernando Mendoza -- the Heisman Trophy contender who was nearly knocked out of the game on the first play -- and building superstar receiver Charlie Becker, a former backup who is a backup no longer to make the game’s biggest play?
Why not dare greatly against Ohio State’s best-in-the-nation defense, against a program IU hadn’t beaten since 1988 and a defending national championship team with a 16-game winning streak with the audacity that led to the transformation from former losingest major college program to a national powerhouse?
Indiana (13-0) dared and won 13-10 over the top-ranked Buckeyes Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium. It won its first outright Big Ten title since 1945 and its first ever Big Ten title game.
“It was a great win,” Cignetti said. “It was a hard-fought game. We found a way to survive. We made the plays when we had to. When the game is on the line, Fernando was throwing dimes, Becker was making plays, (Elijah) Sarratt with a big touchdown and our defense was creating a lot of issues.”
IU challenged Ohio State (12-1) as no team had done this season, and the Buckeyes blinked. They missed a chip-shot field goal, missed on fourth-and-one at the Indiana 5-yard line when going for a go-ahead touchdown and failed to stop the Hoosiers when it mattered most.
“I told the team when the game was on the line,” Cignetti said, “we’ve been here before and won.”
It was payback for last season’s loss at Ohio State and left Buckeyes’ coach Ryan Day wondering about what might have been.
“Finishing off drives was the story of the game,” he said. “When you get in the red zone and don’t finish, that’s how you lose. We just were not good enough.”
Mendoza was plenty good enough, finishing 15-for-23 for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Becker caught six passes for 126 yards.
Receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a lower body injury. He limped to the locker room and never returned to action.
As for that crunching hit by Ohio State defensive end Caden Curry that left Mendoza momentarily face down on the turf: “I was never going to stay down. If I get a gut punch, a head punch, I’ll get back up. I was going to stay in the game. No hit would take me out.”
Added Cignetti: “He’s a tough guy. He takes some shots. I can’t say enough about the way he competes. He has the heart of a champion.”
A crucial moment came with less than three minutes left in the game and Indiana clinging to that 13-10 lead. It faced third-and-six on its 24-yard line with the clock ticking under three minutes. Rather than go conservative, Cignetti and Shanahan went bold. Mendoza’s 33-yard completion to Becker delivered a first down and enabled the Hoosiers to run out most of the clock.
“I wasn't going to play not to lose,” Cignetti sad. “We were playing to win. We had to give our guys an opportunity to make a play. It was a great play.”
One the Hoosiers prepared for, Mendoza added.
“We always practice the one- and two-minute drills. It primed us for the season so we can efficiently execute under pressure. The glue is how much we care about the man beside us. It makes us unshakeable in those high anxiety moments.”
Ohio State’s best-in-the-nation defense held the nation’s second-best-in-the-nation offense to just six first-half points, IU’s fewest of the season. Three Hoosier red zone trips produced just those six points.
The good news -- the Buckeyes scored just 10.
The Hoosiers were very much in the game.
Cignetti’s halftime message was clear:
“I gathered the team before we went out and it was like, ‘Okay, this was the game we expected. Do we have what it takes to win a gut-check, physical game like this? This is going to be a test of our toughness and our persistence.’
“And we proved that we did.”
Did they ever, snapping a 30-game losing streak to Ohio State and elevating the program to unprecedented heights.
“This was another step we needed to take as a program,” Cignetti said. “This was something a lot of people thought was impossible. It shows when you get the right people and have a plan and support and play for one another, anything is possible.”
Added Mendoza: “What makes this moment so special is the community of Bloomington and how long they’ve waited for this.”
The Hoosiers took an early lead that was set up by safety Louis Moore’s sixth interception of the season. That led to kicker Nico Radicic’s 29-yard field goal to put them ahead 3-0.
Ohio State took advantage of a Mendoza interception with quarterback Julian Sayin’s touchdown pass to receiver Carnell Tate for a 7-3 lead.
Running back Kaelon Black’s 37-yard run led to another field goal opportunity. Radicic couldn’t connect from 39 yards. It was his first miss of the season. Ohio State added a 30-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead. Radicic’s 32-yard field goal made it 10-6 at halftime. The Hoosiers had 163 total yards to the Buckeyes’ 128. Indiana held Ohio State to just 19 rushing yards.
After forcing an Ohio State third-quarter opening punt, IU went on the attack. Mendoza hit Becker with a 51-yard pass. Running back Roman Hemby followed with a 10-yard run before Mendoza connected with receiver Elijah Sarratt for a 17-yard touchdown and a 13-10 Hoosier lead late in the third quarter.
Ohio State drove within touchdown range before linebacker Rolijah Hardy’s pass deflection in the end zone caused Ohio State to try for a tying 27-yard field goal. The Buckeyes missed. The Hoosiers still led 13-10.
The clutch Mendoza-to-Becker completion allowed IU to chew up most of the game’s remaining time. By the time the Hoosiers punted, Ohio State had 18 seconds to drive 50-plus yards for a field goal attempt.
It had no chance.
The clock hit zero and confetti fell, music played and an Indiana celebration once unthinkable erupted.
“I have three and a half weeks to humble this team and get them ready for the playoffs,” Cignetti said.