Big day from Ezekiel Elliott helps Ohio State outlast Indiana
Top-ranked Ohio State survived another scare Saturday, in large part due to the rushing prowess of Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott reeled off second-half touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards to help the Buckeyes outlast Indiana, 34-27. Elliott finished the day with 274 yards on 23 carries to go with his three touchdowns.
The game wasn’t decided until the final play when Indiana quarterback Zander Diamont’s fourth-and-goal pass fell incomplete after an errant snap doomed the play from the start.
The big plays that defined the second half were a huge contrast from the first half, which was largely a defensive struggle. Indiana, playing in front of its first sold-out home crowd since 2010, jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The Buckeyes managed to cut the lead to 10-6 at halftime, before Elliott began to steal the show.
With Cardale Jones and the OSU passing game struggling, Elliott’s first touchdown run of the game gave the Buckeyes some life and their first lead, 13-10, midway through the third. And when it looked like the Buckeyes would begin to pull away on their next drive, Jones threw an interception in the red zone.
Five plays after Jones’ interception, his fifth of the season, the Hoosiers were in the end zone and back in front 17-13 on Devine Redding’s second touchdown run of the game.
Indiana’s lead didn’t last long, however. Elliott struck again – this time with an explosive 65-yard scamper on a fourth-and-one play to put OSU back on top 20-17.
The Buckeyes added to their lead with two more scores, first on a Jones touchdown pass to Michael Thomas and Elliott’s third long run.
Still, the Hoosiers, playing with backups at quarterback and running back (Redding for Jordan Howard, the Big Ten’s leading rusher), managed to hang around.
A 79-yard touchdown run from Diamont, filling in at QB for the injured Nate Sudfeld, brought the deficit to 34-27 with 10:03 to go. And after forcing two Ohio State punts, the Hoosiers twice had opportunities to tie the game, but failed both times.
The win was another close one for the Buckeyes, who also survived a scare from Northern Illinois at home two weeks ago. And even though they are now 5-0 and will likely remain ranked No. 1 in the country, plenty of questions remain – especially with another shaky outing at quarterback from Jones.
Jones, who completed 18-of-27 passes for 245 yards, was certainly better than he had been in recent weeks, but he still missed several throws and had a costly red zone interception. As Ohio State continues through its Big Ten schedule, Jones needs to be better. The Buckeyes won’t have heroic efforts from Elliott to bail them out on a weekly basis, especially against some of the better defenses they will see.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
