Despite the defense forcing turnovers and setting them up well, the Buckeye offense struggled. They had three trips to the red zone and scored only three points. The cause of that was the offense, which once again kept banging their head against a brick wall.
They kept taking their most potent weapons out when they were in scoring territory. The offensive line, which had been great all year, fumbled badly. An offensive player who could have been a difference maker was underutilized. They didn’t go to their star receivers in critical moments. The quarterback, who had been so steady this season, was rattled. Special teams were a nightmare. Ohio State lost 13-10.
Sound familiar? If you were thinking of Ohio State’s loss to UM in 2024 and not their loss to IU in 2025, no one would blame you. They followed the same script. The brightest spot for Ohio State was Jeremiah Smith. He had eight catches for 144 yards. Carnell Tate had four catches for 44 yards and the lone Buckeye touchdown. The superstar wide receivers played well but were also a source of great frustration for Ohio State.
Not because they failed at any particular point, but because they weren’t even given the chance to succeed at the biggest moments. Like in 2024, when they were determined to run inside no matter how much it wasn’t there, they again banged their heads against a brick wall, hoping somehow it would break first. Ohio State’s determination to go with their 13 personnel, or three tight ends, in the Red Zone was the 2025 edition of forcing something that wasn’t working.
Nine of Ohio State’s 15 Red Zone snaps, 60%, came with their three tight end formations. That means in 60% of their Red Zone snaps, Ohio State was without its two best players on the field. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate weren’t out there on nine of their 15 Red Zone plays.
This is a concept Ohio State has struggled with over the years, and that is having as many of your best players on the field at one time as possible. It creates mismatches with a defense, and a mismatch gives you an opportunity to make a play.
In this same vein, Ohio State’s musical chairs at the running back position caught up to them. All year long, they’ve been determined to play four running backs in every game. It’s slowed their rushing attack, not allowing any running back to get traction and momentum.
Against IU, it seemed every time freshman sensation Bo Jackson would get some momentum, he’d be subbed out. With a rare exception or two, his teammates in the running backs room would struggle when they came off the bench cold for him.
The Buckeye offensive line laid an egg, too. They came into the game having allowed only six sacks all season. Second best in all of college football. They gave up five to Indiana. It seemed little was done to help them. Long-developing plays that were difficult to block weren’t removed from the playbook, and they allowed five sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
The musical chairs at running back didn’t help them, nor did Sayin being asked to run on a critical short-yardage situation. The short yardage package they ran with backup, Lincoln Kienholz, this season was made notorious by its absence, too.
Finally, Ohio State’s special teams, which have long been a point of weakness, continued to foil the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s poor kicker has struggled his whole career. No time has he struggled more when asked to make a chip shot in a big game. He missed one in a 13-10 loss last year and missed one in a 13-10 loss this year.
The poor guy may have seen a herd of black cats while walking under dozens of ladders while shattering hundreds of mirrors, because if he didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all. He’s done no favors by continually being put in these positions, either.
The team looked like an unbeatable machine all year, but showed that they are very human. The good news is, they have the script of what to do after a meltdown like the one they had in Nap Town. Make the changes to fix your mistakes and go win the whole dang thing. Go Bucks.