COLUMBUS, Ohio — Google that.
Ohio State put the phrase up on the scoreboard alongside a picture of Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti in the final minute of the team’s 38-15 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday.
There was nothing subtle about the message referencing the “Google me” quote that’s become Cignetti’s catchphrase.
While No. 5 Indiana (10-1; 7-1 Big Ten) might be in the College Football Playoff picture, No. 2 Ohio State (10-1; 7-1 Big Ten) wanted to remind the Hoosiers it still had a ways to go before claiming a spot at the top of the Big Ten.
It’s the same message OSU coach Ryan Day wanted to deliver by punching in a touchdown with 35 seconds to go instead of the clock out — even after running back TreVeyon Henderson gave himself up at the 1-yard line — and why starting quarterback Will Howard pantomimed putting out a cigarette on the sideline.
“I got a lot of respect for what they do and what coach Cignetti has done over there,” Howard said, after the game. “They’ve had a heck of a turn around, but you got to remember you’re coming in to play the Buckeyes, it’s a little different.”
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Indiana football players who spoke to reporters after the game mostly agreed.
The consensus from the group of veterans that included quarterback Kurtis Rourke, linebacker Aiden Fisher and running back Ty Son Lawton was that the Hoosiers failed to meet the moment with a sloppy performance that highlighted the gap between the programs.
Indiana has now lost 30 straight games in the series going back to 1988 and has a 12-80-5 overall record against the Buckeyes.
“You gotta be close to perfect to beat a team like this, and we’re gonna have a chance to play a lot of similar teams like this,” Rourke said. “So knowing that we can’t have these mistakes and we gotta be on our game for the whole game.”
Lawton, who had 15 carries for 79 yards with two touchdowns, had a more succinct way of summing up the point.
“This loss was an eye-opener,” Lawton said, with a shake of his head. “We got more work to do.”
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Cignetti pointed out how “loaded” the Buckeyes are multiple times after the game, and their level of talent impacted the game as much as IU’s miscues from the special teams gaffes that gifted OSU 14 points to a series of pass protection breakdowns.
Ohio State had eight former 5-star recruits in the starting lineup while the Hoosiers don’t have any on their entire roster. The Buckeyes’ signing classes have all ranked among the top five FBS teams in each of the last five seasons, according to 247 Sports.
While they had a smaller transfer haul (seven signees), they still ranked No. 9 in overall team transfer rankings. They signed three of the top 50 players available including Alabama safety Caleb Downs, Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins and Kansas State quarterback Will Howard.
All three played a central role in OSU’s victory — Downs had a punt return for a touchdown, Howard was near perfect with 201 yards (22 of 26) and two touchdowns and Jenkins had 16 touches.
“Maybe it was the ability of the opponent,” Cignetti said, when asked about Ohio State pulling away. “That’s a good football team that went to Oregon and lost the last drive of the game with a controversial offensive PI call.”
The bottom line for Cignetti was that Ohio State was simply the better team on Saturday, and he wasn’t going to sugarcoat that.
“They won, they deserved to win,” he said. “They’re terrific.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football: Why loss to OSU was ‘eye-opener’ amidst Hoosiers’ playoff push
