The Indiana and Ohio State defenses came to play on Saturday.
During the second quarter of the top-five matchup, the two units forced turnovers on consecutive possessions.
The Buckeyes’ defense gave their offense the ball at Indiana’s 18-yard line after forcing a fumble from quarterback Kurtis Rourke following a sack by Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon.
Ohio State quarterback Will Howard threw an interception three plays later on a 3rd-and-14. His pass, intended for tight end Jelani Thurman, was deflected and intercepted by Hoosiers linebacker Jailin Walker.
For Ohio State, it was the second time it squandered a red-zone scoring opportunity. It was stopped on a 4th-and-goal from Indiana’s 2-yard line on its second possession.
The two defenses have started strong. Neither offense has run effectively, with Indiana running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton gaining 56 yards on 15 carries (3.7 yards per attempt).
Ohio State backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have 10 carries for 24 yards (2.4 yards per carry).
Entering Week 13, Indiana ranked seventh in FBS in scoring defense (13.8 points allowed per game), while Ohio State ranked first (10.3 points allowed per game).
The winner of Saturday’s game will inch closer to a berth in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 7.
Through two quarters, neither defense is budging.
At halftime, CFP No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 in Big Ten) leads No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0), 14-7.
