7 Moments That Defined The Last Indiana-Ohio State Game

The last time the Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes met, a Big Ten title came down to a field goal. No. 2 Indiana beat No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis. It was Indiana’s first win over Ohio State since 1988 and its first Big Ten title since 1967, and the Hoosiers went on to finish 16-0 as national champions. The rematch comes Saturday in Bloomington, where No. 5 Indiana (6-0) hosts No. 4 Ohio State (5-1) at noon E.T. on FOX. The Hoosiers bring a 22-game winning streak into the game. Here are the moments that decided last year’s meeting. Indiana nearly lost its quarterback before the game got going. Fernando Mendoza was hurt on the Hoosiers’ first offensive play, missed one snap and returned. On Ohio State’s opening drive, safety Louis Moore undercut a Julian Sayin pass for his sixth interception of the season. Indiana took over at the Ohio State 23 and turned it into a field goal and a 3-0 lead. Ohio State answered with a turnover of its own. Lorenzo Styles Jr. got a hand on a Mendoza screen pass, and Davison Igbinosun caught the deflection at the Indiana 27. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the Indiana eight, and Sayin hit Carnell Tate for a nine-yard touchdown. Ohio State led 7-3 with 46 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the last interception Mendoza would throw all season. After Indiana missed a field goal, Sayin found Jeremiah Smith for 52 yards to set up a 30-yard Jayden Fielding field goal. That made it 10-3 early in the second quarter. Smith finished with eight catches for 144 yards. Nico Radicic’s 32-yard field goal cut Ohio State’s lead to 10-6 at halftime. Indiana’s defense opened the second half with back-to-back sacks to force a punt. The Hoosiers sacked Sayin five times on the night. Mendoza then went deep to wideout Charlie Becker for 51 yards and capped a seven-play, 88-yard drive with a 17-yard back-shoulder touchdown to Elijah Sarratt in the corner of the end zone. Indiana led 13-10 with 8:02 left in the third quarter. It was the first time all season Ohio State had trailed in the second half. Ohio State answered with a 70-yard drive that reached the Indiana five late in the third quarter. Facing fourth-and-1, the Buckeyes called a Sayin quarterback sneak. A replay review overturned the call on the field and ruled Sayin short. Indiana took over on downs. Ohio State got one more chance and drove to the Indiana nine-yard line on a 15-play march. On third-and-1, Rolijah Hardy broke up Sayin’s pass to tight end Bennett Christian. Fielding then pushed a 27-yard field goal wide left with 2:48 to play. Indiana kept its 13-10 lead. Indiana faced third-and-6 from its own 24 in the final three minutes. Rather than play it safe, Curt Cignetti let Mendoza throw. Mendoza hit Becker for 33 yards, and Ohio State didn’t get the ball back until 18 seconds remained. Becker finished with six catches for 126 yards. Mendoza, the game’s MVP, went 15-of-23 for 222 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Afterward, he told FOX that “the Hoosiers are flippin’ champs.” The win gave Indiana the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers beat Alabama, Oregon and Miami to finish 16-0, and Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy. Ohio State’s season ended with a quarterfinal loss to Miami. Mendoza is in the NFL now, and Josh Hoover runs Indiana’s offense. Ohio State still has Sayin and Smith, who is two touchdowns from the Big Ten’s career record for receiving touchdowns. The Buckeyes are 3.5-point favorites in this week’s picks. A win would give Indiana 23 straight, tying the second-longest streak in Big Ten history – a mark Ohio State set in 2014 and 2015.