BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Led by a dominant defensive effort, No. 3 Ohio State overcame an uneven offensive performance en route to a 23-3 win over Indiana on Saturday afternoon.
In his second-ever start at Ohio State and first since beating out Devin Brown this summer, quarterback Kyle McCord completed 20 of his 33 attempts for 239 yards and no touchdowns while tossing one interception. Brown, who head coach Ryan Day said had earned the right to play earlier this week, saw just one series and did not attempt a pass.
Miyan Williams carried the ball just six times but made the most of his opportunities, scoring twice on the ground to account for Ohio State’s only two touchdowns of the game. Chip Trayanum paced the Ohio State rushing attack with 57 yards on eight carries, and TreVeyon Henderson added 47 yards on 12 carries.
Ohio State was limited to just 389 yards of total offense for the game.
While Ohio State struggled to find its footing offensively, its defense was firing on all cylinders from the opening kickoff. Indiana, which also played two quarterbacks, was limited to 149 yards of offense and the lone field goal.
The game started well enough for the Ohio State offense after Indiana was forced to punt on the opening series. McCord and the offense took over at their own 20 and went to work on the first scoring drive of the season.
A 9-yard completion to Marvin Harrison Jr. and a 19-yard run by Henderson quickly had Ohio State out near midfield, and Williams capped off the drive minutes later with a 7-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead and grab quick, albeit short momentum.
Ohio State appeared poised to add to its lead early in the second quarter after moving the ball to the Indiana 29. Williams was stopped for no gain on third down, however, and McCord’s pass on fourth down was intercepted by Indiana’s Phillip Dunnam to turn Ohio State away.
Indiana turned the takeaway into three points on a 42-yard field goal to cut the Ohio State lead to 7-3 with 6:15 remaining in the half.
Ohio State was able to add to its lead just before the half on a 40-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding, sending the Buckeyes into the half with a 10-3 lead.
The Ohio State offense finished the half with just 172 total yards in a meek showing, but Indiana was limited to only 88 yards thanks to a stout effort from the Buckeye defense.
It was more of the same to begin the second half as the two teams traded stops before Ohio State finally put together a scoring drive to add to its lead.
After taking over at his own 20, McCord completed a pair of passes to Julian Fleming and Cade Stover to get Ohio State out and running. A defensive pass interference penalty on Indiana extended the drive and moved Ohio State across midfield for the first time in the second half.
A 27-yard completion from McCord to Fleming set Ohio State up inside the red zone for just the second time in the game, but McCord was unable to pay off the drive with a touchdown. Facing a third down from the Indiana 4, McCord’s draw attempt was snuffed out, forcing another field goal attempt.
Fielding’s 22-yard kick was good, pushing the Ohio State lead to 13-3 with under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Williams added his second touchdown run of the day just before the end of the third quarter to stretch the Ohio State lead to 20-3. The touchdown was set up by a 49-yard completion from McCord to Stover and a pair of Trayanum runs totaling 21 yards.
Fielding’s 22-yard field goal with 4:26 remaining rounded out the scoring as Ohio State moved to 1-0 on the season.
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.
