The Hoosiers jumped out to an early lead when quarterback Kurtis Rouke handed the ball off to Ty Son Lawton, who scored the game's first touchdown. However, this lead was short-lived, as the Buckeyes' defense quickly took control.

At some point late in the second quarter, if it wasn’t clear before, the talent gap became apparent. Ohio State and Indiana were locked in a close game on the scoreboard, but it was clear that the Buckeyes had the Hoosiers on the ropes after the visitors committed just one too many errors to rebound from — notably,