Haskins is all Buckeyes need
QB throws for 455 yards, 6 TDs in victory vs. Hoosiers
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A week after a gritty victory at then-No. 9 Penn State, No. 3 Ohio State had to work hard again, this time to put away unranked Indiana late.
In doing so, Dwayne Haskins Jr. passed for a career-best 455 yards and six touchdowns — including two in the fourth quarter — as the Buckeyes pulled away for a 49-26 victory Saturday.
With Ohio State protecting a 35-26 lead, Haskins hooked up with Terry McLaurin for a 17-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, then added a 30-yard touchdown pass to Binjimen Victor with seven minutes left to seal the victory.
The struggle with the Hoosiers a week after battling for a victory against the Nittany Lions must have given some of the Buckeyes cold shivers. Ohio State was ranked No. 3 after an emotional victory against Penn State last season but was inexplicably routed by unranked Iowa the next week, ruining the Buckeyes’ chances to make the College Football Playoff.
‘‘I’m not going to lie: We were probably still tired from last week,’’ Haskins said after the game. ‘‘Definitely, there was a little lower energy in practice during the week. But the best thing about today is we found a way to win. Even though it wasn’t pretty at times during the game, football is about overcoming adversity.’’
Ohio State survived an early scare from Indiana, coming from behind twice in the first half to take a 28-20 lead at the break. The Buckeyes then pulled away in the second half, despite the gritty play of Hoosiers quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who threw for a career-high 322 yards and three touchdowns.
A real headache
The game gave Ohio State coach Urban Meyer a headache — literally.
Meyer fell ill on the sideline in the fourth quarter, with TV coverage showing him holding his head and being attended to by team personnel. He recovered a few minutes later and finished coaching the game.
‘‘I dealt with headaches in the past,’’ said Meyer, who for years has had an arachnoid cyst, which he controls with medication. He didn’t provide any more details about it. ‘‘There’s ups and downs to the game, but when you have a coach that passionate, some things like that happen,’’ McLaurin said. ‘‘But I’m sure he’s going to be all right.’’
Touchdowns piling up
Haskins, who tied a school record with his six touchdown passes, continued to add to his growing Heisman Trophy buzz by completing 33 of 44 passes and throwing two touchdowns each to Parris Campbell and McLaurin and one each to Johnnie Dixon and Victor.
‘‘The kid is just blessed by the hands of God, quite honestly,’’ Dixon said. ‘‘He works his butt off, but God truly handpicked Dwayne and blessed him with the tools.’’
Haskins has thrown for 1,919 yards with 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
‘‘He’s an accurate passer now,’’ Meyer said. ‘‘You give him some time and a good group of receivers, he’s a dangerous guy.’’
The takeaway
Indiana: The underdog Hoosiers stuck around long enough to give the Buckeyes fits. Ramsey is getting better every week. Overall, it was a good showing for him. Indiana had 406 yards of offense.
‘‘There are no moral victories,’’ Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said. ‘‘It’s in the past, but when you play a team of this caliber on the road, you have to take advantage of the opportunities. We are not going to sit here and hang our heads and feel sorry for ourselves. We are going to keep fighting because that’s what this program does.’’
Ohio State: The Buckeyes came out slow and made defensive mistakes, allowing Indiana to stay in the game until the fourth quarter.
‘‘We’ve been fine against the run, but the pass has been killing us, and that’s going to bite us,’’ Meyer said. ‘‘It’s something we’ve got to get fixed.’’