Ohio St. pulls away to take Big Ten title
INDIANAPOLIS – Dwayne Haskins added five more touchdown passes to his single-season record Saturday and No. 6 Ohio State relied on its staunch defense to hold off a second-half charge from No. 21 Northwestern for a 45-24 victory to claim its second straight Big Ten championship.
The Buckeyes (12-1, 9-1 Big Ten, No. 6 CFP) won their third title in five years and their fifth consecutive game – but it’s unlikely to get the Buckeyes into the four-team College Football Playoff.
Haskins finished 34 of 41 with 499 yards and one interception. It’s the fifth time he topped 400 yards this season.
Clayton Thorson went 27 of 44 with 267 yards, one TD and two interceptions as he helped Northwestern trim a 24-7 halftime deficit to 24-21 midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats (8-5, 8-2) couldn’t get any closer, though, as they lost only their second conference contest in their last 17 league games.
It still turned out to be a more intriguing game than many expected, especially after the Buckeyes’ fast start.
Haskins eluded a couple of defenders on third-and-11, buying just enough time to find Terry McLaurin for a 16-yard TD pass on the game’s opening possession.
Northwestern tied the score when little-used running back John Moten IV outran Ohio State’s defense for a 77-yard scoring run. It matched Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins for the second-longest run in title game history. Dobbins had a 77-yard run in last year’s title game.
Then the Buckeyes answered with what appeared to be knockout flurry. Dobbins scored on a 2-yard run, Blake Haubeil made a 42-yard field goal and McLaurin caught a 42-yard TD pass from Haskins to make it 24-7 at the half.
The Wildcats opened the second half with Thorson’s 18-yard scoring run and made it 24-21 when he found Cameron Green on a 2-yard TD pass with 8:03 left in the third quarter.
After Haskins connected with Chris Olave for a 29-yard TD pass, Charlie Kuhbander made a 21-yard field goal to get the Wildcats within 31-24 with 10:34 to go.
But Haskins sealed it with two more TD passes – a 9-yarder to Johnnie Dixon and a 17-yarder to Olave.