No. 1 Ohio State Falls to No. 2 Indiana in Big Ten Title Game, 13-10

Saturday, December 6

Indianapolis, Ind.

8:00 p.m. // Lucas Oil Stadium

Ohio State

12-1 , 9-0

Indiana

13-0 , 9-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana

Ohio St.

No. 1 Ohio State Falls to No. 2 Indiana in Big Ten Title Game, 13-10

12/6/2025 11:30:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No. 1 Ohio State (12-1) fell to No. 2 Indiana (13-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game. The Hoosiers overcame a 10-6 deficit after the first half to win 13-10 with a second-half touchdown. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin completed 21-of-29 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown. Jeremiah Smith had 144 yards receiving on eight catches. Carnell Tate had four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State gained 58 yards on the ground with Bo Jackson carrying 17 times for 83 yards. Sayin was sacked five times for losses of 29 yards. The Buckeyes will learn of their next opponent during the ESPN College Football Playoff Selection Show at noon Sunday.

First Quarter

No. 1 Ohio State 7, No. 2 Indiana 3

Ohio State won the pregame coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Indiana opened the 2025 Big Ten Championship game with the ball at the IU25 after a touchback. Fernando Mendoza opened at quarterback for the Hoosiers and completed a pass for 9 yards to Elijah Sarratt to IU34. Mendoza left the game with an injury for one play but returned. After three run plays, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for 10 yards and a first down to the OSU49. Indiana gained 3 yards on the next two plays before Ohio State’s Caden Curry sacked Mendoza for a loss of 5 yards back to the IU49 to force the first punt of the game, a 39-yarder by Mitch McCarthy down to the OSU12. Julian Sayin started under center for the Buckeyes and quickly delivered a 13-yard pass to receiver Jeremiah Smith out to the OSU25. Running back Bo Jackson gained 4 after an incompletion before Sayin was intercepted over the middle by Louis Moore, who returned it 12 yards to the OSU23. Mendoza hit Sarratt for 11 yards to the OSU11 for a first down on the second play of Indiana’s possession. Ohio State’s defense did not allow a gain on the next three plays. Indiana then connected on a 29-yard field goal by Nicolas Radicic for a 3-0 IU lead with 6:51 left in the opening quarter. Sayin started from the OSU25 after a touchback and found Smith again on first down, this time for a gain of 7 to the OSU32. Carnell Tate was the next target, this time for 5 yards and a first down at the OSU49. Smith added another first down after a 12-yard reception to the IU44. Jackson followed with a rush for 7 yards over the right side. The Buckeyes were pushed back 6 yards on the next two plays, which included a sack of Sayin for a loss of 4 at the 50. Ohio State punter Joe McGuire entered to kick it away, a 39-yard effort to the IU11. Mendoza scrambled on third-and-2 for a first down, a 9-yard gain out to the IU28. On the next play Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun intercepted Mendoza at the IU27 on a tipped ball near the left sideline. With 1:41 remining in the quarter, the Buckeyes took over at the Indiana 25 after a short Igbinosun return. Jackson gained 8 yards on a run to the right before IU was called for a facemask penalty that moved the ball to the Indiana 8. The Hoosiers were called for offsides on the next play to give Ohio State possession at the IU4. The Buckeyes were then called for a false start penalty on second down, moving the ball back to the IU9. Sayin then got the Buckeyes on the board with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Tate in the back of the endzone. The score after the IU turnover made it 7-3 with 46 seconds left. The Buckeyes were called for pass interference on Indiana’s first play of its next possession. Indiana’s Kaelon Black rushed left on the next play for 37 yards to the OSU 23. The quarter ended after an Indiana short gain to the OSU22.

Second Quarter

No. 1 Ohio State 10, No. 2 Indiana 6

Indiana gained 3 yards on a rush to open the quarter before Kenyatta Jackson Jr. sacked Mendoza for a loss of 2. The Hoosiers then missed a 39-yard field goal attempt to give the Buckeyes the ball at their 22. Isiah West got his first carry of the game, a 4-yarder up the middle, to open Ohio State’s next possession. Sayin then went deep and found Smith for 52 yards to the IU22. The Hoosiers were called for a personal foul on the play, illegal hands to the face, to move the ball to the IU11. Jackson then rushed twice for a total of 4 yards to the Indiana 7 before Saying was sacked for a loss of 4. Jayden Fielding came in and put the Buckeyes up 10-3 with a 30-yard field goal with 10:08 left in the half. Mendoza opened with a 14-yard completion to Jonathan Brady to the IU39. The Hoosiers lost 10 of those yards on the next play after holding call. The Hoosiers gained 7 on a rush and 7 more on a completion to Roman Hemby on the next two plays before a 10-yard completion to Charlie Becker for a first down at the OSU47. Indiana faced a fourth-and-2 from the OSU39 before calling a timeout with 6:27 on the clock. After the break, the Hoosiers got a first down on a 9-yard completion to Tiley Nowakowski before a rush for another 9 yards to the Ohio State 21. A rush of 1 for another first down preceded a loss of 2 yards on a Mendoza rush and a loss of 3 when Caden Curry sacked Mendoza at the OSU25. The Hoosiers responded with an 11-yard pass over the middle to Nowakowski to the OSU14. Indiana elected to kick a 32-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 at the OSU 14 to make it 10-6 Buckeyes with 2:47 left. Sayin got the ball at the OSU25 and opened Ohio State’s possession with an 11-yard pass to Tate out to the OSU36 just before the two-minute timeout. Jackson gained 4 after the stoppage before a Sayin sack for loss of 2. An incompletion on third down gave the ball back to Indiana following a McGuire 62-yard punt to the IU15 with 25 seconds left. The half ended after a short IU gain.

Third Quarter

No. 2 Indiana 13, No. 1 Ohio State 10

Ohio State opened the second half with the ball. Sayin began the drive with a completion for 9 yards to tight end Will Kacmarek. Jackson got the ball next for a rush of 20 yards out to the IU44. Sayin was sacked on consecutive plays for losses of 5 and 14 yards back to the OSU37. Indiana called timeout with Ohio State facing third-and-27. After a gain of 1 following the break, McGuire came in and executed a 51-yard punt that was downed at the IU12. The Hoosiers rushed twice to start the drive for a total of 8 yards before Mendoza threw deep down the middle for a 51-yard completion to Charlie Becker. From Ohio State’s 29, Roman Hemby carried for 10 on the next play for another first down to the OSU19. Two plays later Mendoza connected with Sarratt for a 17-yard touchdown in the front left corner of the endzone for a 13-10 Indiana lead with 8:02 on the clock. The drive covered 88 yards on seven plays over 3:30. The Buckeyes started their next drive with a 7-yard rush by Jackson over the left side. After a loss of 1, Sayin hit Brandon Inniss for 5 yards and a first down at the OSU36. Max Klare then was on the receiving end of a 20-yard gain to the IU44. The Buckeyes lost a yard on the next play before Saying found Smith for 18 and Klare for another 8 to get to the IU23. Jackson got the first down on a 5-yard rush up the middle to get inside the IU15. Kacmarek then caught a 7-yard Sayin offering to the IU7. Jackson rushed for 2 yards before an incompletion on third-and-1. The Buckeyes went for it on fourth-and-1 and Sayin appeared to get the first down with a 2-yard rush up the middle. The play was reviewed and overturned to give the ball to Indiana at the IU3 after the turnover on downs with 1:04 on the clock. The quarter ended after Indiana got a first down on a 12-yard pass play to the IU17.

Fourth Quarter

No. 2 Indiana 13, No. 1 Ohio State 10

Mendoza moved the Hoosiers to the IU32 after a 15-yard completion to Charlie Becker on the second play of the final quarter. Becker added another first down on a 7-yard catch at the IU32. Ohio State’s defense stopped IU at their 49 forcing an Indiana punt, a 44-yard McCarthy boot to the OSU7 that was returned by Inniss for 3 yards to the OSU10. Jackson opened the Ohio State drive with a 4-yard rush up the middle before getting the first down with a 10-yard run to right out to the OSU24. On third-and-5, CJ Donaldson Jr. got a first down on an 8-yard catch over the middle to the OSU37. Smith lost 5 yards on the next play before Jackson caught a pass for 7 yards on second-and-15 to the OSU39. Tate then added a grab for 20 yards for a first down at the IU41. The Buckeyes faced third-and-8 at the IU39 before a 7-yard completion to Jackson to the IU32. Indiana was called for a personal foul on the play that moved the ball to the IU18. With a first down, Jackson rushed left for 8 yards to the IU10. The Buckeyes then faced fourth-and-1 at the IU9. Fielding then came in for a 27-yard field goal attempt that missed left with 2:48 left. Starting from their 20, Indiana rushed for 5 yards before an Ohio State timeout with 2:44 to play. The Buckeyes called another timeout after IU lost a yard rushing. Indiana responded on the next play with a 33-yard completion to Becker to the OSU43 right before the two-minute timeout. Ohio State called its final timeout with IU facing a third-and-7 at the OSU40 and 1:10 left. The Hoosiers punted it away after a short gain to give Ohio State the ball at its 14 following a 24-yard kick and 17 seconds on the clock. The game ended after a Smith catch for 45 yards at the IU39 ran out the clock.