'Felt like a normal game.' Ohio State dominates Indiana 56-14 as Stroud throws for 5 TDs

Snow fell at Ohio Stadium at the start of Ohio State's game against Indiana, but the flags barely swayed.

Nature wouldn't come to the aid of the Hoosiers as it did for Northwestern last week in wind-swept Evanston.

Unimpeded by the weather, the No. 2 Buckeyes did what they were expected to do and cruised to a 56-14 victory in front of 103,888 spectators.

"That felt more like a normal game," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

It certainly was typical for a Buckeyes-Hoosiers game. Ohio State (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has not lost to Indiana (3-7, 1-6) since 1988.

C.J. Stroud completed 17 of 28 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns. The final one was the most emotional. Wide receiver Kamryn Babb, who has persevered through four ACL surgeries and another knee injury that kept him out of the first nine games this season, caught an 8-yarder in the end zone. Teammates mobbed him in celebration.

Ohio State outgained Indiana 662-269, and the Buckeyes ran for a season-high 340 yards after three weeks of their ground game sputtering, though the Buckeyes' short-yardage problems continued.

"I was ready to bang my head against the wall," Day said.

That's not his only concern about the run game. The Buckeyes' already depleted running back unit took another hit with an injury to running back Miyan Williams. The redshirt sophomore left late in the second quarter with a right foot or ankle injury. Williams, who ran for 147 yards in 15 carries, could not put weight on his foot as he hopped to the sideline and was carted to the locker room.

Williams and TreVeyon Henderson have shared the load this season, but Henderson was in a walking boot and sat out for the second straight week. That left freshman Dallan Hayden as the only other healthy scholarship running back. Chip Trayanum, who was moved from linebacker to running back recently, did not dress due to an unspecified injury.

Receiver Xavier Johnson was pressed into action as a running back in the fourth quarter after Hayden briefly left with an injury. Johnson weaved 71 yards for a touchdown on his first carry.

"I think it’s pretty remarkable that we have that many guys who are capable," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. "Whether it’s (TreVeyon), Miyan or Chip, we’re hoping to get these guys back as soon as we can. It’s been frustrating not having a full-strength room there, but I guess the positive spin is that the depth has shown, and we’ve been able to keep that going."

The injuries are a concern for the rest of the season, but they didn't matter against Indiana, which lost its seventh straight game. Ohio State scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the first quarter to take control. Williams ran for 42 yards on two carries to start the first scoring drive. Stroud then connected with Emeka Egbuka for a 6-yard touchdown on third down.

Ohio State went 78 yards in eight plays on its next score, with Hayden running through a big hole on the left side for 14 yards on the touchdown.

The Buckeyes needed only one play for their next score, a 58-yard pass from Stroud to Marvin Harrison Jr.

Indiana, which went three-and-out on its first three possessions, benched starting quarterback Connor Bazelak for Dexter Williams II. Williams gave the Hoosiers a brief spark. He took advantage of a busted coverage for a 49-yard completion to set up Indiana's first score, a lob to 6-foot-6 tight end AJ Barner.

Ohio State extended its lead early in the second quarter when Williams broke a 48-yard touchdown run and took the 28-7 lead to halftime.

Safety Lathan Ransom blocked a punt to set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to tight end Cade Stover, who then bounced off IU tacklers for a 12-yard touchdown reception on OSU's next possession to make it 42-7.

Indiana capitalized on a muffed Ohio State punt for its second touchdown. OSU held the Hoosiers without a first down on nine of their 16 possessions.

Then came Babb's touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, a moment Day called "magical."

"There was something special that went on in the field there," he said. "You could see it with our team, and I'm just really happy for him and really selfishly proud to be part of a moment like that, to see someone overcome such great obstacles in life.

"I just can't say enough about it. There'll be great wins, and there'll be great accomplishments here at Ohio State. But what he's overcome is one of the great accomplishments."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State rolls over Indiana 56-14 behind Stroud's five TD passes