- Saturday, November 5, 2011

- Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

- 12:00 p.m. (ET)

- TV: Big Ten Network -


After playing ranked opponents four games in a row, Ohio State gets a breather of sorts this Saturday, when the Indiana Hoosiers come to town for a noon kickoff at Ohio Stadium. Luke Fickell’s charges will have to guard against a letdown after last weekend’s gripping comeback win over Wisconsin, but Indiana (1-8, 0-5) is so young and injury-riddled that the Buckeyes (5-3, 2-2) should be able to get by this week without too much trouble, and on to the meat of the remaining Big Ten schedule.

Fickell will be trying to continue the recent OSU tradition of November football excellence. Ohio State is 17-1 in the month of November since the start of the 2005 season. They have won 16 straight over the Hoosiers, dating to a 1990 tie, and have not lost to Indiana since consecutive losses in 1987 and 1988. Last year Ohio State ran out to a 31-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 38-10 victory in Columbus. (The above streak totals have not yet been adjusted to pretend last year's games didn’t happen)

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On one miracle heave launched deep into a chilly late-October night, Ohio State rejuvenated what once Braxton Miller logged only the first of hopefully a bunch of signature moments in Ohio State’s 33-29 win over bedeviled Wisconsin Saturday night. The extraordinarily composed freshman capped off an amazing game with an amazing throw- a 40-yard, across-the-body prayer that found Devin Smith in the end zone with twenty seconds left. The play topped off a dizzying last five minutes in which Ohio State seemingly locked up an upset win, seemingly blew it all Nebraska-style and finally took it back again, this time for keeps.   looked like a lost season - and gave birth to a legend.

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The Setting: It’s a strange place. A dark place where joy and gleeful expectations are shattered by a streaking 49 yard bullet. It’s 49 yards that connected Russell Wilson and Jared Abbrederis while simultaneously disconnecting an already downtrodden fan base.

The feeling is familiar for Buckeye Nation, but familiarity does not translate to tolerance.

Jordan Hall’s kickoff return to midfield provides some hope, but that hope is a needle in the proverbial haystack of disappointments. With less than sixty seconds, the Buckeyes are inching their way toward a field goal opportunity. That’s the best case scenario. A miracle field goal from the foot of Drew Basil to tie the game.

“Boom” Herron has just rushed for three yards and a first down. The clock is plummeting toward the half minute mark and Ohio State’s receivers are still not set. After everyone finds their place, there’s a brief moment where everyone on the playing field is still.

Then, the ball is snapped.

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As Braxton Miller took the field with 70 seconds to play against Wisconsin, and his Buckeyes down to the Badgers 29-26, he winked at Luke Fickell and said "don't worry coach, we've got this".  Miller would make a believer out of his coach four plays later, launching a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith to turn what looked like another deflating defeat into a thrilling Buckeye victory, as Ohio State held on to trip up the No. 12 Badgers 33-29.

When Miller dashed 44 yards for a touchdown with 4:39 to play, giving the Buckeyes a 26-14 lead, the upset win for OSU looked secure. But quarterback Russell Wilson rallied a Badger offense that had struggled all night, and stunned the Buckeyes with two TD passes to Jared Abbrederis in a span of two and a half minutes to retake the lead with 1:18 on the clock.

Jordan Hall, whose fumble on a punt return had set up an earlier Wisconsin touchdown, gave the Buckeyes hope when he returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the OSU 48. Four plays later, Miller would etch his name into Buckeye lore forever with a scrambling, improvised strike to a wide open Smith that had to be reviewed by officials to be sure Miller hadn’t crossed the line of scrimmage.

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