BLOOMINGTON, IND. - Braxton Miller had all the offensive answers for No. 8 Ohio State in its 52-49 victory over Indiana on Saturday night.
Buckeyes survive late scare
An onside kick that failed finally stopped the Hoosiers, whose rally included 15 points in a late 35-second stretch.
October 14, 2012 at 5:18AM
He ran for a 67-yard touchdown. He threw TD passes of 60 and 46 yards. He set up two Carlos Hyde touchdowns and threw a 46-yard TD pass that appeared to put the game out of reach, and Corey Brown recovered an onside kick to help the Buckeyes escape.
By Miller's standards, it was just another game.
He finished 13-for-24 for 211 yards with two TDs and one interception, ran 23 times for 149 yards -- his third consecutive 100-yard game. The Buckeyes (7-0, 2-0 Big Ten) are the first ranked team with seven wins.
And Ohio State needed every bit of Miller's help on a wild night when the teams traded big play after big play and the Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3) rallied for 15 points in a 35-second span late in the fourth quarter.
Each team turned a blocked punt into a touchdown in the first half.
Indiana scored on TD passes of 76 and 25 yards, a 59-yard TD run and made a field goal after a 60-yard kickoff return, producing its highest point total ever against the Buckeyes. The previous record was 41 in 1988, the Hoosiers' last win over Ohio State.
But it wasn't quite enough against Miller and the Buckeyes, who finished with 353 yards rushing and held the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
Miller had some help. Hyde ran 22 times for 156 yards and a touchdown and caught a 14-yard shovel pass for a TD from Kenny Guiton when Miller left briefly after a late-hit penalty. Devin Smith caught two passes for 106 yards -- both for touchdowns.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
about the writer
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
