BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When everything else fizzled Saturday for Ohio State, coach Urban Meyer put the ball in Ezekiel Elliott’s trusted hands.
Elliott saved the game — and perhaps the Buckeyes’ title hopes too.
The junior running back got a sluggish offense going with electrifying second-half touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards, and Eli Apple batted away a desperation pass in the end zone as time expired to preserve No. 1 Ohio State’s 34-27 victory over Indiana.
The Buckeyes have won 18 straight games and 15 in a row on the road, the longest active streaks in the FBS, but the style points could cost them in the next AP poll.
“Look across the country and every day you’d better play,” Meyer said. “You’d better play.”
Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) learned the hard way.
The defending national champs fumbled four times, losing two of them. Cardale Jones threw away a scoring chance when he was picked off inside the Hoosiers’ 15-yard line. The Buckeyes had eight major penalties, the offense couldn’t score touchdowns in the red zone and their normally stout defense couldn’t put it away.
But Elliott rallied everyone.
His first two scoring runs erased Indiana leads and his third appeared to give the Buckeyes a seemingly safe 34-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.
