Ohio State let the Hoosiers drive to begin the fourth quarter. Trailing 27-20, Indiana had multiple rushes of seven yards and had one for 16 as well, from Tre Roberson. They eventually set up shop at the OSU 23-yard line, but Mitch Ewald missed a 40-yard field goal that would have brought the Hoosiers closer to taking the lead. Ohio State's following drive went nowhere and they punted after a single first down, so Indiana had another shot at it. Tre Roberson had a big 10-yard rush and an 18-yard completion to Kofi Hughes, but Travis Howard came up big for the Buckeyes, picking off Roberson at the sideline and giving Ohio State possession.
With 4:07 remaining in the game, the Buckeyes took over. Carlos Hyde had a rush for four yards, and then blew up for a 47-yard rush on the right side, taking the ball to the Indiana seven-yard line. Dan Herron had a five-yard gain and then Hyde punched it in from two yards out for a touchdown. Drew Basil kicked the extra point, giving the Buckeyes a 34-20 lead in the closing minutes of the game.
The defense would go on to hold and the Buckeyes killed the clock to seal the deal, a 34-20 win. The Buckeyes won on the back of a prolific Ohio State rushing attack. Dan Herron, Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller combined for 346 yards on the ground, against just 159 from the Hoosiers. Miller only threw for 55 yards, while Roberson of Indiana threw for 174. It was a pretty close game until the fourth quarter happened, when Ohio State just started pounding the rock against a tired Indiana defense.