BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott scored on touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards in the second half, and No. 1 Ohio State came up with a final goal line stand to escape with a 34-27 win over Indiana on Saturday.
Elliott had a career best 274 yards on 23 carries.
The Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) extended the FBS’ longest winning streak to 18 in a row.
Indiana (4-1, 0-1) lost the nation’s leading rusher, Jordan Howard, in the first half and its starting quarterback, Nate Sudfeld, in the third quarter. But the Hoosiers made things difficult for the defending national champions.
Elliott wiped out a 10-6 deficit with the 55-yard run, a 17-13 deficit with the 65-yard run and appeared to have sealed it when his 75-yarder made it 34-20.
But the Buckeyes still needed to break up a pass in the end zone on the game’s final play to secure the win.
Ohio State receiver Corey Smith was taken off the field on a golf cart after he appeared to injure his lower right leg during the third quarter of Saturday’s game at Indiana.
It looked like Smith’s leg got caught underneath a pileup on the Hoosiers sideline.
After several minutes, trainers lifted Smith onto the cart and placed a towel over his head. The crowd applauded politely as he was taken away.
Smith had not caught a pass for the top-ranked Buckeyes.