Rece Davis Reveals Ohio State-Indiana Pick for 'Biggest Game' in Bloomington History

ESPN’s Rece Davis weighed Indiana’s 22-game winning streak and pass rush against Ohio State’s passing attack in a rematch of last year’s Big Ten title game.

ESPN personality Rece Davis interviews Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis picked Ohio State to win at Indiana on Saturday, siding with the Buckeyes in a top-five showdown that puts the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak on the line in Bloomington.

On the College GameDay podcast, Davis joined fellow panelists Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel in taking No. 4 Ohio State (5-1) over No. 5 Indiana (6-0), though he expects a close finish. “I think a field goal at the end decides it one way or the other,” Davis said.

Rece Davis explains his Ohio State pick

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day takes the team out of the tunnel before the game against the Maryland Terrapins | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Davis called Saturday’s noon ET kickoff on Fox the “biggest game in the history of Bloomington, Indiana, not played on a basketball court.” It’s a rematch of last December’s Big Ten championship game, which Indiana won 13-10 in Indianapolis on its way to the national title.

His case against the Hoosiers rests on the streak itself. “When you have a winning streak as long as Indiana’s, longest in the country ... you start having these near misses,” Davis said. “Sooner or later, one gets you, and it can almost reset you a little bit.”

Indiana held off Northwestern 29-23 in its Big Ten opener after starting running back Turbo Richard left with an injury, leaning on backup Lee Beebe Jr. for 203 rushing yards.

Last Saturday in Lincoln, Indiana trailed Nebraska 17-6 in the fourth quarter before quarterback Josh Hoover hit receiver Nick Marsh for touchdowns of 75 and 44 yards, the second on fourth-and-1. Afterward, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said his players “took a deep breath and relaxed and forgot all the garbage in the first half.”

Can Ohio State protect Julian Sayin?

Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws during the college football game against the Maryland Terrapins | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Davis pointed to the Buckeyes’ offensive line as the deciding matchup. “Ohio State has allowed pressure on 27% of its dropbacks this season. That’s 14th in the Big Ten,” Davis said. “That’s not a great formula against Indiana. Indiana does an unbelievable job of getting pressure without blitzing.”

Indiana leads the Big Ten with 20 sacks, while Ohio State has allowed 11, which ranks 14th in the conference. The Hoosiers also finished last December’s 13-10 win with five sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Still, the Buckeyes have done damage when the pocket holds. Quarterback Julian Sayin, who holds No. 1 in our Big Ten quarterback rankings, has thrown for 1,772 yards and 17 touchdowns, and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has 916 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches.

Ohio State’s offense also ranks second nationally in expected points added per pass, while Indiana’s defense ranks 76th in that measure. And the Buckeyes’ line landed on the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll on Wednesday.

Why Davis still backs Indiana’s offense

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (10) passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Davis pushed back on the idea that Indiana’s attack has slipped, comparing Hoover to Fernando Mendoza, who quarterbacked the Hoosiers to last season’s title.

“If Josh Hoover plays 16 games, as Fernando did last year, the numbers are going to be pretty much the same, almost the same,” Davis said. “He’s thrown 17 touchdown passes. I think Fernando finished with 41 last year. You double that to the end of the season, you’re at 34, and then you have the playoff.”

Davis also noted that Indiana remains a run-first team. “Turbo Richard leads the conference in runs of 20 yards or longer,” he said. “They average over six yards a carry.”

He placed the matchup in rare Big Ten company, too. “Only once have two teams played three consecutive seasons and been in the top five of the AP poll in all three meetings: Michigan and Ohio State in the middle of the legendary Ten-Year War between Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes,” Davis said.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy took the opposite side this week, picking Indiana as the underdog to extend its streak to 23 games.