As Ohio State prepares for its second trip through the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes once again have added fuel to drive them through the field.
Following Ohio State’s 13-10 defeat to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game Dec. 6, the Buckeyes came into the playoffs on a loss for the second straight season.
Though Ohio State’s loss to the Hoosiers may not have cut as deeply as last season’s crushing 13–10 defeat to Michigan at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes are still drawing motivation from the conference title game setback as they head into the playoffs.
Ohio State senior linebacker Sonny Styles said he and the defense took responsibility for the loss, acknowledging they didn’t play to their standard and stating that with the season now on the line in every game, the Buckeyes can’t afford a similar performance moving forward.
“I think we’re frustrated. We didn’t play well enough to win the game, and that’s our fault,” Styles said. “So we took the time to fix that and we know the last time we stepped on the field, we left something on the field. So this time, we got to leave everything out there. It’s a one-game season at this point. So it’s win or go home. So you have to leave it all out there.”
Against the Hoosiers, Ohio State surrendered a season-high 340 yards, as Indiana knocked off the top-ranked Buckeyes for their first loss in 371 days.
Styles continued, highlighting specific breakdowns that shifted momentum in Indiana’s favor. He added that the Buckeye defense holds itself to a higher standard and is collectively owning the responsibility for the loss.
“We gave up a few big plays, similar running types we’ve seen throughout the whole year and some other plays, but I don’t think the defense was satisfied at all,” Styles said. “I mean, the way we looked at it, we got outplayed by the other defense. The other defense held us to 10. We held them to 13. The other defense outplayed us. So the next time we step on the field, we can’t let that happen.”
While the loss stung from a competitive standpoint, it also served as a unifying moment within the locker room, similar to in the 2024 season.
Ohio State nickelback Lorenzo Styles Jr. said the adversity brought the team closer together as he and his Buckeye teammates leaned on one another amid outside criticism.
“I think the loss brought us closer as a team,” Lorenzo Styles said. “A lot of the guys on the team, when you lose, the spotlight gets put on you. There’s some backlash for a lot of the guys. So we had to stick together and rally together.”
That heightened sense of urgency has also been evident from the coaching staff’s perspective.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said the disappointment from the loss to Indiana has carried over into daily preparation, creating an edge throughout the program as it heads into its quarterfinal matchup with Miami (Fla.) Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl.
“I don’t think it’s anything learned, I think everybody is just moving around with an edge,” Day said. “Everybody is pissed off. Everybody wants to get it right and wants to win. Nobody likes to lose. It’s a game that we felt like we shouldn’t have lost. But you have to learn from it and grow from it and move on.”
