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The Indiana Hoosiers' hopes of making the College Football Playoff and defending their national title are still alive thanks to a 27-13 win over the USC Trojans.
It's kind of hard to believe that USC and Indiana had only played five times going into Saturday's game in Bloomington, and boy, was this one big.
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Both teams came in facing what was effectively a "must-win" scenario as far as having a shot at the College Football Playoff.
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USC Trojans running back Waymond Jordan (2) lands on his head at the end of a run against the Indiana Hoosiers. (Robert Goddin-Imagn Images)
Lincoln Riley and the Trojans have struggled on the road, and that's what they were facing on Saturday. As for the Hoosiers, their ground game took a hit before the game even began when running back Turbo Richard was ruled out.
Both defenses were clicking in the first half, which put points at a premium. Indiana struck first when QB Grant Wilson hit tight end Brock Schott for six.
Somewhat strangely, both teams missed field goals in the first half, but each of them made up for it with another. That made it a 10-7 game with under a minute until halftime.
That's when USC's Deven Bryant picked off Wilson, putting the ball back in quarterback Jayden Maiava's hands.
After a 51-yard bomb to Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Maiava hit wideout Zacharyus Williams for a 7-yard touchdown to tie it.
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Each team added a field goal early in the second half, and then Indiana pulled ahead thanks to a five-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a Khobie Martin touchdown.
USC followed with a lengthy drive that ended early in the fourth quarter with a field goal attempt to cut the Indiana lead to four.
Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Nick Marsh (11) makes a catch while being defended by USC Trojans safety Christian Pierce (6). (Robert Goddin-Imagn Images)
However, kicker Caden Chittenden — who came in after Ryon Sayeri missed a field goal on the first drive of the game — missed a kick of his own, costing the Trojans some much-needed points.
Later in the quarter, the Trojans found themselves deep in Hoosier territory, but once again, they left points on the board when Maiava threw an interception in the red zone.
It proved to be even costlier than that, as the Hoosiers took the ball 93 yards, most of it thanks to a 42-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker.
Those miscues for USC added up, and the final one came on 4th-and-13 at their own end of the field. Maiava — who, in fairness, was running out of options to keep his team in it — threw a prayer downfield, only for it to be picked off by defensive back Jamari Sharpe.
The win means that the Indiana Hoosiers still have a shot at getting into the College Football Playoff and winning a second-straight title. (Robert Goddin-Imagn Images)
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That was all she wrote. A third loss on the year means it's pretty much curtains for USC's playoff hopes, while Indiana moves to 9-1 on the year and 6-1 in Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers will head out to Washington next week to take on the Huskies, while USC will look to bounce back against the struggling Maryland Terrapins.
