The Buckeyes have been pretty dominant against Indiana over the history of this series. Ohio State leads the series with 70 wins, 12 losses and five ties, and Ohio State's currently got a 19-game winning streak going. It has been a really long time since the Buckeyes lost to the Hoosiers, and one of those wins, a 44-3 victory in the 'Shoe in 2006, was particularly memorable.
The Buckeyes went into this game 7-0, with Heisman candidate (and eventual winner) Troy Smith and a dynamic offense, and the Hoosiers defense they faced was ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in points allowed. Ohio State took advantage, racking up 540 yards of total offense -- 270 passing, 270 rushing -- en route to this dominant win.
The Buckeyes let the Hoosiers strike first with a field goal early in the game, and Ohio State didn't get on the board until late in the first quarters, but once they got in the end zone, they kept scoring.
It was a good day for Smith's Heisman resume, as he completed 15 of 23 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Even Ted Ginn, Jr. took a turn throwing a touchdown pass, a 38-yarder to tight end Rory Nicol. Beanie Wells added a fourth quarter 12-yard rushing touchdown.
The Buckeyes defense was just as dominant. Jay Richardson had two of the Buckeyes' four sacks, and cornerback Antonio Smith had three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and one sack. Malcolm Jenkins and Andre Amos each had an interception. The Buckeyes allowed just 158 passing yards and seven net rushing yards to the hapless Hoosiers.
Troy Smith, thanks in part to his performance against Indiana, won the Heisman following the 2006 season and was a consensus All-American. This game extended Ohio State's winning streak to 15 games, which was the longest active streak in college footbball at the time. Indiana finished the season 5-7, and the Buckeyes, of course, finished the regular season with a perfect record and went on to the National Championship Game, losing to the Florida Gators under the leadership of current Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer.