The first two possessions of Saturday’s game between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana couldn’t have gone much better for the upstart Hoosiers, an undefeated team looking to prove itself as a national title contender on the road at the Buckeyes.

Ohio State was forced into a three-and-out by Indiana on the first drive, and the Hoosiers offense followed up with an impressive 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to go up 7-0.

IU has had some solid moments since those first two drives, especially on defense, but there is an important third segment of the game: special teams. The Hoosiers’ punting unit has been anything but special so far on Saturday afternoon.

With the score tied 7-7 late in the second quarter, Indiana punter James Evans muffed a snap and was picked off for a 23-yard loss back at the Hoosiers’ 7-yard line. Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson punched in a touchdown three plays later to put OSU up 14-7.

Curt Cignetti’s team had a chance to regain some momentum on offense to start the second half, but once again the punt game turned into a fiasco for Indiana. After going three-and-out, Evans booted one from the Hoosiers’ 27-yard line, which Buckeyes star Caleb Downs returned 79 yards for a touchdown.

Every team that faces Ohio State in The Shoe does so with their backs against the wall. Winning on the road in Columbus is extremely difficult and nearly impossible when a team is giving up 14 points on special teams blunders.

Ohio State leads Indiana 28-7 late in the third quarter.