Northwestern got outscored 16-0 in the second half to lose to Ohio State, 22-10, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday in Indianapolis.

Here are our five takeaways:

Peyton Ramsey was playing the game of his life in the first half. The second half, unfortunately for Northwestern, was a different story.

Ramsey was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 12 of 14 passes for 90 yards and rushing for 43 more, including a 34-yard run on the Wildcats' opening TD drive. But in the second, he went just 12 of 23, though he finished with 134 of his 224 total passing yards.

Adding insult to injury, Ramsey also turned the ball over three times over the final two quarters. He threw an interception in the end zone on the first drive of the second half, when he underthrew a fade to John Raine and linebacker Justin Hilliard came down with the pick to deny the Wildcats a chance to extend their 10-6 halftime lead.

Later, he turned the ball over on consecutive possessions. First, he was picked off by Josh Proctor at the NU 41, and then he fumbled on a run, and Peter Werner recovered it at the NU 35.

"He did a good job," said head coach Pat Fitzgerald about his quarterback, whom he would like to see return for another year of eligibility next season. "But I'm sure there are a couple plays that he'd like to have back."

Northwestern did its job against Big Ten offensive player of the year Justin Fields, but the Wildcats had no answer for Trey Sermon.

Normally the Buckeyes' No. 2 back after Master Teague, Sermon ran for an Ohio State-record 331 yards, with 271 coming in the second half. He ripped off a 65-yard run right up the middle, where he did most of his damage.

Missed tackles and poor run fits were the main culprits, according to Fitzgerald, but Ohio State's offensive line also exerted its will in the second half.

Northwestern's defense had been successful against the run this year, ranking 6th in the nation in rushing defense. But Sermon burst through the line time and again and averaged 11.4 yards on each of his 29 carries.

As a team, Ohio State ran for 399 yards and forced Northwestern defense to stay on the field for extended periods of time. The Buckeyes' had two TD drives in the second half -- on one, they ran the ball on all seven plays, on the other, seven of nine.

Northwestern held Ohio State to by far its lowest point total of the season at 22. The Buckeyes' previous low was 38, and they averaged 46.6 points per game on the year.

Most impressively, Northwestern limited the Buckeyes to just six points at the half, and they didn't cross the goal line until the end of the third quarter. Ohio State had just three points to show for its first three trips into the Northwestern red zone, forcing a pair of field goal tries -- Blake Haubeil hit just one of them -- and coming up with an end zone interception on an OBJ-like, one-handed catch by Brandon Joseph.

It was the NU's safety FBS-leading sixth pick of the season.

Ohio State wound up with 513 total yards, but they converted just 4 of 11 third downs. One of the main reasons for the Cats' success was shutting down Fields. The Heisman Trophy candidate completed 44% of his passes for only 114 yards and two interceptions as Northwestern's mix of blitzes, disguised coverage and pressure -- he was sacked three times -- frustrated him.

"I thought we put together a really good plan and executed it really well for three quarters," said Fitzgerald.

Northwestern had found success with letting high school quarterback-turned-receiver Riley Lees throw the ball this year, most notably a 36-yard connection to Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman against Wisconsin. They went to Lees pass plays twice against Ohio State, and the results were nothing short of disastrous.

The first one came on Northwestern's second drive of the game. Northwestern marched right down the field and scored on their opening drive, as a 16-yard catch and run from Charlie Mangieri had the Ohio State defense on its heels. Then, Ohio State blew up the trick play, and Lees got called for intentional grounding, for a loss of 16 yards. That killed the drive and Northwestern punted it away.

The second time was in the second half when the game was still in the balance. Ohio State had just missed a field goal and Northwestern was putting together a good drive in response, looking to build on their 10-6 lead. After a pair of personal fouls against the Buckeyes, Northwestern had a first down on Ohio State's 25-yard line.

Northwestern went back to the reverse to Lees -- without his looking to pass this time -- and he got tackled for a nine-yard loss. Charlie Kuhbanber was then forced to try a 46-yard field goal, which is right at the edge of his range, and he pushed it wide right.

It's not a stretch to say that the trick plays cost Northwestern points twice on Saturday.

Freshmen step up: Joseph wasn't the Big Ten freshman of the year by accident. He's a playmaker in the back end of Northwestern's defense and proved it against the Buckeyes. The redshirt freshman had five tackles, a catch-of-the-year caliber interception and an additional pass break up.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Mitchell also made a couple big plays for the Cats. He had a sack of Fields on Ohio State's opening drive to force the Buckeyes to settle for a field goal. He later made a toe-tapping interception of Fields on the sideline to kill Ohio State's first possession of the second half, and added a PBU. Mitchell's strong performance was desperately needed by Northwestern after first-team, All-Big Ten cornerback, Greg Newsome II, left the game in the first half with a groin injury and didn't return.

On the offensive side of the ball, Cam Porter continued to be a revelation. The true freshman had a team-high 61 yards on the ground and Northwestern's only touchdown of the game on a 9-yard run in the first quarter. Porter got the ball as a Wildcat quarterback and as a running back on handoffs, and he also added a trio of catches for 17 yards.

Having young guys like these step up and play big roles in the biggest game of the year is certainly a positive sign for the future of Northwestern football.