Hoosiers Face Monumental Task in Columbus

Written By: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers (3-1) are fresh off of their biggest win against a Big Ten opponent in a decade after they defeated the Michigan State Spartans last Saturday night in Bloomington. It was the first time they’d knocked off a ranked foe at Memorial Stadium since 2006. Although Michigan State is a premier program and a very talented team, the task in front of the Indiana Hoosiers is even more daunting this week as they head to Columbus to play the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0).

“They (Ohio State) have a lot of competition over there where they got a young team that’s buying in, and Coach Meyer has a great staff,” Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson said on Monday. “He does a great job, and he’s got a great team atmosphere going right now. It’s a young team that is very talented but playing very well as a team.”

The Hoosiers have played the Buckeyes closer than expected during Kevin Wilson’s tenure but they enter Saturday’s contest as a massive underdog. Ohio State is 4-0 and they’ve demolished three opponents at home by an average score of 61 to 4. The Hoosiers know they are in for as stiff a test as you can possibly have this week but defensive tackle Nate Hoff is eager for the challenge.

“We need a great week of practice. They are, obviously, a great team. It will be a great challenge for us, but I am excited. It is going to be fun,” Hoff told the media on Monday.

Hoff and the Hoosiers defense has shown a lot of improvement under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen. They held Michigan State to 21 points last week and they’ve held opponents to only 140 yards per game on the ground. This week will provide the defense’s toughest test of the season as the Ohio State Buckeyes are led by quarterback J.T. Barrett and a dynamic rushing attack. Barrett and the Buckeyes are averaging 57 points per game and they are running for an average of 332 yards per game, tops in the conference and third best nationally. Head coach Urban Meyer has said tailback and leading rusher Mike Weber is closer to Carlos Hyde than he is Ezekiel Elliott and IU defenders should be prepared for a bruising back that is averaging 7.3 yards per carry on 68 rushes. Curtis Samuel leads the conference in all-purpose yards and he already has more than 325 yards in both receiving and rushing. Their top wide receiver, besides Curtis Samuel, is Noah Brown. Brown had an amazing game at Oklahoma, catching five passes and scoring four touchdowns as the Buckeyes torched the Sooners. 

Indiana’s improved defense will be stretched to the limit to keep the Ohio State offense in check but the Buckeyes defense, known as the “Silver Bullets”, has performed incredibly as well. In last week’s Big Ten opener, Ohio State held Rutgers to only 116 yards and the Scarlet Knights completed only three passes. They are giving up only nine points per game and they are in the top end of nearly every defensive statistical category. Linebacker Raekwon McMillan leads the Buckeyes with 27 tackles and they have forced opponents into 11 turnovers. 

The Hoosiers haven’t won in Columbus since 1987 and the odds are not in favor of that changing this season. Win or lose, IU will be looking to build on its performance against Michigan State.

“It (the MSU game) showed us that we can finish games. That was a huge question mark for us last year, but proving to ourselves that we can finish gives us confidence moving forward,” IU wide receiver Luke Timian said.