Matchup to Watch: Marcus Oliver vs. Tyler O'Connor

Written By Alex Compton

After a tough week four loss that dropped Indiana from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Hoosiers are set to welcome the Michigan State Spartans to Bloomington on Saturday night. Like IU, Sparty turned in a lackluster effort last week, when they took a 30-6 drumming from now Big Ten West favorite Wisconsin in East Lansing. MSU has not dropped back-to-back contests since 2012, so IU will have to be sharp on Saturday to try and knock off Michigan State. The matchup that will be instrumental to an IU win in my mind will be…….

Marcus Oliver vs. Tyler O’Connor

Marcus Oliver has been one of IU’s best players since he began his career here. He finally started to get some national respect last season, and is in line for another really solid season this year. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, which helps set the tone for our young defense. This weekend, it will be on Oliver to not only change coverages and blitzes at the line as O’Connor does, but he will also have to play the role of quarterback spy. 

Last week against Wake Forest, John Wolford was able to escape the pocket right when the blitz was arriving to pick up some backbreaking chunks of yardage. The blitzes seemed to work, but the defensive line did a poor job of keeping Wolford in the pocket. Whenever the D was close, or whenever IU needed a stop, Wolford was scampering across the field to pick up first downs. Last week, Wolford ran the ball 14 times for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Hoosiers’ inability to take him down and get off the field proved to be fatal in the end, so this must be improved upon in order to keep Sparty from driving up and down the field consistently this weekend. 

Tyler O’Connor is certainly not as mobile as John Wolford, but he can make a play or two when he needs to. For an offense that ranks #77 in the S&P+, IU should be able to outscore them as long as they get off the field when they have the chance to. If the defense is out on the field too often in the early stages of the game, they will tire out much too quickly (defensive line especially). Instead of over pursuing this week, Marcus Oliver will likely try and hang back just a bit farther in order to keep O’Connor contained in the pocket so that the pass rush can arrive. O’Connor has run the ball 23 times this season, with an average of just under 3 yards per carry. While none of them will be big plays yardage-wise, some crucial third down scrambles could make all of the difference in what should be a close game. If Oliver can have success in keeping O’Connor behind the line, IU’s speed should give MSU fits. If O’Connor has room to scramble and rollout on play action passes, it will be much harder for Tom Allen and co. to get off of the field consistently. 

Other Notes On This Matchup:

The fifth-year senior has been patient while waiting for his shot to run the team. He spent time behind Oakland Raiders’ QB Connor Cook. He has seen it all on film, but this will only be his third road start, although his first two were wins against OSU and ND. 

O’Connor is not fast by any means, but all three quarterbacks IU has seen so far have been able to extend and make plays with their feet.

2016 Stats (Three Games):

50/82 passing, 655 yards, 5 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
23 rushes, 59 yards