Oppoent Q&A with Bucknuts Writer Alex Gleitman

Alex Gleitman of Bucknuts.com was kind enough to join us for a question and answer session previewing Thursday night's game featuring the Hoosiers and the Buckeyes. 

1. Obviously the big story here is Kevin Wilson returning to Indiana as the OC for Ohio State, how is the offense going to be different under coach Wilson? Will it be totally his offense or will Urban have a say?

The offense will definitely be different than what it was the past couple of years, as the hope is for Kevin Wilson and (new QB coach/co-offensive coordinator) Ryan Day to drastically improve the vertical passing game, and bring more balance to the unit, which will keep opponents on their toes, rather than creeping up in the box to take away the run.

As for if Wilson has full control of the offense, I am told the answer to that is yes. Urban Meyer gave Wilson the keys to the Ferrari, if you will, and is letting him drive it, while allowing him (Meyer) to focus more on other areas. Most people forget, or don't even know, that Meyer actually based his offense off what Wilson did at Northwestern, visiting with the coach years ago and learning about the spread. 

I expect Ohio State to be Ohio State: a power running team that uses the QB in the run game and the deep ball to stretch the defense and keep them honest. I think the biggest difference will come with the tempo the team is expected to play with.

2. The Buckeyes have some question marks at receiver and in the secondary. Who are some players Indiana fans should know who can impact this game?

At receiver, Meyer has really been praising that group for their work and progress this off-season. It's still unknown as to who will be "the guy" or "the guys" that fans on the national level know about, but receivers coach Zach Smith says he will have a group of six guys he feels good about rotating in, due to the high tempo and number of plays they will be running.

At the "X" receiver position, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack (Indiana native) should be the top two guys. Both are sophomores who have flashed at times, but may finally be putting it all together. At the "Z" receiver, you have Johnnie Dixon and Terry McLaurin (Indiana native), who will look to stretch the field deep. Then at the "H" position, where Curtis Samuel manned last year, you have Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill.

In the secondary, safety Damon Webb is technically the only returning starter, and he should be rock solid in calling the defense from the back line. At cornerback, Ohio State will start Denzel Ward, who actually rotated fairly evenly with early-NFL departures Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley. The Bucks will use a three-man rotation again, with Damon Arnette, who started at nickel last year, and then Kendall Sheffield, a former 5-star prospect who spent a year at Alabama, before doing a JuCo season last year and transferring to OSU in March. True freshman Jeffrey Okudah could also see some burn in the rotation. 

Finally, the other safety spot is really the only question mark. My pick to win the gig is sophomore Jordan Fuller, as he is a former corner who can cover well, which is what Greg Schiano wants at that position. His competition is senior Erick Smith, who should definitely see time, especially on obvious running situations, even if he doesn't win the job.

3. All-World Punter Cam Johnston is gone (thank god) who is going to replace him?

Well, the bad news for Ohio State opponents is that the staff feels they won't have much drop-off at punter. Taking over is redshirt freshman Drue Chrisman, who redshirted last season and learned under Johnston, after coming in as the nation's top punter in the Class of 2016.

Chrisman isn't a rugby style punter, so the look will be a bit different this year, but he's got a really strong leg and should boom some kicks throughout the season.

4. Starting the season with a conference game is brand new for these programs (well since like the 80's), how do OSU fans and people in the program feel starting the conference slate in week one?

I think people definitely find it odd and don't love it. The Buckeyes have Oklahoma in week two, so I think ideally you'd want a tune up game against a MAC school, or something of the sort, before having to take on the Sooners.

On the flip side, playing a more quality team, on the road, in a meaningful game is a good way to get ready for OU as well, not to mention the fact that playing it on Thursday gives the team a couple extra days of rest and preparation time.

5. What does Ohio State need to do on offense to beat Indiana? And what does the defense need to do to come out with a win?

Ohio State needs to not beat themselves on offense to win this game. Limit penalties, turnovers, bad decisions, etc. and they should get through this one with a fairly easy win, in my opinion.

The biggest thing, from an execution standpoint, though, will be making sure they have success early on in the passing game. If they can do that, they should be able to move the ball pretty consistently down the field. If they don't, Indiana will sell out against the run and make things a bit more difficult.

As far as the defense goes, the key will be to get pressure on the quarterback with the veteran-led and very talented defensive line. If they do that, everyone's job is easier.

Stopping the run will be big too. IU is usually a pretty good running team, so if they can take that part of the game away, and force Lagow to throw the ball under pressure, they should be able to create opportunities to turn IU over, either with a big play or with quick series.

6. J.T. Barrett killed IU with his legs last year, but really struggled throwing the ball down field (seemed like a season long funk). What has he done or the offensive staff done to change that? Or could we see one of the younger quarterbacks come in if Barrett struggles against the IU secondary again.? 
 

As I mentioned, Ohio State got rid of Ed Warinner and Tim Beck and brought in Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day. The word from inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and from what we saw in the spring game and practice so far this fall, is that those changes have yielded an immediate improvement in the offense, passing game, and Barrett specifically.

I know Day worked with Barrett on some footwork and mechanics things, but the main point of focus has been getting him more comfortable with what they're doing, so that he can make quicker decisions and get the ball where it needs to go in the fastest time possible. Barrett was so good as a distributor of the football in 2014 with Tom Herman calling the offense, but the last two years he has been inconsistent as a passer. The hope, and confidence, is that you will see more of 2014 Barrett, versus 2015 or 2016 Barrett.

I'm not sure if OSU would take Barrett out in favor of Joe Burrow or Dwayne Haskins in game one. Things would have to be that bad, to the point where he is clearly incapable of throwing the ball at this level, for that to happen in my opinion.
 

7. Prediction?
 

There's a lot to like about Indiana, and the fact that they're at home, at night, with College Gameday there for the first time, makes the environment in Memorial Stadium a little bit more electric than normal.

I think Tom Allen did a tremendous job improving that defensive unit last year, and all the recruiting the staff did the past few years to advance that side of the ball is finally paying off. The days of Indiana needing to score 49 or 52 points to win a game are definitely in the rear view mirror, in my opinion.

With that said, the offense definitely took a step back last year, and that was with Wilson running things. With Wilson gone, they bring in a veteran coordinator in Mike DeBord, who has people excited, but he still has a unit that has a ton of question marks, especially with consistency behind center, that will be trying to execute a brand new offense in week one against the nation's number two-ranked team. I definitely expect the Hoosiers to struggle to score points against a very good OSU defense this early in the year.

The spread for this game is somewhere around 20 or 21 points, depending on what book you look at. I think both teams will feel each other out during the first quarter, and at halftime, things will still be relatively close, with the Buckeyes leading 24-10. 

I do think Kevin Wilson wants to pour it on, though, and get a little revenge at the program he feels wrongfully parted ways with him. I think he'll make the adjustments needed to have the Scarlet and Gray to pull away in the second half, helping them win their first game and B1G opener, by a score of 45-20.