The Indiana Hoosiers completed the regular season 12-0 and 9-0 in Big Ten play. On Saturday night in Indianapolis, IU will have the opportunity to win their first Big Ten championship since 1967 and just their third all-time. Add in a chance to end a 30-game losing streak to No. 1 Ohio State and the fact this is just the third No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in conference history and you have a heck of a matchup. Oh, the Heisman Trophy is likely on the line as well. IU will raise the Victory Flag and win the Big Ten Championship if…
1. Pressure Julian Sayin
Getting pressure on Julian Sayin does not happen often, but when it does he is far less effective throwing the ball. IU does a very good job of using simulated pressure to confuse quarterbacks and finished second in the Big Ten with 34 sacks in the regular season. They have five players with at least three sacks and can attack from any gap. While blitzing Sayin has been largely unsuccessful this year, the Hoosiers have a good enough secondary to where you may see IU bring an extra rusher more than they usually do. However, it’d be ideal if IU can get to the quarterback with four.
2. Make Ohio State Commit Defenders to the Run Game
There is a lot of hype surrounding Ohio State’s offense and while it’s well deserved, many have flown by the fact IU’s offense is pretty darn good as well. In order to win on Saturday night IU will have to make Ohio State commit defenders to stop the run game. Having Ohio State bring a safety down to help will, in turn, open up the passing game for Fernando Mendoza and his main targets in Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. The Hoosiers have six games where they have rushed for over 300 yards. That number is not really necessary to hit to beat the Buckeyes, but if IU can run for four yards a carry and make the Buckeyes commit to having more players in the box, IU can be more balanced and successful on offense.
3. Avoid the Catastrophic Mistake
I do not have to rehash last year’s loss to Ohio State to make this point. IU has improved the two areas that killed them against the Buckeyes last season. Special Teams mistakes and the inability to block the defensive front doomed the Hoosiers in Columbus in 2024. IU will need to avoid those mistakes this season. The Buckeyes will make plays, there is a reason they are the number one team in the country, but the Hoosiers can’t make the losing plays they did last year. They essentially handed Ohio State 14 points.
4. Be Aggressive
What left me and others with a bad taste last year was that in Indiana’s two losses last season they were not themselves. They may have lost either way, but it would have felt different had they played the way that they played all year. This season IU has played much better in big spots. While they still got a little conservative when the offensive line struggled against really good defensive lines, they found ways to win and make the right play calls at the biggest times.
To me, IU’s best all-around game was Oregon and that’s the blue print IU needs to follow Saturday. The Hoosiers were aggressive on both offense and defense, did not back down early when Oregon took a lead and played with the attitude a team needs to win on the road. That’s the same mentality IU needs to bring Saturday night. While they have won playing other people’s style of play (hello, Iowa), IU needs to play their brand of football. Fast, physical and relentless. Win or lose, if they play that way it sets up well for the rest of the postseason.