Written by Andrew Walker

Saturday saw the Hoosiers get buried by the Buckeyes 51-10. Ohio State was able to do everything right on offense, defense and special teams. On the contrary, Indiana had zero success in those categories. Regardless of the outcome, there’s always lessons to be learned. If there’s anything we’re sure of, it’s that Tom Allen and his staff will be in the film room learning from their mistakes. Let’s take a look at five takeaways from Saturday’s game.

Peyton Ramsey wasn’t all that

With the absence of Mike Penix looming before the game, Hoosier faithful could do nothing more than look on as Peyton Ramsey entered the game as starting QB. Ramsey couldn’t do much on the day, only passing for 162 yards and zero TD’s. Ramsey’s day got even worse after four sacks and one INT. So far there’s been no word on if Penix will be back for next weekend.

Defense needs to toughen up

The OSU offense is about as high octane as a college football offense can be. They had over three hundred yards of rushing offense, exposing the Hoosier run defense. Where the Hoosiers did well, however, is in the pass rush. OSU only managed just over 200 yards of passing offense and starting QB Justin Fields was sacked once and hurried multiple times.

The Hoosiers’ run game needs to step up

It’s consensus information that Peyton Ramsey is a decently mobile QB, but when he leads your team with only 14 netted rushing yards, the run game isn’t working. Standout RB Stevie Scott only managed a measly nine rushing yards. Whether this is an offensive line only issue and not a ground attack issue is a question better left for Allen and OC Kalen DeBoer.

Receiving corps needs to make some more contested catches

Indiana’s receivers are pretty good at catching open balls. Where it becomes hard, is when the defender is creating pressure. Peyton Hendershot is a reliable tight end that knows how to catch balls over the middle without fear of being hit. That’s been proven time and time again, and the other receivers could take note of that. Based on the eye test, Indiana’s other receivers seem unable to catch any passes that are marginally harder than open passes.

Any red zone chances weren’t utilized

The Hoosiers had three red zone opportunities and only capitalized on one of them. Being able to put the ball in the end zone, especially when you’re inside of the 20 is so important to a successful season. OSU had four chances in the red zone and were able to capitalize on three of them. The Hoosiers need to figure out how to finish when deep in enemy territory.

The Huddle

Five Takeaways From Indiana's Loss to Ohio State

Hoosier Huddle