Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio State Buckeyes Game Day Primer

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Indiana hits the road again against the Ohio State Buckeyes Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle

Indiana hits the road again against the Ohio State Buckeyes Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Week Six Primer – Ohio State Buckeyes

What: Indiana Hoosiers (4-1) at Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0)

Where: Ohio Stadium

When: Saturday, October 6, 4:00 EST

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on FOX. You can also listen to the legendary Don Fischer on the radio on any IU Radio Network station.

What’s at Stake: The Indiana Hoosiers and Ohio State Buckeyes have played each other 90 times. Indiana has only 12 victories and they have not beaten Ohio State since 1991. The Buckeyes are on a 22-game win streak in this series. The Hoosiers are 4-1 and need just two more wins to get reach bowl eligibility. The schedule is going to be more difficult the rest of the way as, in addition to this contest, IU must still play Michigan, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota, Maryland and Purdue. A victory is highly unlikely as the Hoosiers are nearly four touchdown underdogs. Ohio State is coming off of a thrilling come-from-behind win at Penn State and is now firmly entrenched as a favorite to reach the College Football Playoff. Saturday’s game against IU serves as merely another checkmark on the way to 12-0 for the Scarlet and Grey.

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Things to Watch

1.    Passing Game

Despite an efficient quarterback in Peyton Ramsey, the Indiana Hoosiers have one of the least explosive passing attacks in the country. Put simply, Ramsey is completing a high percentage of his passes but the plays are not really producing much for the offense and the attack is suffering because of the lack of a vertical passing game. This was seen against Michigan State as the Spartans loaded the box with eight defenders, stuffed the running game and got all kinds of pressure in the backfield. Expect more of the same in the next two weeks against Ohio State and Iowa, a pair of very good defenses. If IU cannot find a way to get the ball down the field to players like Donavan Hale and Nick Westbrook and loosen up the opposition, the Hoosiers will struggle to get into double-digits.

2.    Young Secondary Faces Biggest Test

As I wrote in an article earlier this week, the Indiana secondary has performed admirably so far this season. The good performance has come despite playing a number of freshmen and sophomores. While they have played some solid quarterbacks, their stiffest test to date (and possibly the toughest test of the season) will come in Columbus. Ohio State has a dynamic passing game led by Dwayne Haskins. The Buckeye quarterback has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards with 19 touchdowns to only two interceptions and he is completing more than 70% of his passes. Ohio State has a number of talented receivers and both of their running backs (Dobbins and Weber) are more than capable of catching the ball out of the backfield. IU will have played a terrific game as a pass defense if they can limit the Buckeyes to less than 300 yards passing.

3.    Weathering the Storm

Indiana has played Ohio State pretty tough for most of their last few meetings. The games are competitive and IU does a nice job of “hanging around”. However, the final scores have been warped each time by a flurry of scores from the Buckeyes that turns one-possession games into something resembling a blowout. Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country and they will make some big plays (on both sides of the ball). The goal for the Hoosiers should be to weather those big plays and prevent one big play or one nice drive from ballooning into three or four consecutive scores that turn a competitive outing into a “laugher”.

Other Links From the Week

  • Know Your Opponent

  • Weekly Podcast

  • Inside the Numbers

  • Matchup to Watch

  • Hoosier Huddle Pre-Game Show

  • Bob Dorris’s Vlog

Indiana Football Travel Guide From SuperTailgate.com

Do you need a place to eat or tailgate before Saturday’s game in Columbus. Supertailgate.com gives IU fans all the information they’ll need heading into Columbus on Saturday.

What the Sharps are Saying

 The Vegas line here is Ohio State minus-26.5. ESPN’s FPI has Ohio State with a 96.3-percent chance at a victory.