What to Watch For During Indiana's Trip to Ohio State

Image: Sarah Miller Hoosier Huddle

Written by Andrew Walker

The Indiana Hoosiers are going into perhaps one of their biggest games of the year. And by biggest games, I mean perhaps the game where they’re at risk of being exposed most severely. The Hoosiers have lost six straight games since opening the season 3-0. Those three games may very well be Indiana’s high point for the season. However, the abysmal performances of the Tom Allen led squad may not be for nothing. Let’s take a look at what to expect during Indiana’s trip to Columbus.

How Big Has the Gap Gotten?

Indiana has held some moderately competitive contests when playing Ohio State in the past. The 42-35 loss in Columbus, Ohio during the 2020 season will perhaps be the closest experience to an elite football team we’ve seen in a while. Of course, this Ohio State team this year is probably the most talented OSU team we’ve seen since either the 2019 or 2020 season. Indiana will have their hands full with this Ohio State team, but there are always upsides to playing such a good team. Indiana gets to see really how far apart the talent gap is among their players. Perhaps the parity between two Big Ten teams of different caliber will impact how Indiana handles the rest of the season. If the Hoosiers begin to fall behind in this game, an opportunity for some of the younger guys to come in and play some meaningful minutes becomes available.

Play the Young Guys

Seeing some of the true freshmen and underclassmen have meaningful minutes in this game may very well be more valuable than keeping this game close. Seeing a glimpse of how these younger players work together is just as important as anything in the closing stages of a losing season. A few notable players we’d like to see make a longer appearance include true freshmen Carter Smith and Bray Lynch. Both being three-star prospects, these talented offensive linemen would be great to see make a meaningful appearance in this game. Not only will their appearance against supremely talented defensive linemen show how good they are, but will show how good a younger offensive line will work together in the long run. The success of an offensive line is only as good as their collective performance.

Take Stock of What You Have

Regardless of the outcome of this game, Indiana has to go into Saturday with a positive mindset. Learn how good your starters are against a seriously talented team and hope they play up to OSU’s level. If not, learn how your younger guys will fare in what’s essentially a live-fire drill. Tom Allen has to see this game as a learning opportunity, not an unrealistic upset waiting to happen. Of course, I hope I’m wrong. Indiana winning this game would be maybe the single biggest upset in the history of IU football. However, tempering expectations usually leads to some positive results.