Planned to beat No. 9 Indiana 42-35 in a game roller coaster on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The Buccaneers managed to avoid some turnover early in the game to take a 28-7 lead in the locker room at halftime, and it looks like they were well on their way to a comfortable victory. Indiana had other ideas.
While the Hoosiers couldn’t make money on the initial turnover, they were able to exploit the Ohio State secondary to make it a game in the second half. From time to time, Indiana quarterback Michael Panix Jr. found open receivers in the secondary to cut Ohio State’s lead. The Huskies came back in the fourth quarter to make it a -36-make5 game and then pushed the Ohio State turnover down to the late Indiana’s 10-yard line. At the time when the Buckeyes defense made a quick save and a quick and three-day save. The Hoosiers got one more chance but they had less time and no timeout.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields passed 300 yards, finished with a 78-yard run and three total touchdowns; However, he also dropped three interceptions after not making a single tussle throughout the season. Fields were outscored by Indiana’s Panics, who threw 495 yards and five touchdowns. Ohio State improved 4-0 in the season, while Indiana went down 4-1, but should remain high in the new AP Top 25 on Sunday.
Here are four glimpses of a lovely Big Ten battle on a Saturday afternoon.
1. Ohio State should use its strong play
I understand that Fields is amazing and he is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, but at the moment it seems like Ohio State is telling him to do a lot. His first pass of the day was a 65-yard touchdown with Garrett Wilson. It was Wilson’s second 10-yard pass for a touchdown to complete the opening game of Ohio State’s two-game, 75-yard touchdown. They threw beautifully, but it was also the last time they felt comfortable for the rest of the game.
Indiana pushed him with a well-scattered blitz, and with that the Fields threw three hurdles, some on terrible decisions while he was under pressure. Meanwhile, on the ground, Ohio State was running the ball well against the Hoosiers. Master Tigu finished with 169 yards and two touchdowns, and it was a 41-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that established control over Ohio State at the time. Or at least, you thought it happened.
Every time it felt like Buccaneers were taking control of the game, Ohio State was pass-happy again. The most notable example of this was the late Buccaneers scoring up a score late in the game. Coach Ryan Day Indiana was running a third and 4th QB draw within 10, while Ohio State needed a score to keep the game away for good. Fields came a yard short. At the time, with an Ohio State average of .5..5 yards per carry, Day decided to move up to fourth for him. Instead of dropping Tigu or running another draw for QB, Ohio State forged a handoff to Fields and turned it to its right. He had the option to keep it and run or throw first. Fields threw after being pushed by Indiana’s linebacker, and it was a bad throw that fell incomplete. Ohio State survived, but if it had just handed over to Thigg, it probably would. Finishing the game, will make the first with ease.
2. The crime of panic and Indiana is legal
He is so incredible on his own that Panix has thrown 491 yards and five touchdowns. It’s even more unbelievable when you understand the receivers of Panics and Indiana – the tie-breaker caught seven passes for 218 yards and three scores – did all this despite no rushing attack.
Indiana rushed for -1 yard on 16 carriages. Even if you remove the yards lost in the sacks, the huziers will only manage 10 yards on the ground. Even though the bookies defense didn’t have to worry about stopping the run, Indiana tore apart at different times except for the Ohio State secondary. It was a combination of rubbed routes that freed up crossers winning one-on-one battles and seam-ups on Central and Indiana receivers.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Ohio State’s secondary conflict this year, but no one has exploited it like Indiana. That’s something for the Buckeyes to keep an eye on the road, and that’s why future defenses should continue to fear Indiana.
For. Forcing, determining earnings games on turnover
Throughout the week, I wondered how I doubted Indiana’s chances of winning the game because so much of her offense was based on turnover. Indiana came in on Saturday, scoring 38.7% of its points on the offense of closing turnover, which is a pretty high amount. The average distance of their touchdown drives was only 53 yards due to that turnover.
My theory was that Ohio State would not turn the ball enough for Indiana to take advantage of it. Boy, I was wrong! Ohio State turned the ball three times, but significantly, Indiana did nothing with that extra wealth. The turnover of each Ohio state ended with Indiana turning the ball back. On the flip side, Indiana turned the ball four times, and Ohio State scored 14 points from those fouls. Those points are too big in a seven-point game.
O. The state of Ohio is still awful
Think about it. The bookies don’t get anything remote like their best football on Saturday. They turned the ball three times. The offensive line allowed the areas to be kicked five times. In third place they were just 6 for 14. And yet, Ohio State still finished the day with a 607-yard offense and 42 points. Even when he plays badly, OSU reminds you why he has the best team in the Big Ten.
