Preview: Indiana vs. Ohio State

For the fifth game of the season, our Ohio State Buckeyes face off against a 3-1 Indiana Hoosier team fresh off of an overtime upset of the Michigan State Spartans at home.  The Hoosiers travel to Columbus for a date against the undefeated Buckeyes, in what could possibly turn out to be an exciting game in BIG 10 play.  Obviously, the Buckeyes are 4-0 and playing at home after a homecoming game that saw them take on a Rutgers team that was ill-prepared for them.  They won that game 58-0 and they had 8 different offensive players score touchdowns during that game.  This could either be the final home game tuneup or another exciting BIG 10 Conference game.  Let’s take a look at the playmakers on both squads.

Last season, the Quarterback controversy hit the Buckeyes squad hard and with the indecision at the most critical position the Buckeyes struggled mightily against the Hoosiers. Now, J.T. Barrett anointed as the clear-cut starter at Quarterback, the Buckeyes have stability at the helm to combat against the new-look Hoosiers Defense that has retained 9 of the 11 defenders from last years team.  J.T. Barrett will lead the charge against an experienced defense and I know he will be up to the task.  He has proved to be the leader in the locker room and he and the Buckeye coaches will get the team ready to as the great Bobby Boucher would say,”Open up a can of…”.  You know what I am implying and it’ll be interesting to see how he leads and what he is capable of doing to this experienced set of defenders.  Tegray Scales and company will attempt to stop J.T. Barrett from putting up points and putting the game out of hand.  That is a tall task and with the surplus amount of weapons on this Buckeyes squad, we will just have to wait and find out.  Speaking of weapons, Curtis Samuel is also hoping to make an impact during the game.  Last season Samuel was not utilized as frequently as he is being used this season.  He will look to put up huge numbers against the opposing defense to make up for last season’s near letdown.

On the other side of the equation, you have Richard Lagow and Devine Redding.  Lagow, a Junior from Plano, Texas has put up some eye-popping numbers so far this season.  He is 79 of 127 for 1278 yards, with 9 touchdown passes against 6 interceptions.  He completes 62% of his passes and has been sacked a total of 8 times so far.  He threw 5 of his 6 picks against a scrappy Wake Forrest Defense that forced him to make errant throws en route to a 33-28 win on Indiana’s own home turf.  If the Silver Bullets can force turnovers for the entirety of the game, they will be in good shape. The Buckeyes possess a stout defense that can turn offenses away and get to the Quarterback.  It might take a little bit, but they will get what they want.  At Running Backs Devine Redding returns and last season, he ground out 45 tough yards on 30 attempts for two scores and he will look for better results against a Buckeye Defense that made him earn every single yard from last year’s scrimmage.  With just as many defensive weapons donning the Scarlet and Gray, we will see if the depth at every position prevents Redding from having a great game.  The Buckeyes are a force to be reckoned with and they will impose their will against Indiana.

Results:

Last games prediction was close to being halfway correct.  The only thing I didn’t predict was the shutout.  I was close to the amount of points that the Buckeyes put up (55-12) and I was off by 3 points.  This week, I think the Silver Bullets get the turnovers that continue to make them one of the best defenses in the nation. Ohio State will look to make and impact on defense and to score.  I have a feeling that the Rushmen will put the pressure on the Indiana Offense, early and often and suffocate them against the run and pass.  The Secondary will also give no breathing room to the Hoosiers Wide Receiving corps.  I say the Buckeyes get to Lagow and sack him 4 times and add 3 interceptions and a fumble during the game.  J.T. Barrett goes off again and firmly places himself into Buckeyes lore with 242 passing yards with 3 total touchdowns, 2 passing touchdowns and a rushing score.  Weber goes bananas with another 100+ yards for the game and a score.  Samuel is used throughout the game and will rack up nearly 160+ total yards with a pair of scores. The defense turned the ball over and scores once.

Final Score:  49-3 Ohio State