GAME 5: OHIO STATE v INDIANA

GAME 5       OHIO STATE v INDIANA

October 3, 2015                      Memorial Stadium                  Bloomington, IN

Indiana Hoosiers

Location: Bloomington, IN

Stadium: Memorial Stadium (52,929)

Coach: Kevin Wilson (5^th year): 18-34 at Indiana/overall, 6-26 v B1G, 0-4 v OSU

Series: OSU 70, Indiana 12, 5 ties

Last Meeting: 11/22/2014: OSU 42, Indiana 27

Last Indiana win: 10/8/1988: Indiana 41, OSU 7 (10/6/90: OSU 27, Indiana 27)

Coach Meyer (4^th year): 42-3 at OSU/146-26 overall, 28-2 v B1G, 3-0 v Indiana

2014 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-1)(9-0)                      2014 Indiana Hoosiers (4-8)(1-7)

34        at Navy (Baltimore)    17                                28        Indiana State               10

21        Virginia Tech               35                                42        at Bowling Green        45

66        Kent State                      0                                31        at Missouri                  27

50        Cincinnati                    28                                15        Maryland                    37

52        at Maryland                  24                                49        North Texas               24

56        Rutgers                        17                                29        at Iowa                        45

31        at Penn State                24 (2OT)                      17        Michigan State           56

55        Illinois                          14                                10        at Michigan                 34

49        at Michigan State         37                                  7        Penn State                   13

31        at Minnesota                 24                                23        at Rutgers                   45

42        Indiana                          27                                27        at Ohio State               42

42        Michigan                       28                                23        Purdue                        16

59        Wisconsin                        0

            (B1G Championship)

42        Alabama                         35

            (Sugar Bowl)

42        Oregon                           20

            (National Championship)

2015 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0)                               2015 Indiana Hoosiers (4-0)

42        at Virginia Tech          24                                48        Southern Illinois          47

38        Hawaii                           0                                36        Florida International   22

20        Northern Illinois          13                                38        Western Kentucky       35

38        Western Michigan        12                                31        at Wake Forest            24

O3       at Indiana                                                                    Ohio State

O10     Maryland                                                                    at Penn State

O17     Penn State                                                                   Rutgers

O24     at Rutgers                                                                   at Michigan State

O31

N7        Minnesota                                                                   Iowa

N14      at Illinois                                                                     Michigan

N21      Michigan State                                                            at Maryland

N28      at Michigan                                                                 at Purdue

Indiana coach Kevin Wilson, in his fifth season at the helm, has the Hoosiers on a five-game winning streak, Indiana’s longest winning streak since 1987 and 4-0 for the first time since 1990.  On Saturday, Bloomington will host a number one team for the first time since Ohio State traveled there in 1998. 

INDIANA OFFENSE v OHIO STATE DEFENSE: Indiana’s high-powered offense leads the B1G Conference in total offense, with 522.3 yards per game and scoring offense with 38.3 points per game.  It starts with senior QB Nate Sudfeld, who has already thrown for over 1100 yards and seven touchdowns against only one interception in 2015.  Sudfeld will try to throw deep downfield to redshirt junior Ricky Jones, who leads the Hoosiers with 18 receptions for 411 yards and three scores.  Sophomore wideout Simmie Cobbs is right behind Jones with 17 receptions and his size (6-4) has enabled him to go up in traffic and haul in the tough catches.  Sudfeld also has the speedy junior wideout Mitchell Paige, with 11 catches in 2015.  TE Michael Cooper will also figure into the passing attack as the Hoosiers will often go to him on possession situations.  He comes into the game with six catches for 108 yards.  The Indiana offensive coaching staff always knew that replacing 2000-yard rusher Tevin Coleman was a tall order, however, junior Jordan Howard, a transfer from UAB, has done a nice job thus far, rushing for 675 yards already with a high of 203 yards against Western Kentucky.  Howard will also catch screens and short dump passes out of the backfield, as Coach Wilson will want to have him touch the ball as much as possible and keep pressure off of Sudfeld.  The Indiana offensive line is a mix of newcomers and veterans.  Guard Wes Martin is the newcomer on that unit, however, Indiana benefits from the experience brought by senior center Jake Reed and senior tackle Jason Spriggs.  They have looked impressive in their run-blocking schemes and in protecting Sudfeld.

To counter this high-powered offense, the Ohio State defensive coaches should come with a similar game plan used to counter Oregon’s explosive offense in last year’s championship game.  Joey Bosa and Tyquan Lewis have the skill and speed to get past the protection and pressure Sudfeld, while the speed and play making ability of Darron Lee, Raekwon McMillan, and Joshua Perry has to be a concern to Indiana’s offensive coaches.  The key lies in slowing down Howard enough to force Indiana to take to the air where the Ohio State secondary can make some plays.

                                                   QB Nate Sudfeld

INDIANA DEFENSE v OHIO STATE OFFENSE: Despite returning some experience on the defensive line and line backing units, the Indiana defense has disappointed so far this year, giving up an average of almost 500 total yards, 360 passing yards, and 32 points per game against mostly bottom-rung teams.  Nevertheless, the Hoosiers have a few playmakers on that side of the ball.  They will usually come out in a 3-4 alignment to try to get more speedy and athletic linebackers on the field to try to counter the speed and athleticism of Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson, and Braxton Miller.  The Hoosier interior is led by senior DE Nick Mangieri, who has made an impact in every game this season, including a career-high 11 tackles in their win over Southern Illinois.  Mangieri also has three sacks, so Ohio State’s offensive line will have to know where he lines up before every snap.  Senior NT Adarius Rayner and junior DE Darius Latham have also been productive thus far this season.  Raynor adds an element of experience as a fifth-year senior with 11 career starts and Latham has shown good pass-rushing ability from his DE position with two sacks and knocking down a pass.  Indiana’s defensive coaches have been pleased with the development of sophomore OLB Marcus Oliver.  Showing a good blend of size and speed, Oliver leads Indiana in tackles with 28 and can cover backs out of the backfield and tight ends on short pass routes.  Senior Zack Shaw at the other outside position, along with juniors Clyde Newton and TJ Simmons on the inside, also offer a good blend of size and speed.   The Indiana secondary is young, with two sophomores and two freshmen, but freshman Jonathan Crawford at SS has been impressive.  Crawford thus far is third on the team in tackles with 24 and already has two interceptions.  Sophomore Rashard Fant is beginning to develop into a decent shut down corner for the Indiana defense with 19 tackles and nine pass breakups.  Freshman CB Andre Brown and sophomore FS Chase Dutra round out the young, but improving Indiana secondary.

                                                   OLB Marcus Oliver

 

SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore kicker Griffin Oakes has shown marked improvement over a year ago as he has hit on seven out of eight field goal attempts with a long of 45.  Senior Erich Toth is back to handle the punting chores and he has averaged 40.5 yards on his 17 punts thus far. 

SUMMARY: Hoosier Nation is excited as the Hoosiers have already matched their win total from a year ago.  Coach Kevin Wilson does indeed appear to have this program more competitive than in years past.  However, we need to remember Indiana is undefeated against teams such as Southern Illinois, Florida International, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest and the defense has given up chunks of yardage against teams who do not have the speed, experience, or talent the Ohio State offense can put on the field.  The Indiana offense, however, is the real deal, despite the loss of Tevin Coleman and it depends on whether or not the Ohio State defensive coaches have worked on the occasional lapses defending against the inside zone run against Western Michigan.  The one thing the Ohio State defense has been consistent in is forcing opponents to turn the ball over and the secondary has performed well against the pass.  As long as this trend continues, Indiana won’t be in this game much past the middle part of the third quarter.

                                                      OHIO STATE 49, INDIANA 24