My Thoughts.....Indiana

Ohio State is 5-0 after pushing Kevin Wilson's more than capable Hoosiers aside Saturday afternoon in Columbus.  If you've seen Ohio State play Indiana in the past, you had a good idea that this one was not going to be pretty. The Hoosiers never actually beat the Buckeyes, but they always seem to make it closer than it needs to be.

Indiana’s improved defense, at times, got pressure on J.T. Barrett.  Even though they sacked him only once, they forced several errant throws, particularly on deep routes, where Barrett usually excels.  Barrett had once of his worst days throwing the ball as a result, completing only nine of his 21 attempts with a touchdown and an interception.  But several of his deep balls were under thrown such as the one in the first quarter where he under threw a wide-open Curtis Samuel that would’ve been an easy touchdown.  He managed just 93 yards through the air against a Hoosiers pass defense that ranked 11^th in the conference.  It’s a good thing that Barrett made up for it with his legs, running for 137 yards and a touchdown.  I found it curious that the offensive play-calling did not include Curtis Samuel more than it did.  He touched the ball only nine times, but was productive every time, gaining 82 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but failing to catch a pass.  Their only passing touchdown came on a medium toss to Dontre Wilson, who used his speed after the reception to get to the end zone.  The lack of production in the passing game isn’t cause for hand-wringing at this point, but it definitely is an area Ohio State has plenty of room for improvement.  The Buckeyes ran for 290 yards against the improved Indiana defense, but at some point, perhaps next week, a team will be able to slow down Ohio State’s running game and they’ll have to make some plays through the air to win a game.

The defense had a couple of lapses that resulted in Indiana touchdowns, but stood tall for most of the game.  I noticed Jerome Baker was all over the field.  The sophomore led the team with 11 tackles and two tackles for loss.  In the fourth quarter, he came up big on Ohio State’s fourth-down stand that kept Indiana from perhaps making it a one-score game.  Robert Landers continues to impress with his stellar and steady play on the defensive line.  He was in on only three tackles, but two of them were for losses.  I have noticed how quick he is off the ball.  He stuffed Indiana’s last serious threat on fourth and goal when he blew past the center and forced the right guard in to the backfield forcing Indiana RB Devine Redding away from the hole and right into three other defenders who were all over him.  Ohio State’s defense has still not giving up a rushing touchdown this season, the only team in the nation not to have done so.

The special teams were really special this game, highlighted by Paris Campbell’s 91-yard kickoff return.  Indiana had just scored to cut the margin to seven with a minute before the half and seemed to be set to carry momentum into the locker room.  Campbell’s return completely reversed whatever momentum the Hoosiers gained and Barrett scored two plays later.

Going forward, it would not bode well to rely on J.T. Barrett to carry the ball 26 times, especially against tougher defenses they will go up against as the season wears on.  The Buckeyes will need a better balanced offensive attack if they are to come out of Madison next week with their perfect season still intact.