MY THOUGHTS.....Indiana

 

A “clunky” offensive performance and a good defensive performance led to an opening 23-3 win over Indiana in Bloomington.  Junior QB Kyle McCord played all but two series of the game, finishing 20-of-33 with 239 yards and an interception.  The offense gained 380 total yards and settled for field goals twice in the red zone with a failed fourth-down conversion inside the Indiana 30-yard line.  McCord’s interception was a bad throw he never should’ve made and there was a notable lack of “deep shots” despite Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka noted ability to get open.  QB Devin Brown’s only series in the first half was a three-and-out and he didn’t see the field again until late in the fourth quarter when Ohio State was running out the clock.  The offense sputtered on third downs, going only 2 for 12.  This resulted in going for it three times on fourth down, in which the Buckeyes were successful twice.  Deamonte Trayanum saw the field quite a bit, as the Buckeyes rotated backs freely, and led they way on the ground with 57 yards.  TreVeyon Henderson looked none the wore for wear after recovering from his injuries, gaining 47 yards, and Miyan Williams scored both Ohio State touchdowns on short runs.  Julian Fleming led the receivers with six catches for 58 yards and Cade Stover stepped up with five receptions for 98 yards, showing that there are other fine receivers on this club besides Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., who were bottled up somewhat, catching only three and two passes respectively.  The offensive line showed it is still a work in progress, as it was hard for them to get a push on several short-yardage plays, resulting in Henderson getting stuffed on several third-down plays, resulting in a paltry third down conversion rate.  It was a very pedestrian offensive performance from a team with the offensive stars they have, but of course, with three new starters on the offensive line, and Kyle McCord making his first start in two years, I suppose some growing pains were to be expected, and Indiana’s defense may be tougher than expected.

            The defensive performance was better than I expected, even against a very average Indiana offense.  They gave up only one play over 30 yards and held firm when Indiana drove into the red zone after McCord’s interception, yielding Indiana’s only score of the game.  The Hoosiers never came close to scoring after that.  Steel Chambers led the way with six tackles and Sonny Styles, getting his first start, raised eyebrows with his play, getting two tackles for loss.  Josh Proctor also made plays, breaking up a deep pass, and Jack Sawyer had a good games, with four tackles.  The defense limited Indiana’s offense to 2.8 yards per play, thanks to the fine play up front of Mike Hall Jr. and JT Tuimoloau who were in the Indiana backfield quite a bit, disrupting timing and creating pressure.

            All in all, this was a game in which there was bound to be some growing pains as new players adjust to starting roles, but it was a rather uninspiring performance against a team picked to finish last in the division.  The good news is, the Buckeyes have two weeks to work things out; the next two opponents, Youngstown State and Western Kentucky should be ideal to get these issues worked out before the big road trip to South Bend.