2021 Game Preview: Ohio State vs Indiana
Ohio State and Indiana will play for their 93rd match up in the series, which Ohio State has a 77-12-5 record, along with a 26 game win streak. Last year, this game surprisingly became the de-facto Big Ten East play in game for the representative in the Big Ten Championship. Indiana might have some extra motivation and grudge against the Buckeyes who were selected but the conference after Ohio State didn’t meet the original required games played to play in the conference championship game, but the head to head result mattered in their decision.
The Buckeyes are coming off a bye week, and have climbed up the number 5 in both the coaches and AP polls, while Indiana who started the season ranked is at 2-4. This game will be under the lights in Bloomington and will be on ABC.
Head Coach: Tom Allen (6th season)
2021 Record: 2-4
Location: Bloomington, IN
Conference: Big 10
Ohio State Preview: The Buckeyes had a much needed bye week before they role into their last half of the schedule with 4 of the 6 team remaining ranking in the current top 25. Indiana though is one of the two remaining that is not ranked. To make it back to the playoff, they will have to win out and it will start with this game on the road. They bring with them though the number 1 offense in the country.
CJ Stroud has been solid the lats two games, and the Buckeyes are hopefully that there is no drop off for this week with have 2 weeks since his last game. He has 1699 passing yards so far to go along with 18 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He has thrown 5 touchdowns each the last two games.
Henderson is emerging as one of the best running backs in the country, and PFF has him graded as on of the top freshman. He has 612 yards on 70 carries and 9 touchdowns on the ground. He also has 154 yards receiving on 7 catches and 2 touchdowns. Miyan Williams should be back this game after missing the last few and is second on the team with 249 rushing yards on 32 carries and 1 touchdown. Teague and Crowley should be getting rotated in as well to help keep Henderson fresh.
Garrett Wilson paces the receivers with 31 catches and 546 yards to go along with 6 touchdowns. Chris Olave is second on the the team with 30 catches for 494 yards and 7 touchdowns. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is 3rd with 452 yards on 23 catches and 3 touchdowns.
Indiana Preview: Indiana went into the season ranked after a good season last year when they went 6-2. This year has not been kinds, ad they have played 4 ranked teams in the top 10 of the AP poll, and lost all 4, with 2 more top 10 teams upcoming including Ohio State. They do no have a win against a Big Ten opponent so far, and are hoping to get back into the win column.
Jack Tuttle is expected to play in place of Michael Penix, and has been decent so far this season. He has 356 yards passing on the season with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. He is not the same running threat that Penix is, but has carried the ball 9 times for 8 yards this season.
Stephen Carr will be the main running back, who as 121 carries for 439 yards and 4 touchdowns on the season. Behind Carr is Tim Baldwin Jr, who has 28 carries for 108 yards.
Ty Fryfogle is the marquee receiver for the Hooisers with 33 catches for 337 yards and a touchdown. The tight-end Peyton Hendershot is the second favorite target with 24 catches for 306 yards and a touchdown.
The Hoosiers are averaging 340 yards of offense a game, and giving up 333 yards on defense.
Buckeye Spotlight: CJ Stroud. Yes, he has looked great the last two games, but Indiana has a blitz happy defense that will force Stroud to get the ball out early or make plays with his feet. This is also his first night game since the opening game against Minnesota.
Hoosier Spotlight: Ty Fryfogle. The wide-receiver playmaker will need to help the young quarterback against the Buckeye secondary. He might be targeted to slow down, but if the Hoosiers have a chance, it will be due to the play of Fryfogle.
Water Cooler Stat of the Game: 0. Since the Oregon game, Ohio State has not allowed a rushing touchdown in their last 4 games.
Prediction: Ohio State should pick up where they left off two weeks ago offensively, and be able to attack the Indiana defense much like they were able to last year. The defense should be able to fly around and attack the young quarterback for Indiana and running an offense that is sluggish at best. The fans should be a factor too even though this is road game, but close enough for the Buckeye faithful to make the trip. This will be a good game boost for the Buckeyes before the showdown next week against Penn State.
Ohio State 52 – Indiana 14
Indiana had a nice season in 2020 …. by Indiana standards. But they acted like children when they were not allowed to play for the Big Ten championship, and they refused to wear their Big Ten conference patch on their bowl jersey. Then they went on to lose their bowl game, the only Big Ten team to lose last year, and have had a record of 2-5 since they end of last season. GO BUCKS, beat the Hooisers BIG.