Game Preview: Ohio State vs Indiana
Ohio State will host Indiana for their 3rd top 5 match up of the season, and both teams are looking to keep their hopes of a chance to play in the Big Ten Championship, as well as keep their playoff hopes alive. Ohio State stayed in position with ranking 2nd overall in the third straight ranking from the college football playoff committee while Indiana stayed at 5th place for the rankings after coming off of a bye week.
For the Buckeyes, they need to win this game and next week against the Wolverines to lock up a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game, while Indiana needs to win this week and next week to lock out the Buckeyes and Penn State who currently still have the 1 loss on the schedule. A lot is riding on this game as it gets close to the end of the regular season, and this is why both Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Columbus for this showdown. Justin Fields was announced today as the guest picker after playing his game Thursday night with the Steelers in a loss to the Browns in what ended up being a snow game.
The Buckeyes are on a 28 game winning streak against Indiana, dating back to 1991, which is the longest active winning streak of one team over another in Division I football.
The Hoosiers are the cinderella story of the season, entering the game undefeated after a struggling season last year, and are trying to make history again after winning 10 games in the regular season for the first time ever.
This game does have 2021 Michigan State vibes with a top 10 team entered the Shoe on the second to last week of the season after a first year coach was offered a major contract extension. Lets see if the Buckeyes are up 49-0 at halftime in this one too.
Know The Opponent:
Head Coach: Curt Cignetti (1st season)
2024 Record: 10-0
Conference: Big Ten
Location: Bloomington, IN
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗹. 𝟭𝟭 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 🍿🔥🎥 pic.twitter.com/FKE5ODeMFe
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 21, 2024
Ohio State Preview
Ohio State started the week with a bit of bad news when Seth McLaughlin tore his Achilles in practice on Tuesday, and will be out for the rest of the season. Ryan Day already named the replacement on Wednesday where they are moving Carson Hinzman back to center after he played at left guard the last three games, and his starter position from last year where he played 12 games. Austin Seriveld will replace Hinzman at left guard, and the staff is keeping Donovan Jackson in at left tackle. This will be the 5th different combination since the start of the season, but fortunately the Buckeyes have been playing depth at the guards when Jackson was out at the start of the season.
Ohio State knows this game is important and they cannot overlook the Hoosiers despite the history of dominance over them.
“We saw Indiana becoming a big game, now a Top 5 matchup,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this week. “Our guys are fired up for this one and know this is a must-win for us. We’ve got to go win this game to play in Indianapolis (in the Big Ten championship). I know the team, the coaches, everybody in this building, the fans know what kind of game this is, and we’ve got to bring it on Saturday.”
Ohio State knows too that they need to continue to play unselfish ball if they want to keep their season goals on the table.
“The thing about this team here is that they’re not worried about individual accolades or anything like this, especially late in the season,” Day said. “They’re focused on winning, and they want to play for each other. And when you have that, you have a chance.”
Will Howard leads the team with 2484 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, and coming off his best PFF graded game of the season. He was not used alot rushing last week, but we will see if he gets more involved now with the makeshift line and making sure the Buckeyes are ahead of the chains with each possession.
Quinshon Judkins leads the team with 121 carries for 723 yards and 8 touchdowns. TreVeyon Henderson is just right behind him with 89 carries for 662 yards and 5 touchdowns. These two running backs have kept healthy and will need to stay healthy with the last stretch of the season. If they can get through the next two games with a win, they will have a chance for redemption against the Ducks.
Jeremiah Smith leads the team with 49 catches for 865 yards and 9 touchdowns. Emeka Egbuka is second with 49 catches also for 612 yards and 8 touchdowns. Carnell Tate keeps getting more looks and has 31 catches for 457 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Indiana Preview
If there is something that Curt Cignetti does not lack for, it is confidence. In his opening speech after being hired on as the new head coach during halftime at an Indiana mens basketball game, he famously stated “Purdue sucks….but so does Michigan and Ohio State.” He already backed up his remarks two weeks ago when they won their closest game of the season against a 5 loss Michigan team who is fighting for bowl eligibility. He has this week and next to see if his words are true or hallow against Ohio State and then Purdue, but his team he has brought from JMU and the portal has bought into his plan, and have won all 10 of their games so far this season.
I know that the biggest argument for them is the strength of their schedule, and I am sure there are a lot of teams south of the Mason Dixon line that are hoping that Ohio State blows Indiana out of the water, but at this point of the season, being one of 3 undefeated teams is remarkable, and they have looked dominant in the other games leading up to this one, which is expected of a contender. Because of this and the shuffling of teams around them, they have earned the 5th overall ranking in the latest CFP Poll, and would situate them as the 7th seed in the college football playoff with a home game in the first round.
Because of this success, Cuurt Cignetti has signed a contract extension and raise to move him to $8 million a year for 8 years.
“The university has made a very significant financial commitment to football in a lot of areas, and I’m appreciative of the opportunity to lead the program and continue to develop the program moving forward. I’m excited about our future,” he said Monday. “This is where I wanted to be.”
On the field, he has not doubled down on his statement back from last year at Assembly Hall, but he was very complimentary of the Buckeyes, but also emphasized that his team is not afraid of the challenge.
“I think the off week came at a great time because it was a physical football game,” Cignetti said. “We’ve played a number of games in a row. It was good for everybody to catch a breather and get refreshed and recharged and gave us a little extra time on the next opponent.”
Kurtis Rourke leads the team at quarterback, and has passed for 2410 yards with 21 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has made some plays with his legs, and has 2 rushing touchdowns on the season. He did have surgery on his finger in late October, and has been able to play since November 2. His back up is Tayven Jackson, who stayed on the team after Tom Allen was let go, and has passed for 349 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Justice Ellison is the main running back for the Hoosiers, and he has rushed for 686 yards on 120 carries, and has 9 rushing touchdowns on the season. On top of that, he has 11 catches for 84 yards. Ty Son Lawton also has 9 touchdowns on the season, and has 508 yards on 106 carries, with 101 yards on 8 catches. Kaelon Black is their third leading rusher with 29 carries for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Elijah Sarratt is Rourke’s favorite target, and he has 38 catches for 685 yards and 6 touchdowns. The second leading receiver is Omar Cooper Jr who has 24 catches for 527 yards and 5 touchdowns. Myles Price is third on the team with 30 catches for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Buckeye Spotlight
Emeka Egbuka. The senior has been quiet for the last few games, but in the last 5 games against top 5 opponents he has has 42 catches for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. I expect Ryan Day will use the hybrid receiver alot in this game, especially if they need to get creative with their 5th makeshift line up at offensive line.
Hoosier Spotlight
Kurtis Rourke. The 6th-year senior is having his best season yet, and the former Ohio Bobcat will be playing in the Horseshoe for the first time in his career. The offense moves through him, and although he had surgery on his hand in the middle of the season, he has been one of the top rated passers in the country with a 88.1 QBR.
Water Cooler Stat of the Game
3. This will be the third game for Ohio State this season where they will be playing in aa top 5 match up, the first team to do so since 2011’s LSU team, that went to the national championship game that season. For Indiana, this is their first top 5 match up in the regular season ever.
Prediction
With the news of Seth McLaughlin getting hurt, that puts a little bit of a damper on the Ohio State offense. This will be a match up of two of the best defenses and offenses in the country, and each team will try to capitalize on their strengths. For Indiana, stretching the field and trying to attack the Ohio State secondary will be be their key to sustaining drives and keeping the ball away from Ohio State as much as possible. They are entering this game with a lot of confidence, and the bye week helped them with extra time to scheme and recover. For Ohio State, not turning the ball over will be the key, and making sure they don’t lose possessions. If they play a B+ game, they should still win. I think with losing McLaughlin, and knowing that is at stake, the Buckeyes have the favorable intangibles, and will defeat the Hoosiers, leading up to a must win game against That Team Up North for a chance at the Big Ten Championship game for the 4th year in a row.