Well, Ohio State made it past a gritty Indiana team. While the Buckeyes looked unstoppable in short spurts against the No. 9 team in the nation, there were more head-scratching moments than we’d care to see from a team with national title aspirations.
Even though he threw for 300 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Justin Fields probably played his worst game as a Buckeye. It seemed as if he was trying to do too much at times which led to sacks and interceptions.
This also might have been the worst game Ryan Day has called as the Ohio State head coach. Indiana sent blitz packages galore. The best way to beat a team that blitzes often? Run right at them.
When Ohio State took to the ground, they had continued success. Master Teague rushed for a career-high 169 yards and Trey Sermon added another 60. And yet, the run seemed to be abandoned at crucial times, most notably on fourth-and-1 on the Indiana five-yard line only up by a score. Don’t overthink it… hand the ball to Teague and get downhill behind one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football.
The good news is this, you learn best when you’ve been faced with a little adversity. I think it was most likely a good thing for this Buckeye team to face a challenge to see what they need to clean up as well as motivation to play better.
On to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini.
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