When it comes to taking down a top-five team, it’s never a walk in the park. It doesn’t matter if you’re home or away. It should be a competitive battle to some degree.
That said, Ohio State likely won’t be able to easily steamroll right through a strong front for Indiana. The Hoosiers are undefeated for a reason and have a talented defense. However, like most defenses, they have flaws as well.
The Buckeyes, who really do have a multi-dimensional attack in their arsenal, can take advantage of any weakness, so when looking at the Hoosiers’ defense, what areas should the Buckeyes attack?
Let’s take a look at the two games in which an opponent put up more than 20 points on them — on September 28 against Maryland and October 5 against Northwestern.
The Terrapins used 289 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and scored all their points in the final three quarters. The Wildcats had little going on the ground when they scored 24, but their quarterback, Jack Lausch, ended with 243 yards and two scores.
Well, it’s going to be time to shine for Will Howard, and this offense may live by his accuracy and the team’s elite receivers on Saturday. That’s how they attack Indiana best, especially as the Hoosiers’ defensive front should allow many explosive running plays.
Many Buckeye fans just relying on being more talented than Indiana to win and while I agree that’s a huge advantage, they also need to realized how good of a scheme Indiana has.
In the run game they love to stunt their DL.
And even if you beat the stunt, their LBs are in sync… pic.twitter.com/EXA8Ub37Ae
— Jon “JR” Rhoades (@jrs_rankings) November 22, 2024
The good thing for the Buckeyes is that Howard has gone two straight games without an interception and has more than 500 yards in those. Let’s hope he continues to play at a high level.