It wasn’t the ideal start for the Buckeyes. Indiana came out and looked like the team competing for a Big Ten title as the Hoosiers jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Ohio State bounced back and used their run game to beat Indiana 34-20.
For the first time since 1989, the Buckeyes had three rushers gain over 100 yards. It began with Braxton Miller’s 81-yard scramble in the first quarter to bring Ohio State back into the game. Then, Dan “Boom” Herron and Carlos Hyde each had huge runs to keep the Buckeyes ahead.
Even when Ohio State answered, Indiana became stingy and stayed around.
There’s another freshman quarterback in the Big Ten that has much promise and he plays for the Hoosiers. Tre Roberson showed tremendous poise and made big plays to keep his team in it. Only towards the end of the game could you see him buckle under Ohio State’s pressure. Much like Braxton, if he can remain healthy he should have an excellent career ahead of him.
Speaking of Miller, he continues to show improvement. The game has slowed down quite a bit for the freshman in the past few weeks. He’s getting more adept at staying in the pocket and trying to find the open man. When he does decide to run, he becomes a human highlight show as he jukes and darts past defenders. If he continues to improve, the sky is the limit for him.
While the offense is doing a better job with consistency it’s Ohio State’s defense that seems to be struggling.
Here’s a telling stat; Ohio State gave up 89 rushing yards to Wisconsin while today Indiana had 159. Because of the Hoosiers ability to pick up yards on the ground it made it easier to open up passing lanes. The secondary, like at the end of the Wisconsin game, had blown assignments. Add up Ohio State’s inability to stop the run and blown assignments in the secondary and it’s easy to see why Indiana made the game competitive.
Now the unit had some big stops in key stretches. Travis Howard’s interception was a huge turning point in the fourth quarter. In Indiana’s following possession Ohio State finally got pressure on Roberson and quelled any hopes of a comeback attempt. It does speak volumes about the unit that they were able to come back and finish the game strong.
The win moves the Buckeyes closer to potentially playing for a Big Ten title. If they can eliminate the mental mistakes on defense and come out of the gate with more intensity, there’s no telling how far they could go.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
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