Urban Meyer's made note of multiple big games throughout his Ohio State tenure — Michigan State and Wisconsin 2012, Michigan State and Clemson 2013 to name a few — but one in particular made the head coach realize he needed a drastic change on the defensive side of the ball, at least when it comes to effort.
"That was one of the few times I've ever seen a defense quit playing hard, and that was a problem," Meyer said Monday, recalling Ohio State's 52-49 escape act at Indiana in 2012. "That was a program-changer. Mistakes are one thing, but when I saw what I saw at that, that was not a good moment."
It took Meyer essentially two more seasons, a few coaching changes and poor performances late in 2013 to get his Ohio State defense where he wanted it. Eventually, it culminated in a national championship at the end of 2014 season. That night at Memorial Stadium in October 2012, though, further cemented Meyer's mindset with regards to his program.
"I remember it very well. I think we were up by three or four scores and they just came back, recovered an onside kick," Meyer said. "So that was a game-changer as far as how we approach. If you don't play hard, you're not going to play."
Ohio State took a 52-34 lead with under seven minutes to play, but Hoosier quarterback Nate Sudfield and an explosive offense wouldn't go away. Indiana scored twice in a span of 35 seconds, to make Meyer and Co. sweat a bit before picking up their seventh win of the season.
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4-0, 0–0 B1G ROSTER SCHEDULE |
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3:30 PM – SATURDAY, OCT. 3 MEMORIAL STADIUM BLOOMINGTON, IN |
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ABC/ESPN2 WATCHESPN |
Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson's offense racked up nearly 500 yards that day, including 352 through the air on 54 attempts. The game was a shootout.
"A couple of years ago, I think we had it seven times across the 35 and we didn't score, and that's not a good formula," Wilson said this week of the 2012 game.
Indiana's track meet style is set to clash with Ohio State yet again Saturday, as both teams sit at 4-0 heading into conference play. The Hoosiers know they took the defending national champions to the brink last year in Columbus, too. Indiana led into the third quarter before Jalin Marshall ripped off four straight touchdowns to put the game away.
"Obviously, our job is to win every game you play, but we're all here for a reason and that's to compete for championships in November," Meyer said Wednesday. "And it starts right now."
OPPONENT BREAKDOWN
Wilson's club is without star tailback Tevin Coleman, the man who shredded Ohio State's defense for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the 42-27 loss last November at Ohio Stadium. Coleman is currently trying to make an impact with the Atlanta Falcons. Replacing him is Jordan Howard, a UAB transfer and the nation's leading rusher through four games with 675 yards.
"This guy’s a little different style runner, but he's got a lot of yards and leading the Big Ten in rushing," Meyer said of Howard Wednesday. "Quarterback's very accurate and they play the numbers game with you. If you load the box, they'll throw screens and get the ball out fast. I love their style of offense."
Sudfield returns for his final season of eligibility after missing the bulk of the 2014 season with a shoulder injury. Another injury to his backup left true freshman Zander Diamont to deal with Ohio State one season ago, who didn't play too poorly considering the circumstances.
Sudfield is on a different level, though, and has talented guys on the outside to get the ball to like Ricky Jones and Simmie Cobbs Jr. Indiana's offense currently sits atop the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 522.3 yards per game.
"I think that it has a lot to do with the quarterback," senior linebacker Joshua Perry said. "I know he's a really good player and he makes those guys go, he's a great leader."
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| 2015 STATS | RANK | CATEGORY | 2015 STATS | RANK |
| 34.5 | 46th | Points For | 38.3 | 30th |
| 12.3 | 10th | Points Against | 32.0 | 97th |
| OFFENSE | ||||
| 231.5 | 25th | Rushing Offense | 236.5 | 21st |
| 204.5 | 89th | Passing Offense | 285.8 | 30th |
| 436.0 | 51st | Total Offense | 522.3 | 18th |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 121.8 | 36th | Rushing Defense | 138.5 | 47th |
| 131.5 | 8th | Pass Defense | 360.5 | 126th |
| 253.3 | 6th | Total Defense | 499.0 | 117th |
| OFF. MISC. | ||||
| .404 | 66th | 3rd Down Conv. | .450 | 31st |
| .769 | 98th | Red Zone | .889 | 39th |
| 11.5 | 39th | Punt Return | 20.0 | 14th |
| 25.0 | 33rd | Kickoff Return | 19.3 | 95th |
| DEF. MISC. | ||||
| .338 | 48th | 3rd Down Conv. | .422 | 90th |
| .833 | 74th | Red Zone | .769 | 38th |
| 90.2 | 8th | Pass Eff. Def. | 145.9 | 107th |
| 42.5 | 12th | Net Punting | 33.8 | 108th |
| MISC. | ||||
| - 0.3 | 79th | Turnover Margin | + 1.5 | 8th |
| 8.0 | 99th | Penalties Per Game | 8.3 | 105th |
| Total: 9 | THE EDGE | Total: 9 |
Sudfield's thrown seven touchdowns against just one interception in wins against Southern Illinois, Florida International, Western Kentucky and Wake Forest. He's only been sacked twice, another reason he's enjoyed some success early on in 2015.
"I know (Sudfeld) is a big guy and he doesn’t run around like (Diamont) last year, but he’s definitely a big guy, stays in the pocket," defensive end Joey Bosa said.
It all starts and ends with Howard and that powerful rushing attack for Indiana, who would rather get in a shootout and make teams outscore it then play a grind-it-out, low-scoring affair.
"They’ve got a great running back. Big guy and their offensive line’s been playing really well," Bosa said. "They really like to run side to side, a big zone team. We always love a challenge and this is definitely the best offense I think we’ve faced this year."
The Buckeyes struggled to stop the rushing attack of Western Michigan in a 38-12 victory Saturday, allowing 169 yards on the ground. The interior defensive line did not perform well, an area Meyer said multiple times was a big focus this week in practice.
"Last week I feel like we got exposed a little bit and we’ve just gotta come to play," defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said. "This is the best offense we’re going to face so far this year. They put up a lot of yards and we’ve just gotta step up to the challenge."
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
Ohio State's offense took a step in the right direction in last week's victory against the Broncos, but left points off the board with some underthrown passes by Cardale Jones.
It seems odd to think Jones would struggle throwing the ball down the field since he has such a dynamite right arm, but he missed Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel and Corey Smith on separate occasions. One resulted in an interception, and J.T. Barrett also threw a pick on a ball down the field late in the game.
"We had about five, I want to say, at least six underthrown deep balls, which is very uncharacteristic of our quarterbacks, and that's something that we're going to work extremely hard on," Meyer said this week. "The good thing is that we stretched the field. I mean, we were behind — every one of those times we were behind them were underthrown."
The Buckeyes are still searching for a player or two to fill the role of a downfield threat left vacant by the graduation of Devin Smith. Meyer said Marshall and Smith are capable as are some other players, but much like anything it is a work in progress.
Indiana's defensive secondary is extremely young, with a pair of true freshmen starting. The Hoosiers allow an average of 360.5 yards per game through the air, second worst in the Big Ten. Opportunities are bound to be there for Ohio State's offense, but expect plenty of Ezekiel Elliott on the ground, too — Indiana's defense allows 138.5 yards per game rushing.
How It Plays Out
Eerie things seem to happen when these two teams get together. Ohio State is almost always the more talented team, but its struggles against the Hoosiers in recent years are well-documented. The Buckeyes have had their hands full.
Saturday marks the first time the two teams meet when both are unbeaten since 1954, which was a season opener. Memorial Stadium is set to be sold out, likely with a large Buckeye contingent present. Indiana's psyched for the game: It openly campaigned on social media for College GameDay to head to Bloomington for the first time ever, but to no avail.
Wilson's offense is designed to put up points, but so is Meyer's. With solid quarterback play and good rushing attacks on both sides, the scoreboard operator could be in for a workout Saturday afternoon.
"Sometimes college ball is getting where you can't break serve," Wilson said this week. "It's like a basketball game. You've got to keep matching baskets and get a stop once in a while. I don't know if a lot of games are going to be 17-9 anymore. So it comes down to just points."
That could be the case Saturday, but Ohio State should still win this game by multiple possessions. The Buckeyes are 21-point favorites, and if they are able to prevent big plays from Sudfield and Howard, should win relatively easily.
"If there is a critique on our offense over the last 13, 14 years, whatever it's been, it's the early-in-the-season funk that you're in sometimes, and a lot of it is because of the maybe new defenses," Meyer said. "I would have expected us to play a little better. But I hope no one here felt a sense of panic. It's normal growing pains for early in 2015."
ELEVEN WARRIORS STAFF PREDICTION: Ohio State 45, Indiana 21
