It's a good day when your quarterback falls four yards short of having the most in a single-game in school history. The Buckeyes pulled away in the second half to come out of the clash against Indiana with a 49-26 victory.
Ohio State is 6-0.
Let's debrief.
The Short Story
Indiana was the first to strike in this game, doing so on a field goal. After some traded blows, Ohio State led 28-20 into the half.
The Buckeyes outscored Indiana 21-6 in the second half to eventually pull away, thanks in large part to a 75-yard touchdown pass from Dwayne Haskins to an extremely wide-open Parris Campbell.
Quick Breakdowns
Offense
It seems as though two things happen every week: Dwayne Haskins has a big day, and one of his receivers has a big day. Both occurred again on Saturday as Haskins threw for 455 yards with six (!) touchdowns and two interceptions (197.8 rating) and Parris Campbell went over 100 yards once again, recording nine catches for 142 yards and two scores, including this 75-yarder.
Johnnie Dixon caught five passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, while J.K. Dobbins added another on the ground. Mike Weber carried the ball 13 times for 70 yards (5.4 avg.) Terry McLaurin only had four catches, but made the most of them, as he found the end zone twice. Binjimen Victor scored an incredible touchdown which we will address in just a moment.
Defense
After a really strong performance last week, it was a bit of a step back for the Buckeyes defense this time around. Without starting safety Isaiah Pryor for the first half, as he was suspended due to his targeting offense in last week's game, the Buckeye secondary was routinely gashed for big gains.
After allowing Indiana to score 20 points in the first half, the Buckeyes tightened up a bit and allowed just six after the break.
Pete Werner led the way with four tackles, a sack, and three pass breakups. Tuf Borland recorded a sack and also forced a fumble, and Tyreke Smith forced a fumble, which you can see here.
Who Earned a Buckeye Leaf?
Offense: Dwayne Haskins
Could it be anyone else? Haskins finished with 455 passing yards, four shy of the record set by Art Schlichter. Haskins also threw for six touchdowns. Haskins was effective all afternoon, rolling to a 75% completion rate, including this beauty of a pass to Binjimen Victor.
Honorable Mention: Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon
Defense: Pete Werner
As mentioned above, Werner was the steady hand on the Buckeyes defense today, making the most of his snaps. With Ohio State's defense struggling along, a steady hand at linebacker like Werner would go a long way. We'll see if he can build on this performance in the future.
Honorable Mention: Tuf Borland
Biggest Surprise
This Peyton Ramsey dude can play. Honestly we shouldn't have expected anything else, considering that he comes from the greatest city in the world (#513represent). Ramsey continually gashed the Ohio State defense all afternoon, rolling for 322 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He will be a problem for the next few years.
Jim Tressel's Least Favorite Moment
With a 4:00 kickoff, Jim and Ellen Tressel had just enough time to head over to Golden Corral for the "Early Bird Special." It's a great deal, actually. Seniors over the age of 60 can get the full buffet for just $8.19 (drinks included!) from 11-4 on Monday-Saturday. It's a steal, honestly. Jim and Ellen ate their fill before heading back to settle in and watch the Buckeyes.
Jim was obviously frustrated with Ohio State's lack of execution on defense but bit his tongue and figured that they'd figure it out. What set him off, however, was an absolutely shanked Drue Chrisman punt that traveled just 31 yards. Visibly frustrated, Jim had to take a little break after that. Thankfully, Chrisman's only other boot went for 52 yards.
Underrated Things
Wide Receiver Play
While one different receiver seems to have a huge day every week, all of them pitch in on some level. Always. I don't know what it can possibly be, but the quality of play we have seen from the wide receivers seems to have exponentially increased from last year to now. Nine different players caught a pass in this game, and four different players caught touchdown passes.
It Was Over When
After a rocky-ish first half, Ohio State finally settled in and buckled down in quarter number four, when the Buckeyes outscored Indiana 14-0. The final nail in the coffin was that long 30-yard pass from Dwayne Haskins to Binjimen Victor which effectively ended the contest right there.
Biggest Question Going Forward
It's not a good day for your defense when the opposing quarterback waltzes into your stadium and throws for 322 yards and three scores, with no interceptions. As I'm sure you saw, Peyton Ramsey was completing passes for chunk gains all afternoon.
If Ohio State wants to have any level of success in the postseason (should they get there, of course), then they have to tighten this up. Whether that's through scheme or personnel changes (or both) it's clear something has to be fixed.
