The Rewind: What We Learned From 11 Plays In Ohio State's 42-35 Win Against Indiana

Déjà vu in Columbus

For the second straight week, Ohio State pulled ahead by several touchdowns in the third quarter only to not run away with it down the stretch. Indiana, buoyed by some big plays and Buckeye errors, stormed back to control the ball within the final minute of a one-score game but ultimately couldn't get over the hump. The Buckeyes topped the Hoosiers, 42-35, and now sit with a 4-0 record with three games remaining in the regular season.

I'm not film guru Kyle Jones, who put together a fantastic breakdown of what in the world happened to Ohio State's pass defense that everybody should read. But I went back, rewound the film, picked out 11 plays – or sequences of plays – from the seven-point victory that we can learn from.

1st quarter – 13:05 and 12:37: Justin Fields throws a 65-yard pass to Garrett Wilson, then he tosses a 10-yard touchdown to Wilson.

Gotten tired of Fields and Wilson shredding defenses through the air? Probably not. This is an example of a great quarterback, great wide receiver and great play-caller executing an early-game play when they had a good idea of what defense Indiana would run. Made it look simple.
Message to teams trying to defend Garrett Wilson in the future: Don't give him one-on-one coverage with nobody overtop. He'll feast.
These were two good examples right off the bat of Ohio State's offensive line handling pressure as well as possible. Yes, there were a couple of breakdowns. No, it wasn't perfect. But especially when considering how much Indiana blitzed, this was the most well-rounded performance by the five-man line of the season.

1st quarter – 5:48 and 5:06: David Ellis rushes for 2 yards, and Michael Penix Jr. throws an incomplete pass batted down by Zach Harrison.

For all the (deserved) focus placed on the pass defense, it's worth noting the front seven's success against the run. Indiana did absolutely nothing on the ground, recording a grand total of -1 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Pete Werner stuffs Ellis on this first-down tote. He and Tuf Borland had a fantastic game against the run, and so did the defensive tackles. Taron Vincent got in on the tackle after standing his guy up.
On the second play: Yeah, that was a fumble. The refs got it wrong to not review the play. How would the game have played out differently if they made that call? We won't know.

2nd quarter – 9:22 and 9:06: Justin Fields throws an 8-yard pass to Chris Olave, then Master Teague runs for a 41-yard touchdown.

Twice this drive, Ohio State moved the sticks on third down with Fields-to-Olave passes. First, it was a slant, and this time it was a hitch. That chemistry is as on-point as ever.
The 41-yard score was a solid run by Teague, but man, look at some of the blocks thrown by his teammates to spring him. Luke Farrell absolutely dominated their Husky (hybrid linebacker/safety), Olave stuck with the cornerback, Jeremy Ruckert tossed the safety out of the way and Thayer Munford got just enough of the outside linebacker.
Explosive plays won't be a regularity with Teague. His bread and butter is picking up 3-7 yards on a given run yet rarely, if ever, getting blown up for losses. But when called run plays are blocked like this, good things can happen for him and the Buckeyes.

2nd quarter – 3:35 and 3:17: Michael Penix Jr. throws a 51-yard pass to David Ellis, then Baron Browning forces Ellis to fumble after a completed pass.

I'm not going to dissect everything that happened in pass game. Go read Kyle Jones' breakdown, which included the first play. But oof, what a terrible miscommunication that was.
Sometimes, I've asked myself this question: What does it say about the rest of the defense if linebacker is the best position group? Yes, Pete Werner, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard are solid, but can they actually change games? This forced fumble by Werner and Browning showcases the type of impact their position group needs to have.
This singular play altered the flow of the game. What was in danger of becoming a one-score game quickly turned into a three-touchdown Ohio State lead. If you're the best position group on the defense, you have to make plays like this.

2nd quarter – 1:52: Justin Fields throws a 31-yard pass to Chris Olave.

Nothing too fancy here, but this was one of my favorite plays to watch develop.
The Buckeyes had trips to the left of Fields on an important 3rd-and-4 play with Farrell and Ruckert joining Olave. Given the blocking prowess of those two tight ends, it's easy to understand how this one worked. As long as Indiana had two cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage and a safety 15 yards away, the coaches had to feel pretty confident in this one.
Two things stood out as the play developed: 1) The patience of Olave to allow the blockers to make room for him 2) How much movement Farrell and Ruckert got on the cornerbacks. This was expertly executed by a trio of veterans.

3rd quarter – 12:44 and 12:16: Justin Fields rushes for 10 yards, and he throws a 10-yard touchdown to Garrett Wilson.

Want to see how running few designed quarterback runs has affected how defenses defend Fields? He had ample space to run this one inside the 10-yard line because of how the blitzing outside linebacker crashed down on the running back. This was a reminder that he's dangerous when he keeps it.
Fields not taking a hit on a designed run that goes for 10 yards is basically Ryan Day's dream scenario.
Again, memo to defenses: Stop defending Wilson one-on-one without anybody over the top. Perfect throw and perfect catch here for six points.
Fields didn't have a great game (which we'll get into), but he still had some outstanding plays. The touch on this throw, for example, was perfect.

3rd quarter – 9:54 and 9:22: Justin Fields throws an interception, then Fields runs for a 1-yard gain.

If there's one lesson Fields must take away from this game, it's to not lob low-velocity passes into the air while getting sacked. You'd assume somebody who throws three interceptions in his first 17 starts would know that, but evidently he had to learn the hard way.
You often hear Ohio State's coaches talk about how they want to see young players do something on special teams to show they deserve to play offense or defense. What about forcing a fumble after an interception? Fleming deserves a mountain of praise and some more snaps after saving the Buckeyes here.
Not sure if he was pressing, trying to be overly aggressive, flustered by the blitz or just trying to do too much, but these back-to-back play exemplified whatever issue existed with Fields on Saturday. He first tries to make a heroic pass to Fleming as he's dragged down, then he shows exactly zero patience with the ball on a designed run. He has to settle down.

3rd quarter – 5:57 and 5:24: Michael Penix Jr. throws a 15-yard pass to Whop Philyor, and he tosses a 33-yard touchdown to Ty Fryfogle.

This is a play Sevyn Banks would like to have back. He came inches from knocking down Penix's pass but instead allowed a third-down conversion that preceded a touchdown.
The first play sometimes happens. Cornerbacks aren't perfect. This defense, as Day explained on Tuesday, is designed to force offenses to march down the field, and coming up just short of making a play is part of the game. What absolutely cannot happen is the 33-yard touchdown to Fryfogle.
Marcus Hooker is the deep safety. The one thing he can't allow to happen is for guys to get open behind him where he has no help. Hooker tried to creep up too far and, as evidenced by the play, didn't have enough speed to make up for it. This, as he and Kerry Coombs know, can't happen.

4th quarter – 14:56 and 14:11: Michael Penix Jr. throws an 11-yard pass to Whop Philyor, then he hits Philyor for a 14-yard completion.

Borland's a good football player. That doesn't mean he's going to win matchups covering Philyor. A well-designed play on 2nd-and-25.
How Penix got the third-down throw off and how Philyor caught it with a foot in bounds, I'll never know. Almost nothing Ohio State could have done to prevent this one.
I included these two plays for those worried about Ohio State's pass rush, which accounted for only two sacks. On the first one, Penix releases it just before Cooper hits him, and the next play Tommy Togiai had him falling backward yet he still threw a dime. Penix was legitimately awe-inducing in his ability to get the ball out just before the pass rush got to him. The Buckeyes would've flustered most quarterbacks with how they were getting after him. Somehow, Penix was almost always unbothered. That's a credit to him more so than a negative with Ohio State's rush, in my opinion.

4th quarter – 5:27 and 4:45: Justin Fields rushes for a 3-yard gain, then he throws an incomplete pass.

This third-down run with Fields sort of falling over as he lunges for the first-down marker gave me 2016 J.T. Barrett vibes, except this spot was not in fact enough to move the chains.
I'm not Ryan Day, and you can thank Ohio State for not hiring me to call plays. That said, I'm surprised this wasn't a quarterback sneak or a Teague run up the middle. Fields is a proficient sneaker, and Teague does nothing better than pick up a couple of yards up the middle.
Still, the play-call almost worked. Farrell was open. Fields just sailed it as he got hit.
This reminded me a bit of the 2018 Maryland play when Ohio State ran a play designed to get the ball to Rashod Berry on 4th-and-1 with the game on the line. That worked. This didn't. It'll be interesting to see what Day draws up next time he finds himself in one of these situations.

4th quarter – 4:02: Pete Werner sacks Michael Penix Jr.

Indiana gets a dose of its own medicine with an A-gap blitz by the Buckeyes. They got a lot of pressure on Penix by rushing their four-down front, but they got home here because they sent Werner and Browning up the middle.
If you're a Pete Werner Truther, and I know some still exist, it's far past time to admit you were wrong. For the second season in a row, he's one of Ohio State's best defensive players. You could make a case he's the best this year, though Togiai and Cooper would have something to say about that.
Yes, the sack was great. But the way Werner drilled the running back made me sit here and rewatch the play over and over. The senior loves to blitz, and on third down he simply wasn't going to be denied.

Other Observations from Saturday's Game:

Two guys on Ohio State's roster who deserve praise after not playing up to par in Week 3: Josh Myers and Harry Miller. They bounced back in a big way, minimizing breakdowns up front and communicating better than before. Considering their unexpected struggles early in the season, this was a good sign for the Buckeyes.
Rewatching the game, I was more impressed by the Buckeyes' pass rush than I was as the game played out live in front of me. Penix has an uncanny ability to shuffle away from pressure, stand in the pocket and deliver passes while rushed or getting hit. He deserves props for his performance.
I know there's been a lot of talk about the poor second halves for the Buckeyes. But there aren't a ton of similarities between them. My take: It comes down to execution over everything else. For some reason, Ohio State hasn't executed at key times in the second half.
To back that point up, here are how the drives following Ohio State's third quarter-opening touchdown.
- Defense: The Buckeyes got burned for a 63-yard Fryfogle touchdown out of the bunch that was defended about as poorly as possible by the secondary.
- Offense: Miscommunication between Myers and Wyatt Davis allowed a defender to come through untouched, forcing Fields to immediately scramble and pick up just 1 yard on 3rd-and-6.
- Defense: The 33-yard touchdown pass shown above where Fryfogle got past Hooker.
- Offense: Teague got rolled over in pass protection on 2nd down, leading to a sack that forced a 3rd-and-long. Ohio State subsequently settled for a field goal that Jake Seibert missed.
- Defense: Shaun Wade's pick six. The first positive for Ohio State yet.
- Defense: Allows a touchdown pass to Ellis on 4th-and-10.
- Offense: Wilson had two opportunities to make catches that might have moved the chains but couldn't come up with the ball either time.
- Defense: Fryfogle beat Wade for a 56-yard touchdown down the sideline.
- Offense: Fields missed Farrell on 4th and 1.
To Ohio State's credit, the execution was there on the final three drives when Werner's sack forced a punt, Trey Sermon picked up 6 yards on 3rd-and-4 and the Buckeyes didn't allow Indiana to score when it got the ball in the final minute. It pulled everything together just in time. But still, execution in the second half must improve.
Josh Proctor and Browning showed why they're viewed as fearsome hitters. When they play downhill, they're at their best.