Buckeye football is finally back.
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INDIANA HOOSIERS |
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ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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3:30 P.M. – SATURDAY, SEPT. 2 MEMORIAL STADIUM BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA |
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CBS Paramount+ |
The wait is over. After an entire offseason of preparation, speculation and build, Ohio State’s first game week is upon the team’s faithful.
Kicking things off on Ohio State's 2023 slate is a road trip to Bloomington to take on Indiana. On paper, the Hoosiers should represent a tune-up game and an easy first Big Ten win for the Buckeyes, as they are fresh off back-to-back seasons with four victories or less.
Ohio State is on a 27-game winning streak against the Crimson and Cream that dates back to 1988. The last two victories were by margins of 47 and 42 points, respectively, in 2021 and 2022.
Week 1 of college football always seems to have some surprises, though. Here are five things to know about Indiana:
Momentum Trending Down
Pundits picked Indiana to be competitive in the Big Ten East before 2021.
The Hoosiers were fresh off a fantastic run – by their standards – during the coronavirus-plagued season of 2020 when they had a 6-2 overall record and made it as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking since 1967. Head coach Tom Allen had posted back-to-back winning seasons and there was a general buzz about the program.
A lot has changed since then. Indiana went 2-10 in 2021, followed by a 4-8 record in 2022. Allen fired his offensive line coach Darren Hiller mid-season last campaign after the team’s anemic rushing offense finished 116th in yards per carry in 2021 and 110th in yards per carry in 2022 (they were 122nd the week Hiller was fired).
The passing offense hasn’t been much better, as Indiana quarterbacks completed just 54 percent of their passes with 16 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 2022.
It will be a pivotal year for Allen to turn things around. He’s populated hot-seat lists this offseason, and without some signs of improvement, the program could be looking for new leadership come December.
A Quarterback Battle of Their Own
The biggest storyline surrounding Ohio State football this offseason is the battle between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown for the squad’s starting quarterback job, which could result in both playing meaningful reps against the Hoosiers on Saturday with the competition remaining undecided.
Indiana has had its own quarterback war. Tayven Jackson, a transfer from Tennessee – and the brother of former Indiana basketball star Trayce-Jackson Davis – and Brendan Sorsby are in competition as redshirt freshmen, with a combined 10 collegiate passes thrown previously between them.
Unlike Ohio State’s engagement, however, theirs has already been decided with the players and coaches informed of whether it will be Jackson or Sorsby who takes the field Saturday. Allen just isn’t making that information public, he told the Indiana media on Wednesday.
“I’m really pleased with those guys. I think they’ve both improved a lot since they’ve been here,” Allen said.
Jackson has been the presumed favorite since his move from Knoxville to Bloomington given his pedigree as a four-star prospect ranked 198th overall and 13th at quarterback in the 247Sports composite for the class of 2022. Sorsby fell outside the top 1,000 nationally in the same class.
Whoever trots onto the field for the first snaps Saturday will get a daunting first test against the Buckeyes, who are looking to improve on a finish as the nation’s 26th-best passing defense a year ago.
Camper Pitches His Tent in Opposing Secondaries
Of the skill position talent Indiana returns from 2022, none were nearly as productive – when healthy – as wide receiver Cam Camper.
Before tearing his ACL in October, the Texas native was right around the pace for a 1,000-yard receiving season, something that’s only been done seven times in Hoosier history. He hauled in 46 receptions for 569 yards and two touchdowns in seven contests.
With top Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke looking for a resurgent year and the squad’s outermost defenders trying to improve as a whole, Camper will be a good first matchup.
Porous Pass Defense
If last year is any indication, Brown or McCord or both will get a shot to find their rhythm against Indiana’s defense Saturday.
Of 131 FBS schools, the Hoosiers finished 120th in pass defense in 2022, surrendering 274.2 yards per game through the air.
It’s not that the team’s run defense was a juggernaut either, finishing 99th (Indiana was 119th in total defense across college football), but its secondary let quarterbacks put up NCAA 14-esque numbers every week. Eight different opponents threw for at least 290 yards against the Hoosiers last year, including Ohio State’s 322 on Nov. 12 in a 56-14 Buckeye win.
Casey Leads the Charge
One of the few quality pieces that return from last year’s Indiana defense is linebacker Aaron Casey. His 86 tackles led the team by an even dozen, and he’ll try to anchor a second-line rotation that stands in the heart of the Hoosiers’ 4-2-5 scheme.
His leadership will be a necessity. As stated above, he led the Hoosiers in tackles last year. Their second-leading tackler from 2022, Bryant Fitzgerald, is gone. The same is true of their second-, third- and fourth-leading tackler and on down the line until you hit safety Noah Pierre, whose 39 takedowns were 11th on the squad.
It’s a depleted defensive group that didn’t have a fully-stocked cupboard to begin with. Some transfers, such as former Texas Tech defensive lineman Philip Blidi, will attempt to add some impact, but there’s work to be done if the Hoosiers’ defense is to keep it in games this year.
If Indiana wins six games to help Allen retain his job, it will be considered a successful season. Their ambitions don’t match Ohio State’s, and if the Buckeyes want to meet theirs, they should dominate Indiana on Saturday.
