Even if Indiana finished last in the Big Ten in total defense a year ago, going against the Hoosiers will still present an element of throwing Ohio State’s new-look offensive line into the fire.
The Hoosiers have been known to utilize creative blitz packages against the Buckeyes in an effort to pressure the quarterback, even if it hasn’t ultimately stopped Ohio State from winning the last 28 meetings between the two sides.
“Indiana, they’re known to throw a couple different (defensive) fronts at you,” left guard Donovan Jackson said. “They can go three, four, five (up front). They may even throw six on there. It’s our job to pick it up. That’s when it comes down to practice and film.”
What it presents is an opportunity for Ohio State’s offensive line to build chemistry early in the season. A lot of communication, coordination and cohesion is required to pick up creative blitzes and stunts in pass protection, and those are the things the front five are trying to build quickly this year.
“Three new guys on the line, it doesn’t really matter,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to be able to be on the same page and have five minds working as one and pick up what we see in front of us.”
From the perspective of new starting right tackle Josh Fryar, each team Ohio State plays is going to try to turn up the heat a little bit.
That’s the nature of being a program that is constantly in the hunt for College Football Playoff berths (five in nine years since it started) and Big Ten championships. Everyone is going to take their best shot.
“I expect everything to be aggressive with us,” Fryar said. “I think Indiana is a good team. They could pressure, but if we work the fit and we’re there and we know what we have and we know what we do, I think we’ll be fine.”
Fryar joins center Carson Hinzman and left tackle Josh Simmons as new starters amongst OSU’s road-pavers, with Jackson and right guard Matthew Jones filling out the lineup as returning starters.
Picking up such attacks starts in the film room, learning the different fronts and stunts an opponent is going to throw at you. Those things can change on the fly when a team brings in as many new transfers as Indiana did this offseason (32), but having that baseline level of preparation is still important.
“I think it starts in practice, and it starts in the meeting room as well,” Fryar said. “I think the meeting room is first, more so of I’m telling Matt or I’m telling Carson, ‘Hey we’ve got this, we’ve got to do this.’ Then out on the field we transition that.”
In applying it to the field, the offensive line has to work as one unit to form a clean pocket for its quarterback, Jackson said, each piece staying aware of the responsibilities of those next to him.
“Knowing that the guy next to you knows what he’s doing,” Jackson said. “Knowing that, if a guy crosses your face, you know the center is coming with you so you pass him off. Knowing if this guy crosses your face, there’s another guy coming back. (Indiana) runs a lot of different stunts and blitzes, so making sure that we’re on our film to know what’s coming and putting it all on the field.”
Facing blitz packages early in the season will pay dividends for Ohio State’s offensive line as the year progresses, Fryar said.
It’s one thing to face creative pressures in practice but there’s no experience quite like game reps. Getting those first hiccups under their respective belts will help Ohio State’s offensive linemen establish better pass protection as the Buckeyes ramp up to their bigger games of the year.
“I think the first time, maybe you screw it up or maybe you don’t get it the first time,” Fryar said. “Then the second time, third time, you start getting it, start getting the pattern down, the rhythm down.”
Jackson likes the work his unit has put in so far. The Buckeyes will get their first chance to show their work on Saturday.
“We’re still progressing every day,” Jackson said. “Nothing’s perfect, but we’re just trying to get better every day, trying to reach the goal that we’re trying to attain of being five minds working as one, and see where that takes us.”
