Factory Of Sadness
FanSided

Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Indiana

By Alec Hartman

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeye players run onto the field prior to the start of the game during the All State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Ohio State Buckeye players run onto the field prior to the start of the game during the All State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next

2. The Buckeyes’ defense is still elite.

Whether the offense puts up three points or 100, the Buckeyes’ defense is still going to be the main reason for why they won the game. In fact, even if the offense puts up zero points then the Bucks still win the game considering they were second in the nation in defensive touchdowns last season.

As for this season, the defense will once again take on a whole new look because of the mass departure to the NFL. As much as people tend to view this as a negative against the Bucks’ defense, it should be viewed as something even scarier for opposing offenses.

The defense will have many new faces so it would be fair to assume that they will be more difficult to game plan for. Players like Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley, and Raekwon McMillan are major losses for what was one of the top defenses in the nation last season.

However, those departures make way for a fresh crop of defensive talent that the Bucks had waiting in the wings. Many of these players already have some experience in the game but haven’t had the opportunity to shine yet.

Though it will be extremely difficult to duplicate the production of last season’s pro-ready defensive backs, the Bucks make up for it with their front seven. Linebackers Jerome Baker and Chris Worley were solid contributors.

These two were overshadowed by the excellence of McMillan and others but were great in their own respects. Baker had the second most tackles on the team last season, hauled in two interceptions, and had almost twice as many sacks as McMillan.

The Bucks will be returning just about their entire defensive line for this season. This defensive line figures to be one of the most talented units in college football and is also packed with plenty of experience.

Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis provide valuable veteran leadership. Lewis ranked fifth in the Big Ten in sacks last season. Tracy Sprinkle missed all of last season after sustaining a major injury in week one. Dre’Mont Jones, the beneficiary of Sprinkle’s season ending injury, ended up leading the defensive line in total tackles as just a freshman. Nick Bosa will be returning for his second season where he will surely improve upon what was a solid first year.

Hoosiers’ quarterback Richard Lagow was sacked fourth most in the Big Ten last season. Considering that the Hoosiers will only have two returning starters on the offensive line for this upcoming season, things may be even more difficult for Lagow in the pocket. This will be especially true against the Buckeyes’ stacked defensive front.

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes