Ohio State Football: What to watch for versus the Indiana Hoosiers
By Joe Russo
Ohio State football is back! What exactly should we look for against Indiana?
Kevin Wilson’s former team is playing host to the Ohio State Buckeyes in prime time on Thursday night. Typically, the Indiana game isn’t exactly a nail biting affair, but over the last few seasons, the Wilson led Hoosiers have given the Buckeyes fits.
In 2017, don’t be surprised if that happens again. FoS took a look at what to keep your eye on for the 2017 opener.
Indiana’s defense has real potential
Tegray Scales, second team all-american, returns to lead a defense that ranked 45th in the country a year ago. That ranking isn’t anything fantastic in and of itself, but that’s is a marked improvement from how Hoosier defenses have performed in the past.
Indiana returns their five leading tacklers and this is from a defense that surrendered only 93 passing yards to the Buckeyes in 2016. J.T. Barrett posted a 35.5 QBR in that game.
According to HoosierSportsNation.com, Indiana allowed over 129 fewer yards per game in 2016 than in 2015 — the biggest improvement in college football, and gave up over 94 fewer passing yards and 10.4 fewer points per game. That’s real progress and it is likely to continue with so may returning starters on the field for Indiana.
Ohio State Buckeyes Football
Given how tough the Hoosiers’ defense was in Columbus, OH last year, this could be an interesting first test for the reworked Buckeyes’ offense.
Will the real J.T. Barrett please step up?
One of the common themes of the offseason was how would Barrett benefit from Wilson’s arrival? We’ve seen the best and worst of Barrett.
Granted, the worst of Barrett should come with an asterisk, as even his down games are better relative to many of his peers across the country. He’s a former Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and lead the Buckeyes to two playoff appearances and a Fiesta Bowl rout of Notre Dame.
Barrett, though, is entering his fourth year as a starter and third as a captain. With Wilson putting a more creative offensive scheme in place, Barrett should be put in a better position to win.
This game is going to be a tough opening test for both the new offense and Barrett’s ability to run it. Thursday night will tell Buckeye fans a lot about how Wilson’s new attack will help keep Barrett in the Heisman conversation.
Can J.K. Dobbins step in for Mike Weber?
While Tony Alford seems to think Weber will be ready to go 100% against Indiana, his hamstring is a real concern. Dobbins took sole possession of the backup running back spot very early after his arrival on campus and is one of the best athletes on the entire roster.
Is he able to take over as a lead back until Weber returns?
Wilson’s scheme wants the running back to handle the bulk of the ground game, so Dobbins was likely to take carries from Barrett anyways. What will also help Dobbins is that Demario McCall can handle some carries as well.
Weber is a special talent, rushing for over 1,000 yards in his first season in Columbus. But Dobbins carried just as much of a pedigree to Ohio State as Weber did upon his arrival. There’s no reason to think that Dobbins isn’t able to handle the role.
Is Richard Lagow going to make a difference?
While the Indiana defense is earning their preseason hype, Lagow still leads the offense. The senior quarterback threw 19 touchdowns against 17 interceptions last season, but had a 496 yard game against Wake Forest and two other 300 plus yard games.
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He also had five multi-interception games, including five of them against Wake Forest alone.
Ohio State was one of his worst performances in 2016, throwing for only 182 yards, but with two scores against one interception. Looking at Lagow’s history, he is more of a liability when he throws the ball more often.
Against a Buckeye secondary replacing so much talent, this seems like the opposite of what Indiana would need from their quarterback. But think of it this way: Indiana’s defense causes some headaches as Ohio State experiences growing pains in a new offense — the same one Lagow ran for a few years.
Lagow could have better field position and be put in better scoring opportunities than he ever has before against the Buckeyes. All it takes are a few decent drives and Indiana’s defense could help Lagow keep things interesting in Bloomington, IN.
How will the new secondary look?
This is pretty much the same question heading into the Bowling Green game in 2016. Gone were Vonn Bell, Tyvis Powell, and Eli Apple. They couldn’t rely on the also departed Joey Bosa, Derron Lee, Adolphus Washington, or Joshua Perry either to provide pressure up front.
The Falcons were not as good at the start of 2016 as Indiana looks at the start of this season, but the defensive backfield was under the microscope.
All they did in that game was show fans all over the country what to expect all season long. Malik Hooker picked off two passes, including this insane one handed grab that set the tone for his final season in Columbus:
Rodjay Burns would also take an interception 75 yards for a touchdown as part of the 77-10 blow out against Bowling Green. The passing defense allowed only 175 yards on 21-44 passing without allowing a score through the air. In fact, Bowling Green only had the ball for 21:25 of the entire game.
2017 is now the third season in a row where the Buckeye secondary is essentially an all new group. Only Damon Webb returns from the starters a year ago. That said, there is so much depth at the position and blue chip youngsters on the roster that the potential for another reload is there.
Game Prediction
If you are coming into this game thinking you’ll see a complete beat down of Indiana, you will be disappointed. Indiana has made great strides the last few seasons. The only difference between those teams and the 2017 version is that Wilson now works for Ohio State.
The defense is legit. Their offense needs work, but there is enough to at least take advantage of the opportunities given by that defense.
Ohio State’s offense is new. Much of the defense is new. It’s the first game of the season and it’s against a conference opponent. That’s not a recipe for an easy game where you don’t see the starters after the third quarter. The College Game Day atmosphere in Bloomington is bound to get the Hoosiers amped up and ready to play.
Next: 5 bold predictions vs Indiana
Ohio State is still going to come out on top, but much like the past few seasons, it will be a tough all the way through. A 31-21 score sounds about right with Ohio State grinding down enough in the second half to keep the Hoosiers at bay.