Saturday’s showdown in Bloomington has all the makings of a trench war, and that’s where Indiana’s path to an upset starts. No.
5 Indiana (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) gets No. 4 Ohio State (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) in the most anticipated matchup Bloomington has ever seen, and the Hoosiers will need their defense to set the tone if they’re going to knock off the Buckeyes.
The pass rush is the first place to look. In the 2025 regular season, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was sacked six total times in 12 games, but Indiana got to him five times in the Big Ten Championship Game by itself.
This year, the pressure numbers already tell a different story: Sayin has been sacked 11 times, while Indiana has piled up 20 sacks in six games. The takeaway is pretty clear.
The Hoosiers should bring heat, and plenty of it, and how Sayin handles that pressure could decide a lot.
That’s especially true because Sayin has used his legs more often this season, and Indiana has shown some cracks against quarterbacks who can escape. Still, this feels like the kind of game where the Hoosiers’ front can dictate terms if it keeps collapsing the pocket.
The same defensive-first logic applies on the other side of the ball, where Ohio State’s offense looks nothing like the one Indiana saw in last season’s conference title game. That matchup ended with the two teams combining for 23 points in a classic Big Ten slugfest.
This Buckeyes group has been far more explosive, scoring at least 31 points in every league game so far. Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith have been flat-out unstoppable.
Indiana has scored at least 20 points in every game in 2026, but the Hoosiers have also had some uneasy stretches on offense. Last Saturday at Nebraska, they managed only six points through three quarters. Against an Ohio State defense that has been much sturdier than most teams the Buckeyes have faced, that kind of slow start would be trouble.
There’s a real chance both offenses hit resistance all afternoon. Indiana is allowing a Big Ten-best 75.0 rushing yards per game and has been a wall against the run.
Ohio State has not been overpowering on the ground, either, rushing for just 94 yards against Texas in Week 2 and getting held to 3.8 yards per carry by Kent State. Even with an experienced offensive line, the Buckeyes have been more ordinary than expected in 2026.
So the formula points in one direction: Indiana’s defensive front tries to wreck the rhythm, Ohio State leans on Sayin and Smith, and the scoreboard may never get loose. It would be a surprise if either team reaches three touchdowns. Smith may not disappear completely, but if Indiana can stack four full quarters of that kind of defensive pressure, it can at least keep Ohio State contained.
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Indiana Fans Will Notice A New Look Across Hoosiers Athletics Soon
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