Ohio State is walking into one of its biggest tests of the season, and Ryan Day spent Tuesday making one thing clear: Indiana won’t hand this game away.
Ahead of Saturday’s No. 4 vs. No. 5 showdown in Bloomington, Day pointed to everything from health, to trench play, to the Hoosiers’ passing game as the key issues facing the Buckeyes. He also made it obvious he isn’t spending much time on last year’s loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, even if there are lessons his team can still carry forward.
The health of Ohio State’s roster could tilt in its favor at the right moment. Day said Monday that several of the five or six starters who sat out last week’s win over Maryland should be back, though not all of them. On Tuesday, he narrowed that down even more.
"I don't think we'll get all of them back," Day said Tuesday. "But we should get a good portion of them back for Indiana."
Austin Siereveld, who missed the Maryland game with an unspecified illness, is still day-to-day. Brendan Inniss, Devin McCuin, Christian Alliegro, Phillip Daniels and Leroy Roker III are all possibilities to return.
Even with those potential reinforcements, Day believes this game will be decided at the line of scrimmage.
"Everything is going to start up front in this game," Day said.
That means Ohio State’s offensive line depth may be tested against an Indiana front Day described in emphatic terms.
"It's going to be a huge challenge. They do an excellent job up front on defense," Day said. "Their defensive line is one of the biggest challenges we'll have all season."
Day was just as direct when discussing Indiana’s offense, especially quarterback Josh Hoover and the receiver duo of Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh. He said Hoover has been efficient and credited the Hoosiers’ system for helping keep the ball secure.
"He's playing really efficient. They're doing a good job of putting him in the system that takes care of the ball," Day said. "You have to give a lot of credit to their scheme."
Becker and Marsh also drew strong praise.
"These guys in particular are very clean route runners," Day said. "They're really strong on contact, have really good body control, have run-after-the-catch ability.
"Certainly, Becker has made some big-time plays in big-time moments, and Marsh is playing as good as anybody right now. This is a huge challenge for our secondary."
Marsh is coming off his best game as a Hoosier, piling up six catches for 187 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against Nebraska. With Becker also producing and Marsh having a history of success against Ohio State, Indiana has a pair of downfield threats capable of flipping the game fast.
Day also expects the setting in Bloomington to be as difficult as the matchup itself. Ohio State has already dealt with road trips to Texas and Iowa this season, and he knows Memorial Stadium will bring its own problems.
"It's going to be loud," Day said. "So we've got to be able to handle the silent cadence."
Indiana has yet to lose at home under Curt Cignetti, and Saturday’s top-five clash is shaping up to bring one of the biggest atmospheres Bloomington has seen.
Day did address last year’s matchup with Indiana, but he didn’t want to turn the conversation backward. The Buckeyes struggled on third down and in the red zone in that Big Ten Championship Game, two areas he highlighted again Tuesday, but his message was centered on what matters now.
"Nothing that happened in the past has anything to do with this weekend," Day said. "We can learn from the past, so some of those guys that played in that game can learn from all the reasons why we came up short, and that's good.
That's fine. But the focus has to be on right now, and that's it."
And above all else, Day said the Buckeyes have to stay locked in from kickoff to the final whistle.
"You have to stay focused for 60 minutes," Day said. "You take a play off, and these guys will hurt you. We can't do that."
Nebraska gave a preview of what Indiana can do when an opponent slips, with the Hoosiers rallying from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to win 20-17.
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