Ohio State heads to Bloomington on Saturday with a shot at payback, and the matchup brings plenty of moving parts on both sideline. The Buckeyes are trying to respond after last season’s Big Ten Championship loss to Indiana, and they’ll do it in a top-five showdown that arrives with both teams carrying real questions.
For Ohio State, the injury report matters almost as much as the opponent. Wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin, both absent against Maryland, are expected back for this one.
Running back Ja’Kobi Jackson, though, will not play after dealing with ankle issues following the Maryland game. Jackson has been one of Ohio State’s more efficient pieces, with six touchdowns and a six-yard average per carry.
That opens the door for Bo Jackson to return to the starting role against Indiana. Isaiah West, who was listed as questionable Wednesday but has since been cleared, will also be available, and Legend Bey could see a larger workload as well.
Up front, the Buckeyes will also be without captain Austin Siereveld for a second straight game, though Phillip Daniels is set to return. That’s a meaningful development because Indiana’s defensive front has been one of the sharpest in the country at getting after the quarterback.
Indiana, meanwhile, comes in unbeaten but not without a few warning signs from the last couple of weeks. The Hoosiers needed a 29-23 win over Northwestern and then barely escaped Nebraska, hanging on for a 20-17 victory after trailing by 11 in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska found some cracks in Indiana’s offense. The Hoosiers were held to 65 rushing yards on 22 carries, a steep drop from their season average of 221.3 yards per game. They also had trouble sustaining drives, finishing 1-for-10 on third down while allowing Nebraska to convert 10 of 19.
Still, Indiana has built its start on a high-level offense, and quarterback Josh Hoover has been right at the center of it. The TCU transfer has thrown for 1,364 yards and 17 touchdowns without an interception through six games. He also delivered when the Hoosiers needed it most against Nebraska, leading the fourth-quarter rally and hitting Nick Marsh for two long touchdowns in the 20-17 win.
The other side of the ball has been just as dangerous. Indiana has 20 sacks through six games, which ranks third in the nation, with defensive linemen Tobi Osunsanmi and Stephen Daley leading the charge. Osunsanmi tops the Big Ten in tackles for loss and is tied for the conference lead in sacks through six games, while Daley has logged at least one sack in three straight games.
If Ohio State is going to leave Bloomington with its first win over Indiana in this setting, the Buckeyes will need clean protection for Julian Sayin against a pass rush that has been producing all season, and they’ll have to do it without one of their starting linemen.
In Other News...
Ohio State Gets Pulled Into A High-Stakes Fight Over Eligibility
The eligibility fight surrounding fifth-year athletes in Ohio has now spilled into federal court, with the NCAA suing Gov. Mike DeWine over the executive order that lets state universities challenge the associations ruling. For Ohio State and the rest of the states Division I programs, the issue is more than paperwork. It goes straight to how coaches build rosters, manage scholarship spots and weigh whether a veteran player can give them one more season.
The NCAA argues the order violates the Commerce Clause and the First Amendment by giving Ohio schools an unfair edge and allowing them to sidestep NCAA rules. Ohios Division I programs reportedly support the directive, and coaches have said they will make decisions based on what helps the team most. For a Buckeyes program always balancing immediate ambitions against long-term roster planning, the legal standoff adds another layer of uncertainty to an already delicate eligibility question. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces Two Pressing Questions In Huge Indiana Test
Jeremiah Smith has become one of the most important pieces in Ohio States offense, and his involvement figures to be a major storyline in Bloomington. The Buckeyes have been looking for ways to keep their passing game balanced and dangerous, and getting Smith the ball is part of that equation as they head into a matchup that carries real weight after last seasons Big Ten title game loss to Indiana.
Julian Sayins protection will matter just as much, because Indiana can make life uncomfortable if Ohio State lets pressure reach the quarterback too often. On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes also need to close quickly on Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover and create enough disruption to tilt the game their way, with this trip offering both a chance at revenge and a test of whether Ohio State can handle the kind of pressure that usually decides big conference games. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Has A Chance To Shake Up The Big Ten Race
The Big Ten race is tightening at exactly the moment Ohio State would prefer some breathing room, and Indiana suddenly has a chance to make the leagues path a lot more complicated. The weekend slate comes with plenty of moving parts, from quarterback uncertainty elsewhere in the national picture to Ohio States own offensive line questions, but the Hoosiers are now positioned as one of the teams that could force the conversation to shift in a hurry.
For Buckeyes fans, that makes this a scoreboard-watching weekend as much as anything else. Alongside the predictions for the games themselves, the broadcasts are also expected to stir up talk about a possible 24-team College Football Playoff expansion, adding another layer to a week already loaded with speculation. If Indiana does its part, Ohio State may find the margin for error in the conference race getting thinner than it already is. [Read more 🡒]