Ohio State heads to Bloomington next week with a clear warning label attached to Indiana’s undefeated record: the Hoosiers are still perfect, but they were pushed right to the edge by Nebraska before escaping with a 20-17 win in Lincoln.
That game was messy from the jump, and it turned into the kind of grind that exposed exactly where Indiana can be hit. Curt Cignetti’s team was down 17-6 in the fourth quarter before Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh connected on a pair of touchdown passes to finish the comeback. The first one came immediately after Anthony Colandrea had ripped off a 39-yard touchdown run, and that quick strike should stand out to Matt Patricia and Ohio State’s defense.
Nebraska’s front gave the Hoosiers trouble all night, and the early damage was obvious. Indiana’s running game managed just 12 yards in the first half, a sign that teams willing and able to win in the trenches can make life miserable for the Buckeyes’ next opponent.
That matters because Ohio State’s own defensive line has not exactly been a strength. Alabama transfer James Smith and UCF transfer John Walker have both struggled, Eddrick Houston has faded in the second half against Texas and Illinois, and the edge group has not offered much help either. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. still hasn’t hit his top level, while Crimson Tide transfer Qua Russaw and Beau Atkinson have had issues setting the edge.
There’s reason to think this group could be in line for a breakthrough, and if it comes, there’s no better time. Nebraska showed the blueprint: hit Indiana up front and make the Hoosiers work for every yard.
The challenge for Ohio State goes beyond its defense, too. Indiana’s defensive front arrived with real buzz before the season, and legendary Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Taylor told me the Hoosiers’ front could surpass last year’s group that helped contribute to a national championship and an undefeated year. With Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels both missing the Maryland game, the Buckeyes’ banged-up offensive line has its own job to do.
Bloomington won’t be a friendly place for Ohio State, and after the Week 6 escape, the pressure sits almost entirely on Ryan Day’s team in Week 7. The Buckeyes will need their defensive line to keep Indiana from controlling the tempo, quiet the crowd, and avoid letting the Hoosiers build on the kind of trenches-driven game Nebraska nearly used to finish them off.
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Ohio State Enters Brutal Stretch With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
Rainy conditions and a depleted lineup did little to slow Ohio State in its 45-16 win over Maryland, a result that kept the Buckeyes moving forward even as the injury and illness list trimmed key pieces from the rotation. Several starters were out, including multiple offensive linemen and wide receivers, but the group that did suit up handled the circumstances well enough to leave Saturday with a comfortable conference win.
Indiana now looms as the next test, and the Buckeyes are still projecting confidence heading into that matchup. The concern for fans is hard to miss, though: Ohio State is entering a demanding stretch while still waiting to get healthier up front and back on the perimeter, and that makes the coming days worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Got A New Ranking Test Before Indiana
Georgias win over Alabama shook up the top of both major college football polls, and Ohio State came out of the weekend a little higher in the conversation as a result. The Buckeyes climbed to No. 4 in the AP Poll and No. 5 in the Coaches Poll, keeping them firmly in the national title mix while the rest of the Top 5 continued to shuffle around them.
The new placement only adds more weight to what is coming next, because Ohio State is headed toward a Top-5 matchup with Indiana. With the rankings tightening and the stakes rising, the Buckeyes now have an even clearer read on where they stand, and a bigger test waiting to show whether this bump in the polls matches the on-field reality. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Turned Up The Heat On Two Committed 2027 Targets
A recent visit tied to Ohio States game against Maryland doubled as another reminder that the Buckeyes are already digging deep into the 2027 class. The program extended football scholarship offers to linebacker James Conrad and running back Kingston Allen, giving both prospects a fresh point of contact with one of the sports standard-bearers and putting two committed players on the radar in a very real way.
Conrad, who had been pledged to Buffalo, landed his first Power 4 offer from Ohio State, while Allen arrived in Columbus as a Wisconsin commit and left with an offer of his own. Both are regarded as highly ranked prospects with strong high school rsums, and the Buckeyes have clearly decided theyre worth pushing on early even with their current commitments elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]