3 burning questions answered as the Ohio State Buckeyes get ready for Indiana in Week 13 Big Ten showdown
The Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers are fighting for their College Football Playoff and Big Ten title lives this weekend. This is when legacies are made, and momentum is created. A win this weekend could propel either program into the national title picture. However, the Buckeyes must answer some key questions in order to […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana Hoosiers are fighting for their College Football Playoff and Big Ten title lives this weekend. This is when legacies are made, and momentum is created. A win this weekend could propel either program into the national title picture.
However, the Buckeyes must answer some key questions in order to win. We asked our own college football expert, Travis May, three burning questions that Ohio State must find the answer to in order to win.
How can Ohio State win this game?
Ohio State's defense has struggled getting off the field, can Indiana exploit that?
Yes. Indiana has posted the highest pass success rate and EPA per dropback of any team in the nation this year. Kurtis Rourke's consistent ability to make the plays that create positive chain-moving value has been a major problem for any and every defense that has tried to slow Indiana down.
The key will likely rest with taking away everything underneath 12 yards on a down-to-down basis.
Even on play-action, Indiana surprisingly leans into short to mid-range in-breaking routes with yards after catch opportunity and deeper comebacks that can be taken away with strong discipline from the secondary.
Would Ohio State benefit more from blitzing Kurtis Rourke or giving more help in coverage?
Kurtis Rourke is one of the fastest quarterbacks in the nation at processing and getting rid of the ball quickly and on time. Thus, he's seldom under pressure.
When blitzed Rourke is actually slightly more efficient as a passer as he clearly does a great job diagnosing defenses both pre- and post-snap. The best approach will likely be to bring four in the pass rush, playing a variety of zone and man-match coverage concepts that make him hold the ball just a little bit too long.
With offensive line injuries decimating the unit, which defensive linemen should Ohio State pay special attention to?
Mikail Kamara, the Hoosiers' premier talent at edge defender, is the best defensive player Indiana has by far. Kamara is leading all of FBS in pass rush pressures with more than 50 so far this season.
Ohio State will need to slide and bring extra protection to his side of the offensive line all game long if they want to keep Will Howard standing upright. The good news is that Indiana's next-best pass rusher has literally half the pressures of Kamara this year. They don't have many other significant threats.