The Heartland Line
Ohio State faces Indiana's 21-game streak, with receivers and pass rush the big worries
Land-Grant Holy Land says Indiana's receivers and defensive front are the biggest threats to No. 4 Ohio State in Saturday's game at No. 5 Indiana.
No. 4 Ohio State goes to Bloomington on Saturday trying to end No. 5 Indiana's 21-game winning streak. Writers at Land-Grant Holy Land, SB Nation's Ohio State site, see two parts of the Hoosiers' roster that could stop that from happening.
In a roundtable published Tuesday, Brett Ludwiczak and Matt picked different answers. Ludwiczak went with Indiana's wide receivers. Matt went with the defensive front. Both picks connect to last season's Big Ten Championship Game, which Indiana won, and to the close escape against Nebraska last week, when the Hoosiers came back late to stay unbeaten.
Ludwiczak starts with Charlie Becker, who had six catches for 126 yards against the Buckeyes in Indianapolis. Becker is 6-foot-4 and brings 30 receptions, 529 yards and eight touchdowns into the week. That works out to more than 17 yards per catch. Ludwiczak argues Becker may be the best receiver Ohio State's defense faces all season, apart from Jeremiah Smith in practice. Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh adds to the problem. He has topped 100 yards in each of the last two games and caught touchdowns of 44 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter against Nebraska. The Buckeye secondary had lapses against Texas and Illinois, Devin Sanchez has struggled, and Jay Timmons' injury status is unclear.
The case against Indiana's front may weigh more for Ohio State's offense. Through six games, the Hoosiers average 3.3 sacks and 8.2 tackles for loss per game. They sacked Nebraska five times, with former Kent State lineman Stephen Daley leading the way. Daley has six tackles for loss this season, and four came in the past two games. Indiana also allows only 75 rushing yards per game and 2.3 yards per carry.
That pressure lands on an Ohio State line that has kept changing. Right tackle Phillip Daniels has not played since getting hurt against Texas, and Austin Siereveld missed the Maryland game with an illness. The site reports that Ryan Day expects most starters back. Citing Pro Football Focus, Land-Grant Holy Land notes that Julian Sayin completes 75.6% of his passes from a clean pocket but just 55.6% under pressure. Against Maryland's blitz, he went 1 of 5 for one yard and threw a pick-six. The bigger risk, the writers argue, is that Indiana could get home with four rushers and still drop seven into coverage. In their words, the Hoosiers could "have its cake and eat it too."
The ground game is part of the same problem. Bo Jackson and Ja'Kobi Jackson have combined for 814 yards at 5.5 per carry. Still, 32% of Ohio State's rushes have gained two yards or fewer, and Indiana's front is built to make that number worse.
The market leans toward the visitors anyway. Ohio State is favored at -170 on Novig, one of the venues listing the game, and DraftKings has the Buckeyes at -180. Indiana is getting 3.5 points at home, and the total is 50.5. Kickoff is noon Eastern on Fox. Full prices are on the game page.
