No. 4 Ohio State travels to No. 5 Indiana on Saturday in a rematch of last December’s Big Ten Championship Game, and the biggest question entering the Ohio State vs Indiana preview is whether the Hoosiers can finally solve Jeremiah Smith. Indiana is 6-0 and carries a 22-game winning streak into the noon ET kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Ohio State is 5-1 after a 45-16 win over Maryland last week.
The game carries major College Football Playoff implications, according to USA Today. Indiana is one of nine remaining unbeaten teams in the FBS, and a win would push the Hoosiers to 23 straight victories, tying the College Football Playoff-era record Ohio State set under former coach Urban Meyer before that streak ended in 1988. In 32 all-time meetings, Indiana has beaten Ohio State just twice, with the most recent coming in 1988, before last December’s 13-10 upset in the Big Ten title game.
Ohio State Vs Indiana Preview: Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
- Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Venue: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
- TV: Fox
- Weather: 50 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
Indiana has not lost at Memorial Stadium under coach Curt Cignetti, according to Sports Illustrated. Cignetti downplayed any added pressure tied to the ranking and the streak this week. “Both teams are going in, in my mind 0-0, and I’m sure that’s how they’re approaching it, too,” Cignetti said, according to CBS Sports.
Can Indiana Slow Down Jeremiah Smith
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has topped 900 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns this season and caught nine touchdown passes over his last three to four games, per CBS Sports. He had eight catches for 144 yards against Indiana in last year’s Big Ten title game.
Cignetti called Smith a problem no scheme fully solves. “There is no one like him right now playing at this level. We got two really good ones.
He’s a freak. We’re going to have to do a great job on him,” Cignetti said. He added that Ohio State’s staff has leaned on Smith’s versatility this season: “They move Jeremiah around quite a bit.
He’s taken it up a notch without question.”
Who Is Healthy For Each Team
Ohio State held out five starters against Maryland: wide receivers Brandon Inniss and Devin McCuin, offensive lineman Austin Siereveld, nickel Jay Timmons and linebacker Christian Alliegro. Coach Ryan Day said he expects “a good portion” of that group back for Indiana, meaning their availability remains a projection rather than a confirmed return.
Indiana got defensive back A.J. Harris back against Nebraska after he had been out since Week 1, and the Hoosiers appear as healthy as they have been all season, according to CBS Sports. Quarterback Josh Hoover is projected to start for Indiana, while Julian Sayin is projected to start under center for Ohio State.
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Ohio State 42.7, Indiana 40.2
- Passing yards per game: Ohio State 337.8, Indiana 241.3
- Rushing yards per game: Ohio State 165.7, Indiana 221.3
- Total yards per game: Ohio State 503.5, Indiana 462.7
- Third-down conversion rate: Ohio State 45.21%, Indiana 45.31%
- Turnover differential: Ohio State +5, Indiana +2
- Sacks allowed: Ohio State 11, Indiana 9
- Sacks recorded: Ohio State 9, Indiana 20
Ohio State Outlook
Ohio State is averaging 42.7 points per game and Sayin has thrown 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions, per Sports Illustrated. The Buckeyes’ defense is allowing 13.2 points per game, a number that will be tested against an Indiana offense that has scored 40.2 points per game of its own. Ohio State’s offense piled up 503.5 total yards per game, but the Maryland win exposed issues Day wants fixed.
“We’ve got to get this stuff fixed, and some of these penalties don’t also come up in practice. The late hits on quarterbacks. They have to be addressed, and they have to understand how important those are,” Day said Sunday, after Ohio State committed multiple penalties and two turnovers in the 45-16 victory.
Indiana Outlook
Indiana enters unbeaten at 6-0, but last week’s 20-17 comeback win over Nebraska, in which the Hoosiers rallied from a two-score fourth-quarter deficit, raised questions about balance. Indiana managed just 66 rushing yards on 22 carries against the Cornhuskers, a one-dimensional showing that Sports Illustrated flagged as a concern against Ohio State’s defense. Hoover has thrown 17 touchdown passes with zero turnovers this season, and Indiana’s offense still ranks among the nation’s most productive at 462.7 total yards per game. The Hoosiers’ defense has forced 20 sacks, more than double Ohio State’s total of nine.
Key Matchup: Smith Against Indiana’s Secondary
The clearest matchup to watch is Smith against an Indiana secondary that Cignetti has already acknowledged faces a difficult task. Smith’s nine touchdown catches over his last three to four games and his 900-plus yard season make him the focal point of Ohio State’s 337.8 passing yards per game. How Indiana’s defense, which has produced 20 sacks and limited opponents for most of the season, handles Ohio State’s top offensive play-caller shaping around Smith could determine whether Ohio State’s 42.7-point scoring average holds up against a Hoosier defense that has mostly kept its unbeaten streak intact through strong execution.
Players To Watch
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State wide receiver
Smith has 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, numbers that have made him the player Cignetti says Indiana must account for above all others.
Josh Hoover, Indiana quarterback
Hoover has completed 88 of 129 passes for 1,364 yards and 17 touchdowns without a single interception, anchoring an Indiana offense trying to stay unbeaten against the toughest defense it has faced this season.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State quarterback
Sayin has thrown for 1,772 yards with 17 touchdowns against two interceptions, giving Ohio State one of the more efficient passing attacks in the country entering Bloomington.
What To Watch
Beyond the win-loss record, Saturday’s outcome carries weight in the College Football Playoff picture given both teams’ rankings, with ESPN FPI slotting Ohio State No. 3 nationally and Indiana No. 7. A win would also move Indiana within one game of matching Ohio State’s own CFP-era record of 23 consecutive victories. Ohio State looks to show it has corrected the penalty and turnover issues Day flagged after the Maryland game, while Indiana aims to prove last week’s rushing struggles against Nebraska were an outlier rather than a trend heading into its biggest test of the season.
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