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To prepare for stepping into the lions' den that is a packed and partisan Ohio Stadium, the Indiana Hoosiers spent most of this week practicing with loud rock music blaring from the speakers.
By comparison, this is what No. 2 Ohio State did this week: quietly try to get healthy.
Nickel back Tyler Moeller, one of the team's top tacklers, tore a chest muscle and became the second top defensive back to be sidelined for the year. Tight end Jake Stoneburner will be out for a second straight game after a high ankle sprain.
But it wasn't all bad news for the Buckeyes. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who strained a left thigh muscle in a closer-than-expected win at Illinois last week, returned to full strength.
As coach Jim Tressel put it, ''He looks ready to rock and roll.''
So, in a showdown between the Buckeyes and pass-happy Hoosiers, the outcome may come down to who the real rock stars are.
The Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) survived a 24-13 scare at Illinois, but are hoping they can weather the storm of injuries that have hit them.
Safeties coach Paul Haynes said the loss of Moeller and another possible starter, C.J. Barnett, out with a knee injury, have left the secondary scrambling.
''It always gets that way when you lose two to season-ending injuries,'' he said. ''We're not there yet - knock on wood - but it's getting close.''
The Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1) will try to exploit that secondary, if quarterback Ben Chappell gets enough time against Ohio State's front seven. Chappell is third in the nation in passing yards per game (343), third in completions (29) and fourth in completion percentage (72).
''Ohio State has a great defense and it will be a challenge for us,'' said Chappell, who was 45 of 64 for 480 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 42-35 loss to Michigan. ''I am sure they will be ready to stop our passing game. Basically it is going to come down to what it always comes down to: turnovers, big plays and conversion of downs.''
The Indiana-Ohio State series has been a mismatch of epic proportions. The Buckeyes won the last 15 meetings - almost all by a gaping margin - and haven't lost to the Hoosiers since 1988.
But this doesn't appear to be just another Indiana team.
A week ago, they battled on even terms before falling to Michigan thanks to some last-minute heroics by dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson. This week, the Hoosiers draw Pryor, another big, fast signal-caller who is more dangerous when a play breaks down than when he's going exactly where he's supposed to.
''Size makes the biggest difference,'' Hoosiers coach Bill Lynch said of the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Pryor. ''He's a big man. He can really go. To relate it to basketball, there's that great point guard (Robinson) that you can't stop versus a big, overpowering guy (Pryor) that has the ball in his hands all the time. They are both great players but it's just different.''
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are well aware of the staggering numbers that the Hoosiers' passing game has been putting up. They rank fourth nationally in passing offense (348 yards a game) and 13th in scoring (40 points per contest).
''You can just see that there's more weapons and more explosion and they give you more problems than they seemed to a year ago,'' Tressel said, referring to a 33-14 victory that was the Hoosiers' largest loss in Big Ten play in 2009.
Even though the Hoosiers have traditionally been a patsy for the Buckeyes, the current bunch of players aren't thinking like that.
''We just went out and had a tough battle against Illinois,'' Ohio State cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said. ''We couldn't overlook Illinois, what makes us think we can overlook Indiana?''
