Ohio State vs. Indiana Preview: 4 Keys to Dominating the Hoosiers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Pat Elflein (65) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Buckeyes defeated the Fighting Irish 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Keys to a big win for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The one team in the Big Ten besides Michigan State that has given Ohio State coach Urban Meyer consistent trouble is Indiana. Perhaps this is why he was heaping praise upon the Hoosiers and coach Kevin Wilson all week.

More than likely he was doing his best to ensure that the team does not look past the Hoosiers in anticipation for the road trip to Wisconsin next week.

The last thing the Buckeyes need is a four quarter fight before the showdown in Madison. Here are four keys to the game:

Fast Start

In the previous two games against Indiana, the offense has scored a total of 20 points in the first half. That’s bad even for a Jim Tressel led offense let alone one led by Urban Meyer.

The Hoosiers might be better this season, but they should not hang with the Buckeyes. The key is having the focus and determination to knock out an underdog before it has time to gain confidence. The best way to do this is to come out of the locker room ready to dominate.

The offense started slow in its last two home games. Maybe it will be more awake by the 3:30PM kickoff time. To help, I would recommend that secondary coach Kerry Coombs give the pep talk to the offense. That should have them ready to explode.

Stopping the Run

Indiana’s offense ranks No. 17 in passing and Ohio State’s defense ranks No. 11 in stopping the run so it seems fair to predict that Wilson will come out trying to throw the ball down the field. Not likely.

The Hoosiers rushed for 457 yards against the Buckeyes in the last two games. Wilson’s schemes seem to work. Expect him to do more of the same on Saturday.

The Silver Bullets are also ranked No. 1 in passing efficiency so it is a better bet to establish a ground game than attack through the air.

Behind an experienced offensive line, junior running back Devine Redding is averaging 103.2 yards-per-game for the Hoosiers. He went to Glenville High School. This is his opportunity to have a statement game in front of a school that did not recruit him.

Expect the defensive coaches to load up to stop the run. It is good practice before heading to Wisconsin anyway. The game will stay out of hand if the unit can keep Indiana under 100-yards rushing.

Redzone Efficiency

The Hoosiers are decent in most areas on both sides of the ball except executing in the redzone. Their offense ranks No. 121 in the FBS converting just 64-percent and the defense is ranked No. 91 allowing opponents to score 90-percent of the time.

Conversely, the Silver Bullets are ranked No. 1 in redzone efficiency allowing opponents to score just 50-percent of the time. This stat is skewed though. The defense has given up one passing touchdown and three field goals on eight trips into the redzone.

Offensively, J.T. and company are highly efficient inside the redzone scoring 91-percent of the time. The unit has scored 17 touchdowns and four field goals so far when finishing a drive from inside the 20.

To add some perspective, this was the area that plagued the Ohio State offense for much of the 2015 season leading to a nine-point drop in scoring average from 2014 to 2015.

The Buckeyes scored 37 touchdowns inside the redzone in 2015. The unit is almost halfway to last year’s production in just four games.

This game will not be close if they continue the same level of execution in the redzone.

Turnovers

What in the wide world of sports is this season coming to? After collecting 11 turnovers through three games, the defense failed to get one last week. That’s just not acceptable.

Back to reality. The team is still ranked No. 2 in the FBS at plus 2 per game and the defense gave up 116 yards and zero points so it may be a tad early to apply criticism.

The key to getting back on track is execution on first and second down forcing Indiana into obvious third down passing situations.

Quarterback Richard Lagow has thrown six interceptions already this season and the offense ranks No. 78 in third down efficiency converting just 38-percent of the time. Getting Lagow in third and long will give the secondary plenty of chances to work their magic.