Ohio State @ Indiana preview
Memorial Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 5, 2011 ) Indiana 20, Ohio State 34
Ohio State, one of only four 6-0 teams in the FBS, looks to keep its high-powered machine rolling Saturday with a trip to Bloomington to visit hard-luck Indiana. The Buckeyes have knocked off ranked opponents in consecutive weeks (Michigan State and Nebraska), including a 63-38 mauling of the then-No. 20 Cornhuskers. Indiana, which has lost 16 straight to Ohio State, has dropped three straight close games, including two in a row in league play. After falling at Northwestern, the Hoosiers squandered a 17-point first half lead and lost 31-27 to Michigan State at home last weekend.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Ohio State -17
ABOUT OHIO STATE (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten Leaders): Sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller is playing like an All-American and potential Big Ten Player of the Year candidate. Miller is third in the conference and 11th in the nation in rushing, averaging 127.2 yards per game, and is second in the league and 23rd in the FBS in total offense (303.8). Miller has thrown for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 763 yards and eight scores, while averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He has four 100-yard rushing games this season and seven in his career. Running back Carlos Hyde is coming off a career-best day versus Nebraska, rushing for 140 yards on 28 carries with four touchdowns to earn co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors. The defense is led by All-American end John Simon, who is second in the Big Ten with 7.5 tackles for loss and he had five tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble in the Nebraska win.
ABOUT INDIANA (2-3, 0-2): The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in passing (305.2), which is 19th in the nation, and are second in the league in total offense (471.4). Quarterback Cameron Coffman, who was 33-of-48 for 282 yards with three touchdowns against Michigan State, has passed for 801 yards and six TDs this year while throwing only one interception. Coffman's 200.2 yards per game is fourth in the conference and his one interception is tied for the fewest among Big Ten signal callers. Defensive tackle Adam Replogle leads all conference defensive lineman averaging 7.2 tackles per game. Indiana's defense has compiled 10 sacks and 35 tackles for loss, a total it did not achieve until eight games last year. The Hoosiers are 2-24-1 against Ohio State in Bloomington and have not beat the Buckeyes there since 1988.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Ohio State rallied from an early 10-0 deficit and a 13-13 halftime tie to beat Indiana 34-20 last year. The Buckeyes had three players top the 100-yard rushing mark, led by Dan Herron's 141. Miller and Hyde each had 105 yards rushing and Miller had two scores, including a Ohio State QB-best 81-yard touchdown run.
2. Indiana's offense is significantly improved in coach Kevin Wilson's second year. The Hoosiers are averaging 11.4 more points per game, 111 yards more in total offense and 105 yards more in passing. Indiana's 11 passing touchdowns in five games has surpassed last year's season total of 10 in 12 games.
3. Ohio State is 271-0-1 all-time in games when the Buckeyes score 35 or more points. The only blemish was a 35-35 tie versus SMU in 1978. In coach Urban Meyer's coaching career, his teams have topped 50 points 25 times and have never lost.
PREDICTION: Ohio State 55, Indiana 27