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Rapid Reaction: Ohio State flexes its muscle, dominates Indiana in B1G opener
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Final score: #6 Ohio State 51 Indiana 10
Brief recap: The first road game for Justin Fields wasn’t much of a test at all. The same could be said for the Ohio State defense. For all the questions we had about the Buckeyes — how would they perform against a solid B1G team — a lot of those were answered in Bloomington. Fields looked comfortable from the start, launching a 37-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave early in the second quarter. Chase Young was unblockable and the rest of the defense played fast and flew all over the field. It took about 20 minutes for Ohio State to get things rolling, but they took a 30-10 advantage into half and continued to build on that in the second half. The only touchdown surrendered came on a trick play at the end of the first half. To put it simply, the Buckeyes were dominant from start to finish.
Key moment: When Olave was able to get to Indiana’s punter and block the kick without even being contested, it just felt like the game was over. The ball rolled through the back of the end zone and went down as a safety, giving Ohio State a 16-3 lead. That was in the second quarter, but you knew then that the Hoosiers just didn’t have the athletes to compete with the Buckeyes.
Key stat: Ohio State rushed for over three bills against Indiana, piling up 321 yards on the ground. That’s pretty darn good against any defense. J.K. Dobbins had 193 and Master Teague totaled 106. For all the talk about the Buckeyes’ passing attack, the ground game was dominant.
Key player: There are a number of Ohio State players who deserve the honor, but Chase Young gets the recognition this week. Indiana’s offensive line couldn’t handle him and he made life miserable for the Hoosiers all game long.
What it means for Indiana: Still a long way to go in Bloomington. For what it’s worth, the Hoosiers were without their starting quarterback, as Michael Penix Jr. was out for the game. But would he really have made that much of a difference? Probably not. IU still has some really good athletes, but the offensive and defensive lines looked terrible.
What it means for Ohio State: Well, a 41-point win over a B1G team basically says that Ohio State is not only the favorite to win the conference now, but it’s also a very real threat to get to the College Football Playoff. This team has the rushing attack, the quarterback and the defense to compete with anyone on the field. The Buckeyes have only gotten better each week. That’s a scary thought, considering we’re only in Week 3.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB