Questions about Buckeye defense? College GameDay crew explains how Indiana’s offense can test Ohio State

Ohio State has looked impressive to start the season, but the Buckeyes have not necessarily been perfect.

What has impressed people around the country is another explosive and dynamic offense for the Buckeyes. Led by star QB and Heisman contender Justin Fields, Ohio State has scored at least 38 points in every game and is a top 10 offense in scoring.

Though there really are no questions about the offense, ESPN’s College GameDay crew admitted they still have some questions about the defense. Those questions could yield answers as they face a talented Hoosiers offense led by a dual-threat QB in Michael Penix Jr.

For Kirk Herbstreit, he’s hoping the defense comes out of Saturday’s game with answers to their questions:

“We don’t know about Ohio State’s defense yet. They haven’t necessarily played a great offense,” said Herbstreit. “There have been times when Ohio State’s defense has looked really good. And then there are times when you think they may be vulnerable on the back end. To me, this is a game for Ohio State, especially for the defense, where you go into the game and there’s a question mark and you come out of the game and there’s potentially an answer.”

Desmond Howard agrees that this will be a big test for the Buckeyes, especially considering the weapons Penix has to work with on Indiana’s offense:

“Michael Penix Jr. is a southpaw, a lefty quarterback and he’s very athletic. And usually the dual-threat, athletic quarterback gives defenses some problems, some issues,” explained Howard. “I believe this offense at Indiana can put pressure on Ohio State’s defense…so this will be a big challenge for this defense.”

Are the Buckeyes up to the task, or will the Hoosiers exploit the questions on the defense? Kickoff is set for 12 pm EST on FOX.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.