Ohio State Defeats Indiana With a Balanced Attack

The Buckeyes traveled to Bloomington Indiana and took care of business while getting some good experience in the passing game and the running attack. Does Ohio State’s win mean Ohio State is the best team in the Big Ten or does it mean Michigan isn’t as good as their record indicates? With Michigan’s struggle against Indiana last week, it’s very possible the answer is the Wolverines still need improvement.

By Steve Patterson

Best Team in the Big Ten

Although the best team in the Big Ten will not be known for some time, Ohio State made a solid case yesterday defeating Indiana 33-14 on the road. Ohio State came out early and scored 10 points before Indiana had an opportunity to get close to scoring. A couple of missed field goals by OSU kicker Aaron Pettrey and a nice drive primarily to IU wide receiver Tandon Doss made the game close at one point (10-7). But Ohio State put another 14 points on the board before half-time putting the game out of hand for the Hoosiers.

Freshmen Score

After the Tandon Doss score, Ohio State moved quickly down the field and in three plays scored again with a 23 yard pass to DeVier Posey in the end-zone. An Indiana turnover led to another OSU score with a 8 yard completion to freshman fullback Zach Boren for his first score of the season. One of the stories of the game is the freshman that got on the board for the first time. In addition to Boren scoring, freshman Duran Carter scored his first touchdown with a 5 yard catch early in the first quarter.

Offensive Balance

Ohio State finished the game with 159 yards passing and 219 yards rushing. Most of the rushing yards came from Brandon Saine who rushed for 113 yards with his first start of the season as Daniel Herron did not play while he recovers from an ankle injury. Terrelle Pryor added 63 yards and a rushing score while Jordan Hall got 11 carries for 37 yards. Saine averaged 6.6 yards per carry against the IU defensive which has been poor at run stopping for years.

Buckeye Injuries

Two Buckeyes were injured during the game. Jonathan Newsome limped off the field after a special teams coverage play. He was incorrectly referred to as Andrew Miller when the injury happened by the Big Ten announcing crew. More worrisome was the leg injury to Dexter Larimore, a starting defensive tackle, that took him out of the game and could sideline him for a number of weeks.