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Ohio State Football: Hoosiers expose roster holes on Buckeye defense

By Frank Teriaca

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 21: Ty Fryfogle #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers catches a 33-yard touchdown pass as Marcus Hooker #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes defends in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 21, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Indiana 42-35. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 21: Ty Fryfogle #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers catches a 33-yard touchdown pass as Marcus Hooker #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes defends in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium on November 21, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Indiana 42-35. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State football team escaped Saturday afternoon’s game with a victory. Indiana exposed some issues with the Buckeye secondary.

The Ohio State football team came away Saturday with a win. That is the most important thing. Justin Fields had his worst game of the season as the Buckeye offense looked stagnant in the second half after putting up 35 points in the first.

But the most pressing issue from yesterday’s game was that Michael Penix Jr. threw for 491 yards and five touchdowns as he got anything he wanted in the second half. Receiver Ty Fryfogle went off for 218 yards and three touchdowns of his own. This Buckeye secondary is reeling.

The biggest issue is at the single high safety position. Marcus Hooker is not ready for the role and I’m surprised that he has not been replaced yet. He has been getting beat over the top all season long and he did so multiple times on Saturday afternoon. Hooker bites way too often on the play-action pass which is mind-boggling considering that Indiana ran for a total of 16 yards.

The coaching staff wants to keep Josh Proctor in his third-down hybrid safety/linebacker role but the need for him to be the three-down high safety is significant.  Hopefully, we see Proctor in that role next week against Illinois.

The second area that was exposed was the nickel corner position. Marcus Williamson looked lost and confused for most of the afternoon. Credit Indiana’s coaching staff for exposing him, but it could get exposed a lot worse against the likes of Clemson or Alabama in the College Football Playoffs.

Unfortunately, there is not a great answer to the nickel position. Losing two first-round corners to the NFL and Amir Riep due to off the field issues troubles have taken its toll on the cornerback room. Unless defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs wants to turn to a true freshman or an under-performing sophomore in Tyreke Johnson, Williamson is going to have to play better.

Next. Ohio State football vs. Indiana: Defense grades. dark

All is not lost. The Buckeyes are still undefeated. The rushing game with Master Teague looked a lot better. And hey, if LSU can win a championship with their secondary from last season then so can Ohio State.

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