Ohio State Football vs. Indiana: Three keys to victory
By Ryan Stano
2. Limit the big plays on defense
We know the reason why the Ohio State football team didn’t win the national championship a year ago is because of the big plays they gave up on defense. The defense gave up big plays all year long and it finally caught up with them in the final two games of the season.
There will be two new starters at two of the safety positions so that may help. Davison Igbinsun comes in at corner as well. You can’t say they aren’t trying to fix the problems in the secondary. How well those adjustments fix the issues they had last year remains to be seen.
Big plays are the only way IU can stay in this game. They are not the more talented team in this matchup. Lathan Ransom can’t slip again and allow an easy, wide-open touchdown. Big plays are the enemy to the Buckeyes and they have to vanquish it.
Ohio State has been trying to fix this issue all offseason. When Ryan Day has been asked about it, his answers haven’t exactly inspired confidence that it’s an issue that has been fixed. If IU is able to get a few big pass or run plays off on Saturday, there could be some nervous moments for Ohio State football fans.
The defensive line should be able to help in that regard. They are going to be hard to block for any offensive line. Sacks should increase too. Getting pressure on the quarterback is the best way to help a secondary that gives up big plays.
The final key to victory is the most important of them all.