Heading into the game against Maryland, the Ohio State Buckeyes ended up missing several starters. It didn't matter, as the Buckeyes stomped the Terrapins 45-16. Still, having this many injured players heading into a game is not ideal, and that's especially true when they missed both starting tackles.
As the Buckeyes cruised to victory, they had a couple of other guys get nicked up. That includes Luke Montgomery, who looked like he suffered a leg injury. While he went back in the game, the Buckeyes still have a big problem heading into next week: they are not healthy.
The Ohio State Buckeyes need to get healthy before the IU game
Sitting a lot of the guys they did was likely precautionary. Ohio State knew that they didn't need their full complement of players in the victory over the Terps. They likely could have trotted out their full team of backups and still won the game by two scores.
However, that won't be the case when next week rolls around. As Ohio State heads into Bloomington, they have to have all of their best players ready to go. IU is the defending national champs, and they beat this same Ohio State squad in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Scarlet and Gray will be looking for revenge in that game. If they don't have at least one of their starting tackles back, things could go very poorly. According to Ryan Day after the game, Phillip Daniels was almost able to go against Maryland. That bodes well for his chances against IU.
However, it's still unclear how long Siereveld will be out. Day said that he is day-to-day and that he didn't know he wasn't going to be able to play until hours before the game. The hope is that at least one of those tackles comes back so that Gabe VanSickle doesn't need to play right tackle again.
Health is the only thing that can keep Ohio State from beating IU
Indiana struggled to beat Nebraska, as they had to come back late in the fourth quarter to win. They also only beat Northwestern by six points, as well. Based on those two performances, there is no reason why Ohio State shouldn't be able to beat the Hoosiers next weekend.
However, IU could win that game if the Buckeyes are not healthy. Missing too many guys would keep them from really being able to let the talent shine in what will likely be a very tough environment. That's going to be especially true if one or both starting tackles are unable to play again.
Ohio State was also missing two starting receivers against Maryland, which was less than ideal. Despite that, Jeremiah Smith had the fewest number of catches in a game this season. Even so, he had two touchdown catches and almost 100 yards.
Health is going to play a big part in next weekend's game for both teams. IU has some running backs who aren't healthy, as well. If both teams are at full strength, I like Ohio State's chances.
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