Game Thread Game Seven: Ohio State 41, Indiana 10 (final)

[BUCKYLE]

If you're talking about the Indiana guy who had his catch disallowed after reply, after re-watching the game I would have to agree that's the only reason to reverse the original call of completion. If there is such a rule that you can't have a completion touch your foot while the foot is on the ground, then the ref should've said so in his explanation.

Im no ref, but I think thats where the term "shoestring" catch comes from. Spielman was actually upset about that call. It shoulda been a catch.

 

[jwinslow]

I'm pissed with the continued ripping off of helmets of our players! Why are the refs letting this continue? This is happening every friggin week , now!

I agree the reffing was horrible, but Donte very clearly ripped off VY's helmet during the first drive of the game on the 10th.

i think ginn's problem this year has been confidence adn trying to do to much. he tried too hard against texas and caught a case of the dropsies along with the rest of the team. he has had absolutely 0 confidence since then. not trying to work him back into the offense until his return against iowa that was called back didn't help either.

Ginn struggling on O and on ST are two different things. He had previously been dancing like a june bug on offense. On ST, he has had nowhere to go, and so once bottled up he began to juke and lose more yardage.

The few times he has had a seam on ST (Texas, Iowa, IU) he has gone nuts.

 

[Zurp]

4. The offense looked good. The interception, I thought was BS. To me it looked like (Holmes I think it was) got interfered with...it was right in front of our seats. If he wasn't knocked to the ground, with the game he was playing, I think that's a TD. And then as far as the strip of Ginn...how long can you hold a guy up before the whistle is blown?? I was SURE the play was dead. I couldn't believe they didn't call forward progress. WHAT A JOKE!!!!

Watching the game, I also thought Holmes was interfered-with. But when they showed the replay, it looked to me as though they were both going for the ball. They bumped into each other, and the defender had the better position for the catch. That is often called pass-interference, but I think that would be a bad call. I think he was right to not call it pass-interference.

And the Ginn fumble, I agree. I think they were whistle-shy after totally blowing it on D'Andrea's fair catch play.

 

[Folanator]

``We've got a long way to go,'' Hoeppner said. ``I'm not pointing fingers, but we didn't make a lot of plays, and we didn't create an atmosphere that we needed to create. We've got a long way to go in both areas. The Buckeyes don't come back here for a long while, and when they do, it needs to be a completely different atmosphere.''

Was this directed at the IU fans??? Wow, large stones. Way to call em out TH!

 

[Zurp]

If you're talking about the Indiana guy who had his catch disallowed after reply, after re-watching the game I would have to agree that's the only reason to reverse the original call of completion. If there is such a rule that you can't have a completion touch your foot while the foot is on the ground, then the ref should've said so in his explanation.

Good point - the ref should have said something in his explanation. I thought that as long as it doesn't touch the ground, it's a completion.

If that the rule is that the foot is part of the ground, there'll be a time soon when someone catches the ball in a similar way and we'll have the argument over whether it hit is foot or it hit his ankle. Some will say "He clearly caught the ball off his toes." Others will say "No way! It's way up on his shin!"

It's funny how the replay system was put in to make sure the refs get the right call, and they take what WAS the right call, in many cases, and they turn it into the wrong call. Don't get me wrong - I like the replay system a lot. But you'd think that it should be able to correct some of the bad officiating - not make it worse.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Per the Ozone.....

Football
Buckeyes Too Much for Hoosiers Despite Game of Big Breaks
By John Porentas

Ohio State's (5-2, 31) 41-10 win over Indiana (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday may not make the history books for artistry, but when it comes to weirdness, this one may have been the granddaddy of them all.

Fumbles, interceptions, muffed kicks, penalties, and an officiating crew that seemed to suffer from an occasional brain cramp made what was really a one-sided game not only entertaining, but actually close into the third quarter.

"It was kind of a 'You gotta be kiddin me' day," said OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel.

"We break out there on the first play of the game for 15 or 20, and we're back 15 (on a penalty). We throw an interception on the goal line, we return a kickoff for a touchdown (that is called back), those are all 'you gotta be kidding me moments,'" Tressel said.

The Buckeye defense dominated the Hoosier offense the entire day, but the Hoosiers managed to put enough points on the board to make the game a one-score contest about midway through the third quarter. I. U. turned an interception of Troy Smith at the goal line into three points in the first quarter, then put seven points on the board in third quarter when linebacker Joe Pannozzo stole the ball from Ted Ginn and rumbled 57 yards to a touchdown at the 10:48 mark to cut the lead to just 17-10 despite OSU's overwhelming statistical advantage.

The breaks kept the Hoosiers close, but breaks have a way of evening out, and in a game of big, big breaks, things seemed to even out across the board.

The Hoosiers came up with a defensive score with Pazzonno's play, but the Buckeyes countered with a defensive score of their own when Brandon Mitchell picked off I. U. quarterback Blake Powers and returned it 57 yards (the exact same distance as Pozzonno) for score. A flag erased a kickoff return for a touchdown by Ted Ginn, but a flag also negated an apparent Indiana recovery of a fumble of the second half kickoff by the Buckeyes in what might have been the weirdest play of the day. Indiana clearly recovered the ball inside the OSU 30, but the officials ruled that an inadvertent whistle nullified the play and ruled that Indiana would have to rekick.

"An official blew a whistle so the play is over at that point. I think it's called a do-over," said an obviously miffed Indiana head Coach Terry Hoeppner. "I don't know. We had the ball and we didn't get it."

Even the Buckeyes were amazed by the call.

"I've been playing football since the fifth grade I don't think I've ever seen a do-over. I have no idea what that means," said OSU fullback Stan White.
"We were sitting over the the sidelines and we were like 'Do over?'" said defensive end Mike Kudla.

"There were things that definitely took place today that you've never seen. It was just kind of a weird flowing game. Usually games have a good flow, one team has momentum then maybe it switches, but this one there were things out of the ordinary that you just don't normally see."

The call was large, saving the Buckeyes from a period-starting turnover, but no larger than the one made in the second quarter that nullified an apparent touchdown run by Ginn with the kickoff following Indiana's touchdown. Ginn took the ball the 73 yard distance to the end zone, but the play was called back when reserve linebacker Trevor Robinson was flagged or a personal foul for hitting an unprotected player at least 25 yards behind the play.

"It was heartbreaking but guys make mistakes. We just have to go back to square one and do it again," said Ginn.

The Buckeyes took the early lead when Santonio Holmes took a short slant pass from Troy Smith, beat a tackler, and raced 23 yards to the end zone to put the Buckeyes up 7-0. The play was made possible when Indiana punt returner Tony Grosfield muffed OSU's first punt of the day and Antonio Smith recovered for the Buckeyes at the Indiana 28. Smith found Holmes on third-and-five from the 23 for the score. Troy Smith put the Buckeyes up 14-3 in the second period with a one yard run capping a five play, 50 yard drive, and Josh Huston added a 23 yard field goal to put the Buckeyes up 17-3 at the half.

The breaks kept the game close, but the Buckeyes broke the game open following Pazzonno's big play. Leading just 17-10 after that score, the Buckeye offense returned to the field to simply stuff the ball down the throat of the Indiana defense on a five play, 79 yard drive that took just 55 seconds. All five plays on the drive were runs. Pittman began the drive with a rush for four yards, then went for 17 and 18 on consecutive carries. Backup running back Maurice Wells exploded for 25, and Smith kept for 23 yards and the score on an option.

"That was probably the back breaker," said Tressel.

"No question," agreed offensive coordinator Jim Bollman.

"I think we were just fed up," said OSU senior left guard Rob Sims.

"Turnovers all year have been killing us, keeping us from being a great team, being an undefeated team. We just got fed up, something needed to be done, so we went back out there and put it on them."

Ginn closed out the day's scoring with a 62 yard punt return for a touchdown. For Ginn, it was atonement for his costly fumble earlier in the day.

"I had a little low when I got stripped. I had it in my head that I had to make it up. I think the punt return got me back in the game," said Ginn.
"Once I see that end zone and there's nobody in front of me, I've got to go," said Ginn of his big play.

Fast-improving sophomore tailback Antonio Pittman had another big day for the Buckeyes, rushing for 133 yards on 26 carries. Pittman also added 20 receiving yards on two receptions. Santonio Holmes topped the 100 yards receiving with 104 yards on five catches for one touchdown. Smith was 14-23 passing for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Indiana managed just 42 total rushing yards against the OSU defense and 137 yards of total offense.

 

[VprHis]

And the Ginn fumble, I agree. I think they were whistle-shy after totally blowing it on D'Andrea's fair catch play.

Remember what came out of the early games last year, when the ball kept popping out after quick whistles... or the runner broke free after a quick whistle? The refs decided to be deliberately slow on the whistle, and rely on the man in the replay booth to rule on progress/possession.

I'm not in the slightest upset about the slow whistle... i'm fucking PISSED that the replay adviser didn't step in.

 

[JXC]

Maybe this was mentioned...but does anybody know the last time Ohio State held a team to 137 total yards, or the last time Indiana only got 137 total yards?

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Well we held Iowa to 137 and SDSU to 170(if not for that first play) it wouldve been under 100.

Can we say total Domination. There have been two teams move the ball on us this year and one is ranked 11 and one is ranked 3rd in total offense, and for the most part the defense didnt really play that bad in those games.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

link

10/23/05

Smith's performance pleases Tressel


Sunday, October 23, 2005 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Bloomington, Ind.- Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter, twice beaten on Santonio Holmes slants earlier in the first quarter, angled himself at the snap to take away that route, refusing to allow Holmes inside him. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith took the snap at the 7-yard line, stared Holmes down, and threw it anyway.

Holmes stumbled slightly as both players went for the ball, Porter earning enough of the edge with his position to intercept the pass and return it 63 yards, the Buckeyes temporarily thwarted in their attempt to go up by two scores early Saturday.

That's the one play Smith wishes he had back from the Buckeyes' 41-10 victory over Indiana, a day when coach Jim Tressel said Smith's still evolving decision-making passed most tests.

With him not moving at all on the goal line, I shouldn't have gone that way," Smith said. "But I've got faith in Santonio. If we had a chance to do it again, I'd look that way, but I wouldn't throw it that way."

That was Smith's one interception on a day when he hit Holmes for a touchdown on a slant and also rushed for two scores. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 226 yards, but he pleased Tressel most by looking like a quarterback.

"He made a lot of good decisions throwing the ball," Tressel said. "It looked like he was in command today, and if you're in command on the road, that's a step."

Inadvertent chaos:

The Buckeyes were given a break when linebacker Mike D'Andrea called for a fair catch on a short kickoff to start the second half, but dropped the ball. Indiana, after a scramble, recovered.

An official inadvertently blew his whistle after D'Andrea tried to fall on the ball and it popped loose. When no team is in possession when a whistle is accidentally blown, the rules call for a rekick. The Buckeyes didn't fumble the second time.

"The play is over, and I think it is called a 'do-over,' " Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said, trying to laugh off his misfortune. "We had the ball, but we didn't get it. We didn't play very well or get any breaks. Good teams that play well get breaks."

Actually, Indiana received a break. When Ted Ginn Jr. was stripped of the ball in the third quarter, Indiana's John Pannozzo returned it for a touchdown. Tressel thought Ginn's forward progress had been stopped and the play could have been whistled dead. But it went as an Indiana touchdown.

Boone starts again:

OSU freshman Alex Boone started his second consecutive game at right tackle for Kirk Barton, who remains out with a right knee injury. Boone was called for a clip on the Buckeyes' first offensive play, one of two early clips called on Ohio State.

Tressel said the officials must have been looking for clipping on the line.
"And we probably clipped. I'm not saying those were poor calls," he said.

Briefly:

A.J. Hawk led the Buckeyes with seven tackles. Indiana linebacker Kyle Killion had a game-high 11. . . . Ohio State's Josh Huston made two of three field goals, connecting from 23 and 29 yards and missing from 49. He is 13-for-16 this season. Indiana freshman Joe Kleinsmith, a St. Edward grad, made a 39-yard field goal but also was wide left from 38 yards. . . . Ohio State quarterback Justin Zwick was inserted with 5:15 to play. He led a five-play drive, completing one pass for 12 yards and getting sacked for a 10-yard loss. It was his first action since the Big Ten opener against Iowa.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4847

 

[great1]

Indiana was my first away game and definitely had fun. I got a quick question why wasnt the band at the game?

 

[VprHis]

Indiana was my first away game and definitely had fun. I got a quick question why wasnt the band at the game?

1. The bandmembers need some weekends off.

2. it's FREAKING EXPENSIVE to move that band from place to place. :)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Half Full or Half Empty?: The Buckeyes rolled up some big offensive statistics against Indiana. OSU posted 478 yards of total offense that included 238 rushing yards and 240 passing. Throw in 220 return yards (110 on punts and 110 on kickoffs) and it's hard to escape the conclusion that the Buckeyes moved the ball against the Hoosiers. That's the good news.
The bad news is that all that offense resulted in just 24 points, with the defense and special teams supplying the rest of the scoring. If your cup is half full, you can hang your hat on the 'It's a team game' concept. If your cup is half empty, you want to know why the Buckeye offense was not as efficient as it could have been. It turns out that OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman falls into that second category.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jim Bollman [/FONT]​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"I really wasn't very happy sitting up there period," said Bollman of his day in the press box watching the OSU offense.
"There was the interception down there on the one-yard line, there's seven more points. Then we had that kickoff return called back," Bollman lamented.
Bollman was not at all satisfied with the offense, but was happy with the win. He also recognized that the unusual nature of the game may have had something to do with the way the scoring went.
"What else was going to happen. It was crazy, weird," Bollman said.
Bollman also recognized that the Buckeyes got a few breaks in the game, particularly on the inadvertent whistle that nullified an Indiana fumble recovery of the opening kickoff in the second half.
"We were very fortunate on that one," said Bollman.
"Then the next time they end up taking the ball out of Teddy's hands and scoring on that, so it kind of ended up even anyway."
Winning Up Front: The Buckeyes won the battle of the trenches against the Hoosiers, dominating on both offense and defense. On offense, Tony Pittman, Troy Smith and Maurice Wells all found room to run, and Smith had very nice pass protection all day. Defensively, Indiana's running game was almost nonexistent, but perhaps most surprisingly, the Buckeyes were able to pressure Indiana quarterback Blake Powers without relying on the blitz. Indiana Head Coach Terry Hoeppner expected the Buckeyes to be blitz oriented against his team, but OSU's defensive front played well enough to make a lot of blitzing unnecessary.
"I don't think they really blitzed as much as I thought they were going to blitz," admitted Indiana Head Coach Terry Hoeppner.
"I think they were able to get pressure on us with four and at times just a three-man rush, which is disheartening."
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jim Heacock[/FONT]​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"We were trying to get four-man pressure," said OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.
"We felt like we had to get coverage back there and we had to be able to re-route receivers. They had come great receivers and they're a good offensive football team. We tried to get some three-man and four-man pressure and not blitz them as much," Heacock said.
The Buckeyes were able to do just that and played havoc with the Indiana offense despite not blitzing to a great degree.
"I think we affected the offensive line and really kind of effected him (Powers) as well," said OSU defensive end Mike Kudla.
"We were getting good pressure the first half. We just weren't quite getting there, but you could tell that offensive line was really getting shaky because they started false starting and lining up in the backfield, so you knew we were getting pressure on them and it was starting to worry them."
Biggest Blunder: The Buckeyes and Hoosiers each made their share of mistakes in the game, but perhaps the biggest blunder of the game was made by reserve OSU linebacker Trevor Robinson. Robinson cost OSU and Ted Ginn a touchdown on a kickoff return when he was flagged for a personal foul on the play for blocking a defenseless Indiana defender 25 yards behind the play.
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Trevor Robinson​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"I felt so bad that his kickoff return was called back," said OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel.
"I don't know that last time we had a kickoff return. I think it was September of 1997 or something since we've had a kickoff return for a touchdown."
"There's no excuse. Poor judgment," Tressel said when asked if there were circumstances under which that kind of play could be excused.
Ginn said he actually spoke to Robinson about the play.
"All you do is go back and tell the guy 'You owe me one,' and go out and do it all over again," said Ginn.
According to Ginn, Robinson had the right response.
"He said 'I'm sorry,'" Ginn said.
Tressel had a bit of advice for his team if they see Ginn on the move in the open field in the future.
"When he gets the ball and he's even with people (the defense), take a knee," was Tressel advice to all the other Buckeyes on the field with Ginn under those circumstances.
"Don't even worry about getting ahead, because he'll be ahead in a nanosecond. That's really disconcerting that you would have a clip that far behind (the play), but it happened and we overcame it."
Reviving the Running Game: The Buckeye running game has been less-than stellar since the 2002 season, but is now showing signs of life with Antonio Pittman and against Indiana, Maurice Wells. That brings a smile to the face of OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antonio Pittman [/FONT]​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"I thought we did a fairly good job running it, especially with the number of people they like to bring into the box," said Tressel.
"I thought we did a fairly good job watching (scouting) them. They played against the run pretty well in some of their other games, especially if you were in two back. I think some of our good running was in one back. It was good balance," Tressel said.
"Antonio got run it 25+ times, which is a good thing, and he had over 100, which is a good thing. I think he's coming along. I told him going into the Big Ten and after we didn't get 100 yards against Penn State, that if we could always get 100 from him we have a good chance to win, and that's our goal. We just have to be a little better on short yardage," Tressel said.
Against Indiana, Pittman rushed for 133 yards on 26 carries (5.1 yards per carry), and Maurice Wells added 50 yards on five carries (10.0 yards per carry), and Brandon Schnittker 12 yards on four carries (3.0 yards per carry). Tressel sees improvement, but still sees a weakness.
"We need to start scoring with our tailback more in the red zone," said Tressel.
Pittman has yet to score this season. Senior Brandon Schnittker is the lone OSU tailback to dent the end zone in 2005.
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Brandon Mitchell [/FONT]​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Capitalizing on Opportunity: Safety Brandon Mitchell has been patient in his Buckeye career, spending more time on the bench than on the field. The injury to senior cornerback Tyler Everett, however, elevated Mitchell to OSU's nickel back, and against the Hoosiers, Mitchell made the most of opportunity to be on the field when he made an interception and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown.
"After looking at film this week we knew they liked to run a lot of deep routes, especially with 82 Harden," said Mitchell describing his big play.
"We were lined up in cover two so the safeties are in a half field. I saw him running up the sideline and I knew that they were going that way, so I just kind of broke on the ball and made a play. I didn't want to go out of bounds. Anytime you get an opportunity you want to take advantage of it, especially as a defensive player," Mitchell said.
Statistical Potpourri:
* The win over Indiana was OSU's fourth Big Ten road win in it's last 10 Big Ten road games. Two of those road wins have come over Indiana.
* OSU's 31 point win over Indiana last Saturday was just the third 30+ point margin of victory in the Jim Tressel era. The first two came in the 2002 season when the Buckeyes defeated Kent State 51-17 and San Jose State 50-7.
* The Buckeye defense has been dominant on the field this season, and that is showing up in the statistics as well. The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in pass defense (192.1 yards per game), scoring defense (14.6 points per game), and rushing defense (62.7 yards per game. The Buckeyes also lead the league in net punting at 40.9 yards per kick and in sacks with 31 and in first down defense, having allowed just 101 first downs in seven games. OSU also leads the league in total defense allowing 254.9 yards per game.
OSU's stingy also ranks highly in the national standings. The Buckeyes' rush defense numbers are the lowest in the nation at 439 total net yards through seven games. Their 2.0 yards per rush average is also best in the NCAA.
Buckeye Invasion: As has become case in recent years, Buckeye fans at least equaled, and maybe outnumbered, Indiana fans in Bloomington. That kind of stuck in the craw of Hoosier first-year head coach Terry Hoeppner.
"I said from day one that as a program we're pointing to them," said Hoeppner.
"There were still way too many Scarlet and Gray and too much O-H-I-O (in the stadium),' Hoeppner said. " I heard it."
The Hoosiers won't have a chance to turn that trend around for a while. Indiana comes to Columbus in 2006, and the teams will not meet in the 2007 and 2008 season.
"The Buckeyes don't come back here for a while, and when they do, it needs to be a completely different atmosphere," said Hoeppner.
"I think I've got until 09 to get that fixed with the team and with the program. You won't believe how quick that will get here."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Offense Churns Forward With Win At Indiana

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Antonio Pittman vs. Indiana

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Steve Helwagen
Managing Editor
Date: Oct 24, 2005

We share some comments from OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and several players following the team's 41-10 win over Indiana. The Buckeyes piled up 478 yards total offense in the win with 240 on the ground and 238 through the air. Click this free link for more.
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The Ohio State offense enjoyed one of its finest showings of the 2005 season in the 41-10 win over Indiana last Saturday.
OSU achieved near-perfect balance with 240 yards rushing (on 48 attempts), 238 yards passing and 478 yards total offense. The rushing and total yardage figures trailed those accumulated against Iowa, when the Buckeyes totaled 314 yards on the ground and 530 overall. The passing total was OSU’s third-best of the season, falling behind 249 against Michigan State and 244 against Texas.
Here were comments from OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and several players following the win:
Jim Bollman
* On OSU answering with a quick five-play, 79-yard scoring drive after IU cut the lead to 17-10 in the third quarter -- “We went right back down and it was like we got serious. We put the ball in there in five plays. That was good to see us respond that way.”
* On the play of QB Troy Smith, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one -- “He certainly made some good throws and certainly made some good runs. But that touchdown on that drive coming back, that was a good run, no doubt about it.”
* On OSU’s overall offensive performance -- “The thing that sticks in my mind is our consistency and the things where we may have made some errors at some times. I don’t want to take anything away from them. They did a good job, too. But there were some things we have to overcome, which we didn’t.”
Troy Smith, QB
* On how the option play is paying dividends -- “It’s starting to work. Coach Tressel always says that if we can get the block on the field-side ‘backer we should be good.”
* On tailback Antonio Pittman still not having a touchdown (Smith faked a pitch to Pittman on his 1-yard TD plunge) -- “That’s kind of tough, but Pitt’s the kind of player that after somebody scores a touchdown he’s the first guy helping him up. That’s why I like having him as a teammate. He’s going to work hard and grind it out for you.”
* On looking ahead toward Minnesota -- “The preparation for Minnesota starts immediately. First, we’ve got to go through the film and get ready for Minnesota. The command of the offense was present today. We got it going in the right direction today.”
* On his interception at the goal line, where IU’s Terry Porter cut off Santonio Holmes and made the pick -- “The immediate lesson I learned then was when it’s not there, don’t force it. I wish I could take that one back. But the cornerback made a great play. He cut Santonio off at the goal line.
“Within him not moving at the goal line, I shouldn’t have gone that way. He’s one of the best receivers on our team and I have faith in him. If I had a chance to do it again, I would look that way. But I wouldn’t throw that way.”
Antonio Pittman, TB
* On his 26-carry, 133-yard day -- “That’s a great sign. That means your body is taking it. It’s absorbing it. I’m not really worn down or anything after that.”
Rob Sims, OG
* On Pittman’s performance -- “It’s nice to have a guy that’s been with us all year and getting us 100-yard games week after week. I’m trying to get him (into the end zone). Every time we get down there and get close, I’m blocking as hard as I can. I think it will happen for him.”
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

per the ozone....

Ohio State traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in the annual "get well" game for the offense on Saturday. The Hoosiers managed to hang around in the game for longer than most Buckeye fans would've liked, but in the end the Buckeyes pulled away for a comfortable 41-10 win and some valuable game experience for Troy Smith and some of the younger players on the team.
Let's take a look at the stats before delving deeper into the game.

Run/Pass Breakdown​

71 Total Plays--480 yards--6.8 ypp

24 pass (34%)--15/24 for 242 yards 1 TD 1 INT
47 runs (66%) for 238 yards 2 TD--5.1 ypc
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14 Total Drives

ave. of 5.1 plays--34.3 yards
ave. start--OSU 38
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1st Down--34 plays (48%) for 249 yards

8 pass (24%)--6/8 for 106 yards
26 runs (76%) for 143 yards 1 TD--5.5 ypc
ave. gain of 7.3 yards
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2nd Down--24 Plays (34%) for 173 yards

11 pass (46%)--5/11 for 87 yards 1 INT
13 runs (54%) for 86 yards--6.6 ypc
ave. of 9.3 yards to go
ave. gain of 7.2 yards
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3rd Down--13 plays (18%) for 58 yards

5 pass (38%)--4/5 for 49 yards 1 TD
8 runs (62%) for 9 yards 1 TD--1.1 ypc
ave. of 9.3 yards to go
ave. gain of 4.5 yards
conversions--3/13 (23%)
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Playaction Passing

2/4 for 36 yards
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First Downs--21

9 by pass
10 by run
2 by penalty
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FORMATION BREAKDOWN​

Two back formations--7 plays (10%)

1 pass (14%)--1/1 for 9 yards
6 runs (86%) for 1 yard--0.2 ypc
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Shotgun formations--32 plays (45%)

16 pass (50%)--10/16 for 156 yards 1 TD 1 INT
16 runs (50%) for 87 yards 2 TD--5.4 ypc
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One back/empty formations--32 plays (45%)

7 pass (22%)--4/7 for 77 yards
25 runs (78%) for 150 yards--6.0 ypc
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RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN--47 attempts​

counter/trap--5 (11%) for 9 yards--1.8 ypc
draw--10 (21%) for 52 yards--5.2 ypc
sweep--3 (6%) for 14 yards--4.7 ypc
base/iso--4 (9%) for 14 yards--3.5 ypc
end around--0 (0%) for 0 yards
power--9 (19%) for 88 yards--9.8 ypc
QB run/scramble--6 (13%) for -17 yards--(-2.8) ypc
option--7 (15%) for 78 yards 2 TD--11.1 ypc
stretch--3 (6%) for 0 yards--0.0 ypc

Other Stats of Note​

*4 offensive penalties for the game
*OSU started on Indiana side of 50 two times--7 points
*3 for 4 in red zone scoring (1 TD, 2 FG, 1 INT)
*4 sacks and 2 turnovers (1 INT, 1 fumble)
*34 of 71 plays took place on Indiana side of 50--(48%)
*21 of 71 plays went for no gain or loss--(30%)
*43 of 71 plays had 3 or more WR's lined up--(61%)
*7 of those 43 plays ended with the ball in a WR's hands--(16%)
*1 punt return and 1 INT return for touchdowns

This was the kind of game the Buckeyes needed right now. Coming off an emotional win, tough loss, and come from behind win, the Buckeyes needed a game against a team that would be just enough of a test to keep things interesting, but not be a team that could physically dominate them. To the Hoosier's credit, it looks like they are headed in the right direction with Coach Hoeppner. Despite being obviously less talented, they put up a spirited fight and kept themselves in the game until midway through the third quarter. With that kind of attitude, Indiana will be a team on the rise in the Big Ten in the next few years.
Looking at the Ohio State offense, there was an even more concerted effort to run out of more conventional formations this week, running more plays with the quarterback under center than in the shotgun for the first time this season. Ohio State was particularly successful running the ball out of one back formations. Antonio Pittman had five runs over 10 yards out of those formations. Showing that the Buckeyes can be effective under center can only mean good things for the rest of this season and the future.
Our weekly look at the quarterback play for Ohio State shows another solid, but unspectacular game for Troy Smith. It seemed that Troy was concentrating on staying in the pocket this game and getting through his reads (only one scramble during the game), which is probably the biggest thing he needed to work on. Overall, he did fairly well. He made a few bad decisions with the ball, the interception being the worst of them, but also made a few throws that he hasn't been able to hit all season in the middle of the field.
The speed option game has become more and more successful as the season has worn on, despite the fact that Troy doesn't pitch the ball very often in those plays. Combine Troy's success in running those plays and Antonio Pittman's success running the ball in more conventional formations, and the running game could become a formidable part of this offense before the season ends. Optimism has to be tempered with the quality of defense the Buckeyes faced this week.
Despite Pittman not getting into the end zone yet this season, he is coming into his own at the halfback position. It's true that Indiana is not a very good measuring stick of Buckeye running back prowess, but another 100 yard game averaging over five yards per carry speaks well for his progress from last season to this one. We finally got to see a little more of Maurice Wells running the ball in this game. He is very quick and looks to be a good change up from the Pittman-Brandon Schnittker combo.
Overall, it was a mixed effort from the offensive line on Saturday. Run blocking looked very good all game long. There weren't many plays that were stopped in the backfield, and the pulling guards consistently found someone to block in stark contrast to how some pulling guards have looked in the past (missing blocks completely). There was a little trouble in pass blocking, however, with the Buckeyes giving up four sacks. Doug Datish had a lot of trouble with his man out at tackle.
Special teams was an adventure for the second week in a row for the Buckeyes. There was some good in the form of two returned kicks for touchdowns, both by Ted Ginn, but one of those was called back on a questionable penalty in the second quarter (questionable mainly in whether or not the penalty should've been a "dead ball, after the play, touchdown counts" penalty). There was also some bad in the form of a fumbled kickoff (which was nullified due to a inadvertent whistle), and the penalty that nullified the kickoff return touchdown.
That leads into what was probably the most surprising thing about this Saturday's game with Indiana, the referee crew. That was possibly the worst officiated game I've ever seen at the collegiate level. Indiana lost the ball on that fumble recovery due to an inadvertent whistle, but lost the ball to the Buckeyes earlier in the game on another play that involved an early, inadvertent whistle, but did not get another opportunity to get the ball back like the Buckeyes did. An apparent catch by an Indiana receiver was ruled incomplete by the replay officials in a highly puzzling ruling. Blocks similar to the one thrown by the Buckeyes to bring back the kickoff return touchdown were thrown behind the play by Indiana players during the return of a fumble for a touchdown by the Hoosiers, but no flags were thrown for those blocks. These were just a few examples of the inconsistent and puzzling rulings in this game.
As a whole, this was a solid effort by the Buckeyes and a building block for the offense for the rest of the season. The offense still needs to build some consistency and develop an identity out of the conglomeration of plays and formations the Buckeyes have used so far this season, but it looks as if they're headed in the right direction. The Indiana game was a springboard for a good finish to last year's season, let's hope the Buckeyes take the experience from this win and finish out his season on a high note.