3 Storylines to watch for when Indiana football faces Ohio State in a top 5 matchup

Even on a bye week, Indiana football made headlines by locking down Curt Cignetti with a massive contract extension.

While the story of the weekend was Cignetti’s extension, the focus of the program has been on their week 13 matchup against No.2 Ohio State.

With the spectacle of College GameDay in Columbus, all eyes will be on the Hoosiers as they head into one of if not the biggest game in the program’s history.

The Buckeyes come into this game 9-1 with their only loss coming on the road against the number one team in the country, Oregon.

With a win Indiana football can silence those who have criticized them for their schedule, while also likely locking up a place in the Big Ten Championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Indiana football was in a similar position in 2020 when they faced the Buckeyes for a chance to take control of the Big Ten East but lost a close one 42-35. The Hoosiers will be looking to avenge their 2020 loss and continue their historic start when they once again travel to Columbus with the college football world watching.

Here are some key storylines to watch for when Indiana football faces Ohio State on Saturday.

How will Indiana football matchup with Ohio State’s star wide receiver duo?

Since Brian Hartline’s arrival in Columbus, the Buckeyes have churned out star wide receivers year after year.

This year is no different as Ohio State’s receiver duo has starred all year long.

Freshman Jeremiah Smith has taken the college football world by storm making highlight plays almost every week. The 6-foot-3 receiver has 49 catches for 865 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns on the season.

Smith can take the top off the defense and stopping him will be a tall task for the Hoosier secondary.

On the other side of the field, Emeke Egbuka is a problem. Egbuka who is likely going to be a first-round pick in April has caused problems for defenses all year.

The 6-foot-1 senior has caught 49 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns on the year.

Indiana football will have a difficult task of matchup against the star duo.

Sophomore cornerback D’Angelo Ponds has shown he can shut down a top receiver and did so against Washington’s Denzel Boston despite a seven-inch height disparity.

Ponds will have his work cut out for him, no matter which receiver he is matched up with. He and the secondary will have their hardest task of the season against the Buckeyes’ high-powered offense.

Indiana football has yet to allow a 300 passer this season, but they also have not faced a passing offense like Ohio State’s. Holding Smith and Egbuka in check will be critical to stopping the Ohio State offense.

Can Indiana football win the battle in the trenches?

The line of scrimmage is one area where Indiana football has dominated all season long on both sides of the football.

Offensively the Hoosiers are averaging 176.7 rushing yards per game and have done a great job of protecting Kurtis Rourke. On defense, they have allowed just 2.5 yards per rush and have totaled 31 sacks in ten games.

The battle of the trenches will likely go a long way in determining the winner of Saturday’s game.

Ohio State’s wide receiver duo garner a ton of praise, and deservedly so, but their running back tandem has been just as good.

Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have been borderline unstoppable this season.

Judkins has rushed for 723 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. Henderson has found similar success rushing for 662 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards per attempt.

Ohio State has a plethora of weapons on offense, which makes winning in the trenches even more crucial.

Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara leads the Big Ten with 9.5 sacks and will need to make his presence felt. Getting pressure and disrupting the passing game will be of tremendous help to D’Angelo Ponds and the secondary as they look to contain Ohio State’s star receiver tandem.

Kamara who also has 15 tackles for loss on the year, will be tasked with being a disruptor on run defense for Indiana football.

Ohio State has been held under 30 points just twice this season and in both games, they were held without a rushing touchdown.

Kamara and the defensive line will have to make plays to help Indiana football slow down a high-power Ohio State offense.

On the other side of the football, the Hoosiers offensive line will have a difficult matchup against the Buckeye defense.

RELATED: Indiana Football Offensive Line named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award

Ohio State is averaging three sacks per game while shutting down opposing rushing attacks.

Protecting Rourke and giving him time to throw will be as important as ever as the offense will be forced to keep up with an explosive Buckeye offense.

The offensive line has only allowed 11 sacks on the season, which has given Rourke the time to pick apart opposing secondaries all season long.

In their last game, Indiana faced arguably the best defensive front they will see all season against Michigan and they struggled to run the football. With a week off in between that game and this one, it could have given Cignetti and offensive line coach Bob Bostad just the time they needed to address what went wrong against Michigan.

Indiana will need to be able to run the football to help set the tone and open up the passing attack.

Both Indiana football and Ohio State have excelled in winning the line of scrimmage and that battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of Saturday’s game.

Can Kurtis Rourke and Indiana football push the ball downfield?

Kurtis Rourke has been excellent this season. He has led an Indiana offense that is second in the nation in points per game.

Rourke will have a difficult challenge when he faces an Ohio State defense that has only allowed one team to throw for multiple touchdowns or surpass 225 passing yards.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the only player to excel against the Buckeye defense, and he showed what needs to happen to beat this Ohio State team. In their win, Oregon became the only team to reach 20 points, scoring 32.

Rourke and the passing attack will need to replicate the success that Oregon found to help take down Ohio State.

All year Rourke’s connection with Elijah Sarratt has been clear and the duo will need to be on the same page against a stellar Buckeye defense.

Sarratt who has caught 38 passes for 685 yards and six touchdowns will have a difficult matchup with likely top 50 pick Denzel Burke guarding him.

Burke and the rest of the Ohio State secondary have allowed just four passing touchdowns in 10 games with two coming against Oregon.

Their strong play combined with the Buckeyes’ ability to pressure the quarterback has made passing against their defense a daunting task.

Sarratt and the Indiana wide receivers will need to be able to separate against Ohio State’s secondary to help Rourke get the ball out quickly.

If Rourke can protect the football and push it down the field, Indiana Football will have a good chance to beat Ohio State on the road.

SEE ALSO: Why did Curt Cignetti want to stay with Indiana football? — ‘We’re the emerging superpower of college football’

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