The Indiana football program faced a difficult task right out of the gate as No. 3 Ohio State came to town. Despite a hard-fought game, Indiana fell to the Buckeyes 23-3. But, it wasn’t without some signs of good things to come.
Most notably, the Indiana football defense played above expectations and limited Ohio State in nearly every facet of its offensive game plan. Because of that, one member of the Buckeyes’ roster had some high praise for the Hoosiers.
“Indiana is going to a bowl game this year, easily,” Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Fryar said on Wednesday. “They are going to be a good team, a really good team actually with that defense.”
Indiana’s defense limited Ohio State to just 380 total yards, 2-of-12 on third downs and forced the only turnover by either team in Saturday’s matchup.
Related: Indiana football vs Ohio State ‘Big Ten on CBS’ matchup breaks numerous viewing records
Indiana was led by Aaron Casey who had 11 tackles. In total, there were nine players with at least three tackles. The defense totaled five tackles for loss and eight pass breakups.
Andre Carter came in with high expectations and exceeded them. He had four tackles, including two tackles for loss, and was a frequent visitor in the Ohio State backfield.
At halftime, Indiana had held the Buckeyes to just 10 points — it being just a one-score game.
Looking ahead, if Indiana is to get to a bowl game, week three against Louisville will be the next big test. That is by far one of the ‘swing’ games this season, and could end up being the most important game.
Some of the other games that look to be 50/50 at the early stages of the season are Rutgers at home and the final three games of the season, at Illinois, at home against Michigan State and finishing off at Purdue. The Illini struggled to beat Toledo, winning just 30-28. The Spartans struggled in the first half against Central Michigan before winning soundly and Purdue struggled all game in a loss to Fresno State. Rutgers looked the best out of all four teams, albeit against a very bad Northwestern team.
Indiana football takes the field for week two on Friday night against Indiana State at 7:00 pm ET on BTN.
Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.
