The 2019 season has been climbing toward the week-three peak against Ohio State, when the Hoosiers show what they are capable of in 2019.

Prepare for the Week Three matchup with a primer from TheHoosier.com.

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"It's Ohio State week. That's all you have to say. Yes, it's different."

That was Indiana head football coach Tom Allen on his weekly radio show with IU broadcaster Don Fischer on Wednesday, and he’s right. When Ohio State is on the schedule, Indiana ramps up the heat. Save for 2013, Indiana has competed with Ohio State well into the second half of every game they’ve played since 2012, when IU came within three points of beating the Buckeyes.

Many historical moments in recent seasons have come via the Ohio State games. Those moments include Zander Diamont’s 79-yard run in 2015, Ezekiel Elliott’s fourth quarter 4th-and-1 touchdown run to seal the 2016 game, J.K. Dobbins debuting with more than 100 rushing yards in the first half in 2017 and J-Shun Harris’ only 100-yard receiving game of his career in 2018.

That’s not mentioning when Diamont led the Hoosiers into Columbus and almost left with a victory on the backs of 228 rushing yards by Tevin Coleman and two interceptions by Antonio Allen.

All of the games listed featured Ohio State teams coached by Urban Meyer, but now Ohio State is in the middle of a transition to Ryan Day, who, by all accounts, has continued the success of Meyer but inevitably is on the unsettled ground of a fairly new coaching staff.

This is all happening while Indiana continues to solidify its coaching staff and its program, as the Hoosiers have welcomed in two of their best recruiting classes in program history, brought in a creative and modern-minded offensive coordinator in Kalen DeBoer, and Tom Allen relinquished his defensive coordinator responsibilities to Kane Wommack.

The future is bright for both programs, but 2019 could be the year – as every year is – that Indiana could earn its first victory over Ohio State since 1988.

"You guys have been knocking on this door for quite some time now,” Fischer said Wednesday. “It's time to bust it down."

"Yes it is,” Allen replied.

Offensive Lines vs. Defensive Lines

The trenches, as they often are in Big Ten football, will be pivotal to the outcome of the game Saturday, and for Indiana, keeping Mike Penix or Peyton Ramsey safe will be a difficult task. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young already has three sacks this season, appears to be NFL ready and will be lining up across from sophomore right tackle Caleb Jones most often.

Flipping sides, the Ohio State offensive line was in question throughout much of the offseason after it lost four starters following the 2018 season, but the Buckeyes seem to have re-tooled in a big way and actually have depth along the line, led by center Josh Myers and Rutgers transfer guard Jonah Jackson.

For a defensive line that has been inconsistent in its pass rush, Indiana will need to find creative ways to get to Justin Fields, but Wommack seems to feel confident in what he and the IU staff have seen on film.

“From our perspective, we feel like there are some things we are probably going to be able to take advantage of,” Wommack said Monday. “Frankly, every time that guy has his hands on the ball, we’re going to try to get some pretty good shots on him.”

Indiana Secondary

Lsat season, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon ripped the Indiana defense for five touchdowns, but the trio replicated those efforts against most defenses it played and is now in the NFL. Replaced by Binjimen Victor, Chris Olave and K.J. Hill, the Ohio State wide receiving corps might find it more difficult to find success against the IU secondary, which is considered the strength of the Indiana defense.

Peyton Hendershot

Ohio State hasn’t allowed much through the air in 2019, but what it has allowed has been to tight ends. In two games, the Buckeyes allowed Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati lead tight ends to combine for nine catches, 75 yards and a touchdown. Much of this can be attributed to growing pains in the second linebacker spot next to Malik Harrison and the newly introduced bullet position filled by Brendon White leaving much of the middle open for the tight ends. For Indiana, that bodes well, as Peyton Hendershto has seen his role in the passing game increase and has totaled nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Justin Fields

Justin Fields has come on strong in Columbus, totaling 561 total yards and nine total touchdowns and has compiled a 76-percent completion percentage. But this will be Justin Fields’ first 2019 road game and his first Big Ten game all in one package, which could present some complications.

J.K. Dobbins

IU fans know who J.K. Dobbins is. He’s the running back that rushed for 181 yards as a true freshman when Mike Weber was sidelined with an injury in 2017 – the same game as Kevin Wilson’s return to Bloomington. Indiana was prepared for Dobbins in 2018, limiting him to carries no longer than nine yards, but Dobbins was splitting time with Weber, which was the storyline of the season for the running backs sophomore campaign.

Now, it’s all Dobbins in the backfield again, though Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford said sophomore Master Teague might get more carries.

It just feels like a year too early for Indiana. The Hoosiers have plenty of talent throughout their roster and certainly more depth than in years past, but that depth is still fairly young and inexperienced. And if Mike Penix does not play, that would present its own set of complications.

Score: 42-24 Ohio State

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