Heading into a massive matchup against the Indiana Hoosiers, Ryan Day must have wanted to control the controllable. Prepare a game plan, take it into practice and put your best foot forward on November 23. All that went for the toss when his center Seth McLaughlin suffered an Achilles tendon injury on Tuesday. This was in addition to the existing O-line injury to left tackle Josh Simmons. The back-up centre will be Carson Hinzman, who has some experience of playing the position. And for Day, “It’s the next man up mentality.” Having said that, the offense can do with some existing players showing up, and one analyst highlighted the X factor that can hurt the Hoosiers.

On the November 21st episode of the David Pollack show, Pollack shared some wisdom with Ohio State fans. A last-minute tip for Ryan Day and the company to draw a roadmap against Indiana. “I think the key to Ohio State’s success will be Ohio State running the ball on the perimeter. I think Ohio State can do that. I think you will see them do that. Will Howard’s feet, you got to remember, he’s a really good athlete. He’s a big, strong dude. They can get involved. Chip Kelly continues to manufacture offense in big plays, and don’t forget Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith. They’re elite playmakers on the outside. They can win in contested situations. They can win with speed. They can win deep. So there’s a lot of playmakers.”

Ryan Day probably doesn’t need to be reminded of Will Howard’s prowess. The QB holds a 72.9 completion percentage. He is still 11.6% better than his chart from last year at Kansas State. Another thing: the quarterback has already reached his 24 touchdown mark in 2023.

Overall, the offense has not been the best part of the team. The Buckeyes’ 183.8 yards/game rushing numbers put them at the 68th rank. Similarly, the passing yards are 267.6/game (45th rank). Among the stars on the offense, Quinshon Judkins (723 yards, 6 yards/carry) and Jeremiah Smith (865 yards, 9 TDs) have stood out. Among the receivers, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate have pitched in whenever their names have been called up. However, we must not forget that they are going against an elite defense.

Among the Big Ten teams, the Hoosiers sit at the first rank with 31 sacks and 73 TFLs. DE Mikhail Kamara has been a major contributor to these numbers. What may worry Ryan Day is Indiana’s run defense. They are currently the No. 1 in the country (2.5 yards/game and 72.2 yards/game). That’s where the game may be won. While these numbers may look elite, Curt Cignetti’s defense is yet to come against an elite offense like the Buckeyes. The bigger question is if a makeshift O-line can hold it together against an elite defense.

How can Ryan Day pull out a win against Curt Cignetti?

Ohio State is indeed a giant compared to the Indiana Hoosiers, but you should not underestimate a team that has crushed everyone who came their way. The No. 1 factor that can favor the Buckeyes is skill positions. When it comes to skill positions, very few teams have a better picture than Ohio State. In fact, Indiana itself has been quite successful on the offensive side of the pigskin.

Secondly, physicality is something that’s going to play a part in this game. Remember Indiana’s game against Michigan? They won, but how did they pull it off? Michigan gave a tough fight, and they successfully slowed down the Hoosiers’ offense. OSU should take notes from that game and be physically dominant. A player like Tyleik Williams could just be the thing that the Buckeyes can throw at Kurtis Rourke and his fellow Hoosiers.

Indiana’s pass protection failed to do its job against the Wolverines. The Hoosiers’ injured O-line mean Williams can attack the interior from the get-go. How does that help? You just take out the run component of Hoosiers’ RPO. That also brings players like Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau into the game to wreck Indiana’s passing game. All to watch for. Let’s hope the best team wins.