Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from top-10 win over Indiana

2. Indiana’s offense was effective but one-dimensional

Indiana has got off to a fantastic and unexpected start to the 2020 season. Before the season started, you would probably be shocked if you were told a No. 9 Indiana team would be visiting Ohio State in hopes to be in first place.

After struggling initially, Michael Penix Jr. helped put his team back in position to win after a rough first half. Penix was relied on heavily as he dropped back to pass 52 times. He did a lot with his attempts finishing with 495 yards and five touchdowns. Ty Fryfogle put on a show as well finishing with seven receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns.

As great as the numbers look, there were two problems with this heavy passing attack.

One being they were not efficient on third down. They dropped back to pass on every third down they faced and finished 4-for-13. This was a big problem in the first half, as all of their drives stalled (only two drives with more than four plays in the first half).

They also were not able to keep the Buckeyes defense honest with a threat of the run. They ran the ball just 15 times for 23 yards (this was calculated without the Penix sacks). Stevie Scott III was a non-factor after rushing for 319 yards and five touchdowns to start the year.

These two problems are tied to the hip, as if you do not often run on the early downs you will likely be stuck with long third downs to convert. Indiana has to find more balance going forward to let Penix throw from an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

The resiliency of this Indiana team should not be doubted, and this was a gritty performance by the Hoosiers. Ultimately, having no answers for Ohio State’s rushing attack and no real rushing attack of their own contributed to them losing this one.