11W Mailbag: What Makes Indiana Running Back Jordan Howard Successful, Ohio State's Offensive Improvements and Big Ten Play Cometh

Are the Hooisers the real deal? What are some weapons to keep an eye on during the game for Indiana? Does Ezekiel Elliott extend his 100-yard game streak this week? Do you think he hits 150 yards? — Adamluangraj

Yes, I think Indiana is the real deal. Well, their offense is anyways. You don't get to 4-0 without having some skill — regardless who you play.

Quarterback Nate Sudfield and running back Jordan Howard are two of the best players in the Big Ten at their respective positions and their numbers early in 2015 support that. Indiana wins games by just being able to score more points than the other team, hoping its opponent misses some opportunities or makes some mistakes on offense that result in turnovers. If Ohio State's defense doesn't come to play, it could be a long afternoon for the Buckeyes.

The only way Elliott doesn't hit 100 yards this week is if he gets injured. I mean, he eclipsed the century mark against Hawai'i and Northern Illinois, two games where the offense didn't look too fluent. He'll get his touches and I also think he'll even hit the 150 mark.

Jordan Howard (power) has a different skill set than Tevin Coleman (speed). Is IU using Howard differently? How will we see this play out Saturday? What kind of success do you expect Indiana to have trying to run the football/what kind of defensive adjustments do you expect the Ohio State to make to try to shut down the run? — BuckeyeCWRU, OSU_ALUM_05, BUCKEYE3M, KBonay and Killer Nuts

You all asked about Ohio State's front seven against the Indiana running game, so I just cobbled it all together in one response for simplicity purposes.

I've watched some tape on Howard and after speaking with a few people who cover Indiana on a regular basis, learned he thrives on contact. He's a solid guy at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, where Coleman was a little smaller but definitely quicker.

According to the defensive players we've spoken with this week, Indiana's still using Howard in a similar way as it did Coleman last year. This makes sense, because you don't want to change your offense too much just for a guy who transferred to campus over the summer. That being said, the Hoosiers are running Howard more between the tackles because of his size. Ohio State didn't perform well last week against Western Michigan at defending the inside run. It will need to adjust to the constant double teams the Indiana offensive line is set to enact, potentially with firing more linebackers on the interior on running downs. I think Howard's going to get his yards, just because Ohio State hasn't shown me an ability to stop the run consistently this season. In the end, it comes down to man-on-man battles in the trenches. Saturday will be a test in that aspect.

How does Indiana keep getting these top notch running backs? — Fatpants

The Hoosiers get the players they should get, with a few exceptions. It is not like their recruiting classes are highly ranked. For example, since 2012 — the year Tevin Coleman signed with the Hoosiers as a three-star recruit from Illinois — each running back commit Indiana's earned has been a three-star or below, according to 247Sports. Coleman didn't really blossom until last season, the reason he bolted for the NFL after the season. His stock couldn't get higher.

Howard's story is a little different. He's from Gardendale, Alabama, a town of under 15,000 that's just north of Birmingham. He signed with UAB as a two-star recruit, the best chance he had to get early playing time while at the same time staying close to home. Unfortunately, the Blazer football program went under after the 2014 season, so the NCAA allowed each player the option to transfer somewhere else and play right away. Indiana made an offer to Howard — who rushed for more than 1,500 yards last season — after Coleman's exit left a sizable void in its offense. He accepted, and it appears its been an excellent fit.

Again, both Howard and Coleman weren't the most highly recruited guys by any sort of imagination. They worked at it and were in good situations where they could make plays. So, to your question about them being "top notch," they really weren't — at least coming out of high school.

I can imagine the Hoosiers will be pumped up for this game, but given the lack of excitement over football there in the past (rightfully so), do you think the crowd will create a tough atmosphere? What do you think the split will be? 50/50? — CTbuckeye and BuckeyeFreak4844

I doubt the crowd will create too tough of an atmosphere, for two reasons. One: Memorial Stadium holds a touch under 53,000 people, though there's sure to be more in attendance Saturday. The game is sold out, both teams are 4-0 and Ohio State fans travel well, even when their team isn't the No. 1 team in the country.

Two: I expect there to be a solid Buckeye contingent present Saturday. There's a chance it'll be 50/50, but after talking with some Indiana sites this week, Hoosier fans are stoked for this game. I think they'll do their part to fill the stadium pretty well before Ohio State fans come to town. If I had to put a number to the ratio, I'd go 60/40 Indiana-Ohio State fans. It's an short drive from Columbus to Bloomington and a 3:30 p.m. kickoff allows game traffic to leave Ohio Saturday morning.

Bigger concern: Track meet for both offenses — or — Buckeyes sluggish on O and putting too much on D on the road? — GOOMBAY

I think if Ohio State fans had to be concerned about something, it'd be the offense starting sluggish and the defense having to run rampant to chase down Indiana's offense and thus getting tired. Ohio State started quick last weekend and Urban Meyer said Thursday on his radio show he intends for that to happen again, but road games are a different animal. Ohio State hasn't left Columbus for nearly a month.

If the game is a track meet (which I think has a good chance of happening) I don't think Meyer will mind. He has so much talent on offense and trusts that its improvement will continue and score points with anybody.

I kind of thought Ohio State was better away from the Shoe last year, could this actually be true? If Ohio State plays well at Indiana, the past away games they have looked great. Granted that includes last season, but is there something about playing away that the team locks it down just a little bit more than they do at home? — RK84

You're not wrong, but let's remember something very simple, yet very important: Ohio State's played pretty well under Meyer regardless where its played. He's 42-3 as Ohio State head coach, with two of the losses coming away from Ohio Stadium.

However, I do agree with your point that the team played some great games away from home, especially last season. The Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Alabama, Oregon and even Penn State victories were the best of the season based on atmosphere, weather and what was on the line in each. Elliott mentioned Wednesday something about going on the road and being with your team in a different place than normal, so maybe that's why Ohio State's appeared to play better away from Ohio Stadium. Either way, Meyer's only lost three games as head coach of the Buckeyes and two of them are away from Columbus. What more do you want?

Eric — give us your key matchup in this game. I have the IU offensive line versus the OSU front seven ... think it's imperative the Buckeyes prevent Sudfeld from getting comfortable/Howard gaining chunks of yardage. — Hovenaut

I'm with you on that one, Hovenaut. If Indiana can eat up clock and gain big chunks of yardage to put the Ohio State defense on its heels with its tempo, things won't go well for the Buckeyes. That starts up front with Indiana's offensive line and Ohio State's front seven. Who wins that matchup wins the game, in my opinion.

How much will Darius Latham's suspension hurt the Hoosiers? Was there a noticeable difference with him missing during their season opener? — NOLABuckeye

Latham's suspension due to a pending case with the Indiana University Code of Ethics certainly hurts the Hoosiers. He leads Indiana in tackles for loss with five, so there's certainly some big shoes to fill on the interior.

Indiana's defense hasn't played well all season, though, so its hard to determine how different it will be with Latham absent. To your question on the season opener against Southern Illinois — which Ltaham was also suspended — the Salukis tallied 248 yards rushing. In Indiana's other three wins, its opponents averaged 102 yards rushing per game. Pretty big difference.

Who are the notable players on the IU defense? — TURD_BUCKET

Latham's absence takes one notable guy out of the equation, but beyond him is senior defensive lineman Nick Mangieri (team-leading three sacks) and sophomore linebacker Marcus Howard (team-leading 28 tackles). Freshman defensive back Jonathan Crawford leads the team with a pair of interceptions.

Indiana has been lining up in 4-3 consistently...do we expect to see 3-4? If so, what are we expecting as a counter by tOSU? — OSU_1992_UFM

Ohio State's expecting to see the 3-4 from every team it faces moving forward, just because of what it put on tape against Hawai'i and Northern Illinois. Opponents will try to replicate what those defenses did, and frankly, should.

Meyer said Ohio State is preparing for both the 3-4 and 4-3 defensive look from Indiana, because they've played both season. The 4-3 seems to be the move the Hoosiers are making now, however, so for a counter I would think Ohio State would just run what it normally does because that's the front it faces in practice.

Any thoughts on moving Joey Bosa inside with Adolphus Washington and getting Sam Hubbard on the field with Tyquan Lewis at the ends? — Buckguyfan1

Sure. I have thoughts about a whole bunch of things, as I'm sure Larry Johnson does. Because of Bosa's size, I certainly think there would be a possibility moving forward to see him playing inside next to Washington. He's done it a few times already, but mostly as a result of defensive line stunts.

Hubbard's growth as a defensive end is a pleasant surprise for Meyer and Johnson. They knew he had potential, but didn't think he'd be playing this well this early. It largely doesn't matter, though, because Ohio State wants to be able to rotate seven or eight bodies up front in order to keep guys fresh. Bosa's going to make plays wherever he lines up.

Will Braxton see more reps in this weeks game at WR, H-B or QB? At which position will he have the best opportunity to break a big play against the Hoosiers D? Is the staff still trying to decipher his role in the offense or is Miller just a victim of too few touches to share so far? — Buckeyetennis and REDROCKER1013

Miller will get the most snaps at H-Back. After all, he's listed as the starter at the position.

Ohio State's going to continue moving Miller around within the offense. Meyer, Ed Warinner and even Taylor Decker said without saying that they're still trying to figure out just how exactly they can use him. A big thing is that he's only been playing this position for a few months. It's not exactly easy to make that drastic of a change after playing quarterback forever.

Personally, I think Miller's served best getting the ball on jet sweeps or touch passes. He is best in space, when momentum is already moving forward. Then all he has to do is follow his blocks and let his talent take over. It's still a transition for all parties, so it's fair to think the staff has a good chance of figuring out how to use the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year.

While the offense is much improved from Hawai'i and NIU, it still seemed like it was missing something. Is it simply an execution issue i.e. if the game was called the exact same with better deep ball throws this isn't even a question, or will there be any changes in the play-calling as well? Specifically, it seemed like the inside runs from last year have been called fewer than last year, but when called have been quite successful. Is that just the casual observer missing the short inside runs, is the offense trying new things, or going in a new direction? — Chicagobuckeye

The biggest issues in Ohio State's offense from last week's victory against Western Michigan was just a lack of execution. If Cardale Jones had connected on even two more of those long passes for touchdowns, all faith would have been restored in Columbus because the final score would have read 52-12 and not 38-12.

Then again, I think you're onto something regarding the inside run plays, at least with respect to the quarterback. Meyer doesn't want to run the quarterback as much anymore, the reason he said the zone read is no longer a part of the offense. He's looking for more of a pro-style attack with Jones in order to properly utilize his powerful arm. Elliott's still getting carries on the inside, but they really didn't have much success recently until last week's game.

Also, remember: Elliott took one 80 yards for a touchdown against Virginia Tech that was an inside handoff. Those plays aren't entirely absent.

What happened to that rocker step that Cardale used last year? Is that going to make an appearance in the offense this year? — NatiBuck

If I knew the answer to that question, I'd be on the offensive staff at Ohio State. I have no idea if that play will return to the fold this year, but I doubt it just because of what I said in the previous question. You can't really fake a quarterback draw if you don't run a quarterback draw.

Thought we'd see K.J. Hill last week. Will we this week or is there just too much depth to crack the lineup? Maybe the same could be said for Nick Conner as McMillan is really emerging as a true OSU All-Star. — Brutus360

Part of me believes K.J. Hill is ready to contribute and for whatever reason Meyer isn't ready to pull the trigger, but the other part of me thinks there's too much depth at that spot. I think Hill's going to have a great career at Ohio State provided he stays healthy, but if you put him in the lineup during a non-blowout that means you have to take someone out. Who will that be?

On Conner: I really like his game, which was on full display at the spring game. The same goes for him, though. Who do you want to take out between Raekwon McMillan, Joshua Perry or Darron Lee to replace with a true freshman? Don't forget Chris Worley, Cam Williams and Dante Booker are all waiting in the wings for their shot.

I've noticed that Zeke still only carries the ball with his right hand, even when it would be better to carry with his left. Is he still working through some injury issues with his left wrist or is it a comfort thing? — Js2378

Elliott's said it's always going to be a constant struggle with his wrist to get it back to the flexibility he desires. Because of that, I just don't think he trusts his left wrist to carry the ball yet. He might never again.

With the number of freshman that haven't played yet (during the easier OOC games) are we looking at more redshirts than previous years under Urban? If so, do you see any of those redshirts transferring due to lack of playing time as freshman? — VegasBuckeye04

There certainly could be more redshirts than normal as compared to the first three seasons under Meyer at Ohio State, but it's hard to say because we're only a month into the season. Things could go crazy and injuries could wreck the depth chart and press some of the younger players into duty.

The reason I said there could be more than normal is just because of how loaded the roster is this season. There's so much talent back from last year's team that won it all. The young guys will get there time down the road, which is what the staff is preaching to them. I doubt there will be too many — if any — players who transfer.

BONUS: Seriously, what the f is a Hoosier? — Toad1204

Great question. There are plenty of theories out there regarding what exactly a Hoosier is, but at its barest bone it simply means "an inhabitant of Indiana." Some think it originated from people hearing knocks on their front door and yelling some variation of, "Who's yer/here?!" That's widely been dispelled by historians, who say the term was used first in the 1830s because of a poem called The Hoosier's Next by John Finley.

In short, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

BONUS: Assume Ohio State had to take three players from Indiana's roster and insert them into our starting lineup for the rest of the year. Considering Indiana's talent and our depth chart, who would you suggest the Buckeyes take and why? — Potatodigger

What a question. I don't know the Indiana roster all that well, so I'm not going to cop out and use that as an excuse to not answer it.

So, first I would take Jordan Howard. Not to replace Ezekiel Elliott necessarily, but just to complement him. They're both in the same mold as far as bruising running backs go. Couldn't hurt to have two.

For the other two guys I would take Ricky Jones and Simmie Cobbs Jr. Both those players can beat people down the field and score points quickly, an area Ohio State's trying to perfect after the departure of Devin Smith.

Is there any reason A.J. Hawk is still your favorite Buckeye? — FlyerBuckeye

There is a multitude of reasons he's still my favorite Buckeye. First and foremost, I met him the spring of my freshman year at Ohio State, shortly after he won the Super Bowl with Green Bay, my favorite NFL team. He signed the Packers jersey I was wearing that bared his name and asked me where I was from. I told him Tipp City, a north suburb of Dayton. He's from Centerville, another suburb of the Gem City, so we had a connection there. He also said he went to watch one of his old girlfriends play tournament hoops in the same gym I played in during high school, knowing exactly where it was. Pretty cool.

Also, and I swear to you this is true: My mom used to work at The Dayton Foundation, and her old boss' mother is best friends with Hawk's grandmother. I met Mrs. Hawk in 2011 at one of my mother's work functions, and she was one of the sweetest old ladies I've ever come across in my 24 years of inhabiting Earth. She told me some stories about A.J. growing up, but the one that sticks out most is how he calls her on every single one of his birthdays, after she sends him a card with a $5 bill inside. Even though A.J.'s made millions playing football, he cherishes that card every year and his grandma told me something along the lines of, "I don't care that he's a pro athlete. He gets treated just like the rest of my grandchildren, because I don't play favorites and love them all." Awesome.

/end sap story.

Thanks for the questions, everyone.