I have a confession. I have never once done a film study this close to a loss. I've been too hurt to even watch highlights. In fact, it took me 11.5 months to watch highlights from the 2024 Michigan game. However, this loss just didn't sit the same with me. Question my fandom if you want, but I really have found it difficult to care about the result. All I have cared about is simple. Can we fix whatever the issues were in the Indiana game. So let's get going. 

Tendency Breakers

I have maintained all season long that OSU's offense has faced very similar coverages nearly every game. In the last film study, I posed the question "How would you gameplan as a DC going against OSU", and the options were limited because of our WR's, RB pass-pro, and Julian Sayin's composure. When you have those 3, it becomes very difficult to send blitzes, play man-to-man, or try to disguise coverages because OSU will be able to hit you big. 

First Tendency breaker - Flipped QQH. All season long, when on the hashes, teams have ran QQH against OSU (Cover 4 to the field side, Cover 2 to the boundary. Here, Indiana flips the coverage and runs Cover 4 to the boundary and Cover 2 to the field. Sayin is confused and can't find an open WR. This is the same RPO OSU has ran all season long when expecting C4 to the field side. Read the LB, if he plays the run, throw a comeback to Smith because the CB is going to be giving a ton of room in C4. But Indiana is not in C4 on Smith's side, so the CB doesn't have to drop. 

Indiana gameplanned EXTENSIVELY

Right from the jump of this game, I was THOUROUGHLY impressed with Indiana's defense and the prep they put in. OSU's offense has been predictable. However, they have so much talent that predictable has worked. Not against Indiana. On 3rd and medium situations, OSU nearly always goes into a triangle passing concept. Triangle passing is where you send 3 WR/TE on a route that forms a triangle. The goal is to spread the zone coverage a part, and then find the most open WR. OSU nearly always does this. Indiana is prepared and baits OSU into it, and the safety jumps the route. 

In addition to the downfield schemes, Indiana also identified a weakness on the right side of OSU's line. Throughout the game, Indiana would continue sending an extra defender to the right side, forcing both Tegra and Daniels into 1 on 1 situations. 

Very next play...

OSU's best drive

Now after the game, Ryan Day said that Hartline has been, and was continuing to call plays. However, reports from the beat have said otherwise, and during this drive I am about to show, FOX cameras panned to the sideline multiple times, and it sure did look like Ryan Day took the sticks back over. And OSU was able to start hitting back at Indiana. To counter the blitzes, sim pressures, and disguised coverages, OSU began utilizing quick passes to the TE. This can be highly effective against disguised coverages, because the defense starts the play out of position. A quick pass can burn it. 

2 plays later

Pass-Pro has been key:

Throughout the season, pass-pro has generally been very good. Which paired with Sayin's ability to let a play develop, defenses bailing to prevent big plays, and Sayin's awareness to check the ball down, has made it very tough on defenses. The Washington and Wisconsin games featured several plays like below. Defense bailing in coverage, line protects, easy checkdown. 

Back to Indiana Gameplanning:

Indiana man. They watch the film. With OSU lined up in the exact same formation that they burnt Oregon on to start the 2025 Rose Bowl, Indiana knows what is coming

Redzone

I don't have anything to say. If I was forced to give an answer on why we saw what we saw, other than shear incompetence, I would say the play-calling was due to the staff have no faith in being able to protect Sayin, and with the condensed field, may result in turnovers. But that's all I got folks. 

Summary

Obviously there is much more we could talk about, but didn't want this to run on forever. The game really boiled down to this. Indiana was able to confuse Sayin right off the snap, and the poor pass-pro didn't allow him time to process what he was seeing. In addition, Indiana extensively studied OSU's tendencies, which OSU had no plans to try and break during this game. 

Moving Forward

The reason I fail to care about the result of this game, is because I 100% believe OSU needed to learn that their boring, predictable offense, and their tendencies, weren't going to be good enough to win the whole thing. In addition to that, I will make a statement that may or may not get heat. Ryan Day needs to be the play-caller in the CFP. I have a much higher level of faith in him to dial up mid-game adjustments based on what the defense is doing. Maybe he was only offering input, but once the FOX cameras panned to him looking at his play sheet and screaming into the mic, the offense magically started running plays designed to beat what Indiana was showing. 

But I will leave you with this. Ohio State played horribly. Credit to Indiana. However, OSU still shot themselves in the foot more often than not. And Ohio State lost by? 3 points with a missed 27 yarder and a failed 4th and 1 inside the 5. Those things are bad. But OSU's defense will keep us in any game. And if Julian Sayin grows from this game and the coverages he was seeing. If the line gets just a little bit better at protecting against stunts and sim pressures, and if Carnell Tate is on the field in the redzone...Folks, you're still looking at the best team in America. 

Go Bucks.