Urban Meyer was asked an array of questions following his team’s 34-27 escape against Indiana on Saturday, but the Ohio State head coach kept bringing up a similar point in his responses.
Meyer was not pleased with the Buckeyes’ three turnovers.
“We’re turning the ball over at an alarming rate and that’s obviously a difference in the game,” Meyer said. “At some point that’s going to bite you.”
Somehow, the turnovers haven’t bitten Ohio State yet, though. The Buckeyes have committed 13 turnovers through five games this season: seven interceptions and six fumbles. And going back even further than that, Ohio State has committed 19 turnovers in its last seven games.
That seems like it would be a huge problem, but that hasn't exactly been the case yet. One would have to believe, however, that if the alarming turnover rate continues, eventually it’s going to cost the Buckeyes.
“We’ve gotta get it fixed. We can’t win ball games, we can’t expect to win ball games like that,” quarterback Cardale Jones said. ”I think we had three turnovers today and we still found a way to come out with a ‘W,’ but we can’t expect that each week.”
The Last Stand
Indiana had the ball 1st-and-goal on Ohio State’s 6-yard line trailing by a touchdown. Had the Hoosiers found a way to get into the end zone, they could have opted to go for the two-point conversion and the win.
Indiana committed a false start, then had an incomplete pass and two short runs before it was faced with a fourth-down play. With the game on the line, the Hoosiers had a bad snap and backup quarterback Zander Diamont threw one up for grabs that eventually landed incomplete.
So, what’s that situation like for a defense?
“My mentality? This guy’s not catching the ball,” safety Vonn Bell said. “Just make a play for the guys and bring the juice and that’s what I did.”
When the ball landed incomplete, Ohio State celebrated on the field briefly. It had to collect its breath first, though.
“It’s a sigh of relief for the defense,” Bell said. “We stood up and took the challenge. it was a good challenge right there so we gotta go back to the film and go to work.”
Defensive Line Shines
Ohio State’s defense registered just one sack against Indiana, but the Buckeyes were quite dominant up front.
Ohio State repeatedly made plays in the backfield to stifle the Hoosiers’ potent rushing attack. Indiana, as a team, registered 176 yards on the ground on 55 carries. That’s an average of just 3.2 yards per rush and that number includes Diamont’s 79-yard touchdown run.
Hoosiers star running back Jordan Howard got hurt in the game, but he was held in check prior to injury, rushing for just 34 yards on 14 carries. In his place, Devine Redding carried the ball 30 times and gained just 45 yards.
Those numbers were largely because of the play of Ohio State’s defensive line. The group of Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt, Joey Bosa and Tyquan Lewis combined to make 29 tackles. Bosa and Lewis combined to have six tackles for loss and Lewis had the team’s lone sack.
“I just go out and I just play hard for everyone next to me,” Lewis said. “I’m just appreciative for every moment I get. Every opportunity that presents itself for me, I just thank God for it.”
Injury Updates
Ohio State wide receiver Corey Smith suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury when he got rolled up on the sideline. Smith was carted off the field and was seen after the game with a cast on his left leg as he was transported to the team bus on the back of a golf cart.
Meyer did not give an update on Smith’s injury after the game, but did say, “We had a tough injury to Corey Smith, who’s kind of an all-purpose guy for us, a tough guy. Prayers out to him.”
Smith’s injury sounds and looks serious. For a wide receiver group that already lost Noah Brown for the year before the season and saw Parris Campbell miss his second-straight game, Zach Smith’s unit is getting awfully thin.
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan was not on the field for several consecutive series in the fourth quarter for Ohio State as Cam Williams was in at middle linebacker. McMillan was on the sideline with his helmet on, but wasn’t out on the field in the middle of the Buckeyes’ defense.
Following the game, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell said he believed McMillan was suffering from a bit of a migraine headache and that he didn’t believe it was anything serious. McMillan did come out briefly for post-game interviews.
