The Buckeyes return to their very own yard this weekend to tackle a struggling Indiana program that hasn’t overwhelmed Ohio State within the final 29 tries. Tom Allen and firm are on the verge of a seventh straight loss this season, and a win over the scarlet and grey can be the Hoosiers’ first since 1988 (!).

As Ohio State prepares to dive into the ultimate quarter of its regular-season schedule, get acquainted with the subsequent opponent up on the Buckeyes’ docket under whereas we discover 5 issues to know in regards to the 2022 Hoosiers.

Six-game skid

It’s been robust sledding for the Hoosiers from late September on.

The beginning of the season seemed promising for Indiana. Its season-opening win over Illinois has aged nicely. Even when tight non-conference victories over Idaho and Western Kentucky weren’t all that spectacular, they have been nonetheless a part of a three-game win streak to start the yr.

However the wheels fell off on Sept. 24, and Indiana hasn’t recovered.

Luke Fickell led Cincinnati to a three-touchdown destruction of the Hoosiers of their closing non-conference sport earlier than 5 consecutive Huge Ten opponents rattled off wins in opposition to Indiana after that. Two of these video games got here in opposition to ranked convention foes, as Michigan and Penn State each delivered the multi-score beatings you’d anticipate in opposition to Indiana.

Three of these losses got here to Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers, although, with its two-touchdown defeat to the Huskers standing as a lowlight of the season up to now.

However as unhealthy because the Hoosiers’ skid appears, it’s not even so long as the shedding streak that ended Indiana’s 2021 season when it dropped eight video games in a row from Week 5 onward.

Allen’s on the sizzling heat seat

Indiana’s breakout 2020 season, by which head coach Tom Allen gained Huge Ten Coach of the 12 months, feels farther away with each Hoosier loss this yr.

Two years in the past, Indiana knocked off Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin in the identical season and performed Ohio State to a seven-point ballgame in Columbus. That momentum was stomped out simply as rapidly because it got here the next yr, as Indiana misplaced 10 of its 12 contests to complete with its highest loss whole within the Allen period.

Now in his seventh yr in Bloomington, Allen succeeded his best-ever season together with his worst. The 2022 Hoosiers look extra like final yr’s squad than the 6-2 2020 workforce, and it gained’t precisely be favored to get its first win since September subsequent Saturday.

Maybe it’s not scorching sizzling, given the recency of his convention coach of the yr {hardware}, however Allen’s seat is getting hotter by the minute. By now, the 2020 season appears to be a flash within the pan greater than a constructing block for future success.

Former OSU commit having large first yr

By way of main statistical classes, Indiana’s defensive rankings are wherever from poor to putrid. The Hoosiers rank 114th in scoring protection, 107th in common yards allowed, 107th in opposition to the cross and 83rd in run protection.

However make no mistake, there are nonetheless standout performers on the roster. Maybe most promising of all is a real freshman whose identify needs to be fairly acquainted to Ohio State followers.

Outdoors linebacker Dasan McCullough, a top-75 total prospect within the class, initially dedicated to the Buckeye program again in August 2020. However a few months after that, the Bloomington native’s father, Deland McCullough, rejoined the Hoosier teaching employees as an assistant, Dasan decommitted from Ohio State and pledged to Indiana. Dasan additionally joined his brother, Deland II, who was taking part in defensive again for the Hoosiers on the time.

Since then, Deland McCullough and Deland McCullough II have each left this system. The previous to take the vacant Notre Dame operating backs teaching place, and the latter having medically retired from soccer. However Dasan stays, and he’s been even higher than anticipated to this point this season.

Opposing offenses beware. @Dasan2022 | #IUFB pic.twitter.com/S8C3Ckpjsk

— Indiana Soccer (@IndianaFootball) September 12, 2022

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Dasan McCullough is Indiana’s workforce chief with 4 sacks this season, is second with 5.5 tackles for loss and has 38 whole tackles and three cross breakups. McCullough was quiet in Indiana’s blowout loss to Penn State, recording simply two tackles and no sacks or TFLs, however he’s proven the flexibility to influence a Huge Ten sport on a number of events as a first-year faculty soccer participant.

@Dasan2022 pic.twitter.com/EABaR8X8GI

— Indiana Soccer (@IndianaFootball) October 19, 2022

May very well be on third-string QB

Michael Penix Jr. left a gaping gap on the quarterback place in Bloomington after transferring out of Indiana to have a stellar fifth yr in Washington.

Allen and firm introduced in Missouri switch Connor Bazelak to function below heart in 2022 however to principally combined outcomes. Beginning the primary seven video games of the season in eight whole appearances for Indiana, Bazelak threw for not less than 250 yards on 4 events and tossed a number of landing passes in 4 contests. However Bazelak additionally threw not less than one interception in seven video games and multiple in two video games.

Bazelak sat out Saturday with harm, leaving Hoosier veteran Jack Tuttle to select up the items. However Tuttle bought banged up within the first half in opposition to Penn State, leaving the sport with an obvious shoulder harm whereas Indiana tried out two different choices at quarterback.

5 totally different Hoosiers have tried not less than one cross for Indiana this season. Allen mentioned the Hoosiers ought to get Bazelak again in opposition to the Buckeyes, however as we all know from Ohio State’s season, few harm updates are assured with regards to faculty soccer.

Dismal run sport

An excessive amount of strain can be taken off Indiana’s numerous quarterbacks if it solely had a reliable operating sport. However that’s not the case.

The Hoosiers ranked subsequent spots above final place within the FBS with a floor sport that averages simply 78.7 yards per sport. That determine ranks useless final within the Huge Ten by greater than 20 yards per sport. 

Indiana speeding chief Shaun Shivers’s 399 speeding yards don’t even crack the highest 100 when it comes to FBS leaders, and he’s averaging simply 3.8 yards per carry this season. Indiana’s second and third choices at operating again, Josh Henderson and Jaylin Lucas, are additionally each nicely below 5 yards per keep on the yr.

The Hoosiers have solely cracked 100 yards on the bottom this season twice and 200 yards solely as soon as, in opposition to Idaho. Throughout Indiana’s six-game shedding streak, it’s averaging 52.8 yards per contest within the run sport, with 68 being probably the most it’s had throughout that stretch. In opposition to Michigan, Indiana mustered all of 19 speeding yards on 25 makes an attempt.

Ohio State doesn’t possess the very best run protection Indiana’s seen all yr, however the Buckeyes nonetheless rank No. 13 within the nation with a median allowance of 105.9 yards per sport.