Here are three keys for No. 2 Ohio State against No. 5 Indiana on Saturday:

Start fast

The Buckeyes have played in big games, having been in two top-five matchups over the past month and a half. The matchup is a much steeper ramp up in competition for the Hoosiers, who have not faced a ranked opponent and only one in the top half of the Big Ten standings this year. The gap in experience adds incentive for Ohio State to build an early lead and energize the crowd at the Horseshoe. It would put Indiana in an unfamiliar position, having to come from behind in a rabid environment. The Hoosiers had not even trailed in a game until this month.

Get pressure

Kurtis Rourke, the sixth-year starting quarterback who transferred to Indiana from Ohio, is one of the most efficient passers in the Football Bowl Subdivision, especially when he is well protected. Among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 dropbacks, only three have a higher NFL passer rating from a clean pocket, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s why the Buckeyes must find ways to disrupt him. When Michigan gave the Hoosiers a scare earlier this month, it did so by sacking Rourke four times, including three during a second half in which the Wolverines held them to 18 total yards.

Account for Mikail Kamara

Between Marshall’s Mike Green and Penn State’s Abdul Carter, the Buckeyes have seen some of the best edge rushers in the sport. Kamara fits into that group as well. One of the James Madison transfers who followed Curt Cignetti to Indiana last offseason, Kamara leads the FBS with 53 total pressures, including nine sacks, per PFF. It’s the biggest test for the Buckeyes’ reshuffled offensive line since facing Carter earlier this month. While Carter had two sacks, twice getting around left tackle Donovan Jackson, the line held up and kept quarterback Will Howard from facing too much pressure. It will need to do so again.

Key matchup

Ohio State secondary vs. Indiana receivers

The defensive backs were a liability for the Buckeyes in their loss at Oregon last month as the Ducks’ receivers got behind them in coverage, and they have not fully quelled concerns in the following weeks. While the Hoosiers lack a burner like Tez Johnson, they have a deep collection of pass catchers. Five receivers have caught multiple touchdowns, led by Elijah Sarratt’s six scores. Rourke and Sarratt execute a high volume of back-shoulder throws that could challenge cornerbacks Denzel Burke or Davison Igbinosun who will need to keep the James Madison transfer from pulling in his share of 50-50 balls on the perimeter. The receiving corps is as good as the Buckeyes will see outside of Oregon and one of the biggest factors in Indiana’s upset bid.   

Key stat

13: Total points allowed by Indiana in the first quarter over a span of 10 games.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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Ohio Democratic US Rep. Marcy Kaptur won another term on Wednesday, defeating a Republican state lawmaker endorsed by President-elect Trump. Her victory in northwest Ohio over state Rep. Derek Merrin allows Kaptur to continue her streak as the longest-serving woman in House history, the AP reports. The final results were certified by the Lucas County Board of Elections in Toledo; the AP called the race Wednesday after previously saying the race was too early to call, though Kaptur declaring victory around 2am the morning after Election Day. Final results were slightly outside the 0.5% margin that would have triggered an automatic recount, with libertarian candidate Tom Pruss scoring about 4% of the vote.

Kaptur, 78, was viewed as among the year’s most vulnerable congressional incumbents, placing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in the middle of a campaign battle where spending topped $23 million, according to figures compiled by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan tracker of campaign finance data. Her campaign said in a statement that Kaptur had overcome millions spent by special interests to distort her record. Kaptur thanked her constituents for trusting her to return to Washington in what will be her 22nd term. She pledged to continue to work to increase jobs, strengthen the manufacturing sector and “ensure dignity and stability for everyone who works hard and plays by the rules.”

Merrin had been endorsed by Trump, and his defeat marks Trump’s first loss in a state that went for the president-elect three times. During the House campaign, Merrin, 38, and his Republican allies targeted Kaptur on immigration and the economy. Democrats targeted Merrin on his support for abortion restrictions, including his work on a bill that would have made certain abortions felonies.

(More Ohio stories.)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVG) – The three highest-ranking state Senate Republicans for the 136th General Assembly all call northwest Ohio home.

The Ohio Senate Majority Caucus selected Sen. Rob McColley, of Napoleon, to serve as the next Ohio’s Senate President on Wednesday. McColley, who has served in the state senate since 2017, said it was an honor to be chosen.

“I would like to thank my colleagues for the incredible confidence and trust they have placed in me,” McColley said in a statement. “I would also like to thank my loving wife and family for supporting me in my journey to get to this point.”

Sen. Bill Reineke, of Tiffin, will serve as Senate President Pro Tempore. He’s entering his second term in the state Senate, having worked on the Senate’s Finance Committee and Workforce and Higher Education Committee.

Sen. Theresa Gavarone, of Bowling Green, will serve as Senate Majority Floor Leader. She has served as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee and GOP leadership said she played a crucial role in creating the current operating budget.

Another leadership position, Majority Whip, will be held by Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester).

House Republicans are expected to appoint its leadership team Wednesday night.

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