Both teams have gone undefeated, a combined 8-0, through the first four weeks of the season, but while IU has not been ranked in the preseason poll since 1969, Ohio State has only missed that poll twice in the same time span.
The crossroads land at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Memorial Stadium.
As IU prepares to play not only the highest-ranked opponent on its schedule, but the highest-ranked opponent in the nation in Ohio State, the Hoosiers will also be preparing for three potential Heisman candidates at the same time.
Junior starting quarterback Cardale Jones, sophomore backup quarterback J.T. Barrett and senior halfback — and former quarterback — Braxton Miller will all come to Bloomington to open Big Ten play for both schools.
“It’s a tremendous challenge,” IU defensive coordinator Brian Knorr said about defending the three Buckeye players. “With a threat like Braxton Miller, he can be all over the field, and the two quarterbacks that they’re playing, I think are multi-talented.”
Jones, who stands at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, is the largest quarterback the Hoosiers will have to sack this season, after the Hoosiers recorded nine sacks in their first four games.
Barrett, who has 12 career starts at quarterback compared to Jones’ seven, was competing for a Heisman Trophy in 2014, posting 2,834 passing yards, 938 rushing yards and a total of 45 touchdowns, when he was injured in the final game of the regular season.
In the wake of Miller’s and Barrett’s injuries, Jones led the Buckeyes through the College Football Playoff to win the National Championship and, eventually, the starting quarterback job.
With Miller finishing ninth in the 2013 Heisman voting as a quarterback, Barrett leading the Buckeyes to an undefeated regular season in 2014 and Jones taking the team to a National Championship, Ohio State boasts three of the top quarterbacks in the nation.
The three quarterbacks also combine for a total of 469 all-purpose yards this season.
Mobile quarterbacks have found success against the Hoosiers, as Mark Iannotti of Southern Illinois ran for 106 yards in week one and Kendall Hinton of Wake Forest ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns last week.
“It’s important for the defense to read keys,” sophomore safety Tony Fields said about defending quarterbacks that can run. “Every guy needs to do their job, not try to make a play, and I think we’ll be fine.”
While Jones and Barrett, who do the majority of the passing for the Buckeyes, have combined for six passing touchdowns, they’ve also matched that number in interceptions and combined for 815 yards.
IU senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld has passed for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.
The highest-ranked match-up between the two teams is the passing game, as IU ranks 30th in the nation with 285.8 yards per game and Ohio State allows a stingy 131.5 passing yards per game, which ranks eighth in the nation. Ohio State’s passing offense is ranked 89th in the nation, but IU’s passing defense is ranked 126th.
“Again, they’re very aggressive on front, know where they’re going,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said about the Buckeye defense. “Outstanding at linebacker. They’re good enough in the secondary that they challenge coverage. Don’t give a lot of easy throws. Every play is competitive. Every play is aggressive. They’re very sound and very, very talented.”
The Buckeyes’ three quarterbacks are not their only Heisman hopefuls, though, as junior running back Ezekiel Elliott has also been in the conversation and has run for 455 yards.
Last season Elliott ran for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Hoosiers, and Barrett ran for 78 yards.
Junior running back Jordan Howard has run for 675 yards, and IU averages 236.5 rushing yards per game, while Ohio State allows an average of 121.8 rushing yards per game.
Third-year Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer and his Buckeyes come into the game as 21-point favorites and predicted to win the National Championship.
“Ohio State, again, is a very, very good team in all areas,” Wilson said. “No. 1 in the nation, longest win streak in the country. Those aren’t flukes. They’re complete.”
