Ten Things We Learned From Ohio State's Win Over Indiana
Ohio State survived a wild 19-15 win over Indiana, and on this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr go back through the game to find the things that stood out most on a second viewing. They take a closer look at Jay Timmons’ impact on the defense, the problems that surfaced when he left the field, Isaiah West’s growing role at running back, Ohio State’s struggles in heavy personnel near the goal line, Julian Sayin taking too many hits, Chris Henry Jr.’s continued emergence, and the officiating issues that affected both teams. They also revisit Indiana’s final play, the Nick Marsh catch that came inches from changing the entire outcome, and what this game may tell us about both Ohio State and Indiana moving forward. 0:00 — Rewatching Ohio State’s wild win over Indiana 0:35 — How close Indiana came on the final play 2:35 — Could these teams meet again in Indianapolis? 4:10 — Ohio State’s defense looks different without Jay Timmons 6:12 — Jay Timmons’ remarkable day 6:57 — Should Legend Bey have gotten more opportunities? 8:36 — Isaiah West’s growing role at running back 10:24 — Ohio State’s inconsistent running game 10:55 — Why 14 personnel needs to go 13:10 — Does Ohio State really need to “punch it in”? 15:45 — Why spreading the field makes more sense 17:07 — Offensive line problems continue 19:01 — Was Julian Sayin already banged up? 21:00 — Chris Henry Jr. is starting to emerge 22:11 — Chris Henry Jr. climbing Ohio State freshman receiving lists 24:40 — The officiating was bad in both directions 26:37 — Ohio State has to overcome bad calls too 29:10 — Josh Hoover took a beating 29:56 — Indiana’s late mistakes and penalties 30:50 — Did the moment get too big for Indiana? 31:47 — The challenge of defending a national championship 32:54 — Final thoughts One of the clearest takeaways was just how important Timmons has become. He broke up passes, forced a turnover, tackled well in space, and handled difficult coverage assignments, while Ohio State’s secondary became much more vulnerable when he was unavailable. On offense, Tony and Tom spend plenty of time questioning Ohio State’s insistence on using heavy personnel near the goal line, especially when it means taking Jeremiah Smith off the field. The fourth-down touchdown showed exactly how much defensive attention Smith commands even when he doesn’t touch the ball. They also discuss the beating Julian Sayin has taken in recent weeks and why the offensive line’s protection issues are becoming impossible to ignore. Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.