COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The line of scrimmage figures to be an area of focus Saturday when No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 5 Indiana.
That is typically true of any high-profile Big Ten game, but the topic was of even more interest as the week began because the Buckeyes have uncertainty at multiple offensive line positions as they prepare for a rematch of last season's conference title game.
Senior lineman Austin Siereveld missed Ohio State’s win over Maryland on Saturday with an illness, and coach Ryan Day labeled him as day-to-day.
That led to a reshuffled front with sophomore Jake Cook entering the lineup at right guard and junior Gabe VanSickle taking over at right tackle.
VanSickle had already been starting since Phillip Daniels was injured in the Buckeyes’ second game of the season at Texas, but he was at right guard while Siereveld took Daniels’ place at right tackle for the subsequent three games.
Day offered no update on Siereveld on Tuesday, but he said Daniels is expected to practice in full this week.
That could mean he returns to right tackle with VanSickle at right guard if Siereveld remains out, but Day said the staff was satisfied with what it saw from VanSickle against the Terrapins.
Ohio State allowed two sacks, but the Buckeyes ran for 207 yards, their most since they had 237 in the season opener against Ball State.
“I thought for short notice being able to step in like that, it wasn’t all perfect, but there was a lot of good out there,” Day said. “So now we’ll be able to move him around if we need to a little bit in practice more, we’ll move him back down to guard and we’ll fill the right tackle and see how the week goes.”
Regardless of who starts, the Buckeyes figure to have their hands full with an Indiana defensive front that is among the best in the nation.
Ohio State is 14th in the Big Ten and 75th in the country in sacks allowed (1.83 per game) while ranking 11th and 57th, respectively, in tackles for loss allowed per game (5.0). The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten and rank in the top eight nationally in both categories.
Indiana defensive ends Stephen Daley and Tobi Osunsanmi have five sacks apiece, while tackles Tyrique Tucker and Marion Landino have combined for three more.
While Osunsanmi is a transfer from Kansas State, the other three were part of a unit that was key to Indiana’s 13-10 win over Ohio State in last season's Big Ten title game, in which Julian Sayin was sacked five times and the Buckeyes finished with 58 yards rushing.
“It is going to be a huge challenge,” Day said. “They do an excellent job up front on defense. Their defensive line is one of the biggest challenges we’ll have all season, so we’ve got to have a great week of preparation.”
Indiana native Ian Moore is a new starter at left tackle for the Buckeyes, while seniors Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman both started against the Hoosiers last season along with Siereveld and Daniels.
Tegra Tshabola started at right guard but was injured during the game and replaced by VanSickle.
“The good news is some of these guys have played against Indiana before, so they know how good these guys are and what comes with it,” Day said. “So they’re going to have all of our attention for sure.”
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