Saturday marks the first matchup between top five teams in Memorial Stadium history. The Hoosiers come in undefeated and off a major win on the road, and confidence is high.
However, the Buckeyes have rebounded from a Week Two loss to Texas and have the best player in college football in Jeremiah Smith. There is plenty to be confident about, but some concerns as well.
Confidence: Indiana's Pass Rush Getting Home
Indiana's defense puts game-changing pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It was evident last week in the second half of Indiana's win at Nebraska and in the Hoosiers' win over the Buckeyes in last year's Big Ten Championship game.
The Hoosiers are third in the nation in sacks with 20 and have the top two sack getters in the Big Ten in Stephen Daley and Tobi Osunsanmi. Ohio State will be without their best offensive lineman in right tackle Austin Siereveld. It's a blow to a unit that was already struggling, allowing 11 sacks in their first six games.
Concern: Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith is the best wide receiver in the spot, and maybe of all-time. He is a matchup nightmare and has been unstoppable so far this season no matter what the defense threw at him. He's made 48 catches for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns.
"They have a wow player. That's the only really word to describe him that I can think of," Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday.
Confidence and a Concern: Engaged Crowd
The pomp and circumstance surrounding Saturday's game has not been seen in a long time, if ever, in Bloomington. Curt Cignetti has already challenged the fan base to be loud and engaged, and they will be at the beginning.
"I'm glad we're playing at home. We really need our crowd to be loud and very involved. We've got to give them reasons to be," Cignetti said. "So I can't -- it's just a football game, but I'm glad it's at home. Two really good teams. Great team we're playing. Not sure how good we are yet. But our crowds have been awesome. They need to be loud, real loud."
The concern with the Indiana fan base is how engaged they will be if the Hoosiers fall behind. There has been a vocal segment of the fan base that thinks that having a couple of negative plays is a sign that the program is cracking.
IU football has also become the hottest ticket in the state, which is attracting the casual, influencer-type fans that have infiltrated some of the biggest sporting events in the world. If these people got their hands on tickets over boisterous students, the crowd could be used against IU.
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