IU football's defense stands tall in Ohio State loss, offers hope if offense can catch up

BLOOMINGTON — In February, IU coach Tom Allen brought in Matt Guerrieri as a co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach and turned over his defensive play-calling duties to Guerrieri.

Guerrieri's opening drive as leader of the IU defense saw Ohio State go on an 11-play, 80-yard march down the field for an eventual Miyan Williams 7-yard touchdown run.

But IU's defense stood tall after being pushed back to start the contest. The next Buckeyes drive was a three-and-out. Ohio State produced 50 yards on its next drive, but IU cornerback Phillip Dunnam intercepted Kyle McCord on fourth down.

Dunnam’s pick led to a field goal — IU's only points of the day, in a 23-3 loss to fourth-ranked Buckeyes on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

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As momentum was in IU's favor, its defense forced another three-and-out. After Indiana’s offense was stopped on fourth down, Ohio State converted on a field goal in the dwindling seconds of the first half. The Hoosiers — who entered Saturday as 29.5-point underdogs — trailed by just seven points at halftime.

Ohio State has all the prestige and talent on its side, so surely it would pounce on IU right away after its halftime congregation. But IU forced another three-and-out, only for its offense to return the favor in three plays.

You can tell where this is going. The Hoosiers did a solid job of limiting Ohio State’s dangerous offense, but IU's lack of offensive production made the defensive effort meaningless.

The Buckeyes scored another touchdown and a pair of field goals to earn a 20-point victory. But for an Indiana defense that allowed 56 points to Ohio State in Columbus last November, Saturday was a decent day.

“It really means a lot just knowing how much work we put in over the summer and over fall camp,” senior linebacker Aaron Casey said. “To be able to do better than we have in previous years, it just means that we’re working hard.”

Ohio State averaged 43.4 points per game against Big Ten opponents in 2022. Indiana held the Buckeyes three scores below that mark. Ohio State’s 23 points were the fewest it’s scored against IU since 1993, and it was the first time the Hoosiers held Ohio State below 40 points since 2016.

IU defensive lineman Andre Carter contributed to the defensive’s respectable day with two tackles for a loss. The Western Michigan transfer felt it was a “step towards the right direction.”

“That might be the lowest they score all year,” Carter said. “It’s still a (loss), but we still got a lot of good things that we did out there and a lot of things we can build off of.”

The Hoosiers kept Ohio State’s explosive passing game in check. Indiana’s defensive backfield is filled with fresh faces who hadn’t played many meaningful college snaps before Saturday. The Buckeyes only threw for 237 yards.

Ohio State has been deemed “Wide Receiver U” by fans, players and analysts, so holding the air attack under 300 yards is a positive for IU. The Buckeyes’ receiving corps is led by Marvin Harrison Jr., a prospect many believe will become a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Harrison caught just two of his eight targets for 18 yards against Indiana.

“I was really concerned about that matchup, without a question,” Allen said. “We know for a fact those receivers are special… So just to be able to keep those guys in check was very critical.”

IU forced Ohio State to kick two field goals in the red zone, prevented an avalanche through the air and forced four three-and-outs.

IU’s offense — which started Brendan Sorsby at quarterback this week and plans to start Tayven Jackson against Indiana State next Friday — didn’t match the defense’s performance.

If the offense finds an answer at quarterback while the defense maintains this level of play, the Hoosiers could find themselves in a bowl game for the first time in three seasons.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football vs. Ohio State: Defense shows Hoosiers can compete