'A mixed bag.' Buckeyes' offense sputters but defense dominates in 23-3 win over Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was a victory, which may be all that matters in the long run.

Then again, if Ohio State's offense looks as sluggish as it did in its 23-3 season-opening victory over Indiana at Memorial Stadium for long, the deficiencies will matter plenty.

Fortunately for the No. 3 Buckeyes, their defense was suffocating, allowing only 153 yards. Otherwise, the Hoosiers might have had a chance to beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988 and hand the Buckeyes their first loss in an opener since 1999.

“I did anticipate some of this,” coach Ryan Day said of the offensive struggles. “But I thought we would we'd get more points. We're used to doing that here.”

Ohio State, a 30-point favorite, wasn't out of danger until running back Miyan Williams scored the second of his touchdowns for a 20-3 lead late in the third quarter.

Kyle McCord, who won a protracted battle with Devin Brown for the OSU quarterback job, played eight of the Buckeyes' first nine possessions. He made the routine play routinely, as Day wanted, but there was little sizzle to the passing game. McCord completed 20 of 23 passes for 239 yards.

Day described McCord's performance as a “mixed bag,” a term he used repeatedly about the Buckeyes' performance overall.

It might be charitable to describe the rebuilt OSU offensive line that way. The line, which featured new starters at both tackles and center, didn't allow a sack. But its run blocking was inconsistent, especially in short-yardage situations. Ohio State converted only 2 of 12 third-down chances and settled for field goals twice when inside the Indiana 5-yard line.

“We've got to play better situational football,” Day said. “We've got to finish in the red zone. We've got to finish in short yardage. And we've got to do a better job on third down.”

McCord didn't throw a touchdown pass – a 24-yarder to high school teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. was negated because Harrison had stepped out of bounds – and threw one interception on a fourth-down play in the second quarter on which his target, running back Chip Trayanum, became entangled with an IU defender.

The Buckeyes scored on their first possession, an 11-play, 80-yard drive, and then didn't reach the end zone again until late in the third quarter.

The one area where OSU's performance was a clear success was on defense. The Hoosiers never advanced past the Buckeyes' 22-yard line, reaching that point just once early in the second quarter. That resulted in the Hoosiers' only score, a field goal, which hit the right upright and went through.

Seven of the Hoosiers' first eight possessions went for fewer than 20 yards.

“To hold them to no touchdowns, that shows a lot of the work we put in in the offseason, a lot of grind and a lot of working on how can we become a better defense as a whole,” defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau said. “Holding them to three points – we wish it was a doughnut – but hey, we'll take it.”

It should be noted that Indiana's offense is in rebuilding mode with two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks. The Hoosiers seldom tested the Buckeyes' defense downfield.

“It was kind of a boring game,” cornerback Denzel Burke said.

Ohio State's secondary was up to it when challenged. Indiana's longest play went for 24 yards. Indiana completed 9 of 21 passes for only 82 yards.

“It's a different-looking defense,” Day said. “We've got some good length out there, We got our hands on some balls early. They took some shots early, and I thought we were there ready to make the play. The defensive line was disruptive.”

If the Buckeyes were hoping for more than a mixed bag, at least they avoided potential disaster. Ohio State led only 7-3 until a late second-quarter field goal made it 10-3 at halftime.

“Our goal coming here is to be 1-0, and we are 1-0,” McCord said. “We won by 20 points, but offensively, we have a lot we can improve on. I definitely feel like we left some points out there in the field, and I know I can be better.”

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Offense clunky, defense dominates in Ohio State's 23-3 win at Indiana