Ohio State scores 57 points per game. It also allows just nine points per game.
The Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in total offense and total defense, and it’s rushing offense rivals triple-option teams at third in the nation.
They’ve allowed just 16 third-down conversions on 59 of their opponents’ attempts, and they lead in several other categories including first downs, interceptions, turnover margin and red zone defense.
IU Coach Kevin Wilson and his staff know these statistics, and they know the underdog narrative the Hoosiers will take with them to Columbus, Ohio, as they prepare to take on the No. 2 team in the nation.
“We were looking for a statistical advantage, and we noticed their punter wasn't very good, and then we noticed he only had 11 punts,” Wilson said. “He's not registered. He would be first in the NCAA. So I don't know if you're a great punter why you would want to go to Ohio State, to tell you the truth, because they don't use you. But their punter is awesome.”
Last season was much of the same in this matchup, when the Buckeyes came to Bloomington to play the Hoosiers in Memorial Stadium. Ohio State had three quarterbacks — Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones — who were all in Heisman Trophy candidacy.
Somehow IU was able to hamper the Ohio State offense, keeping Miller down to five total yards, sacking Jones three times and preventing former Buckeye Jalin Marshall from reaching the end zone.
But former Buckeye and current Dallas Cowboy running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns, including a long 75-yard score on 4th-and-1.
The top team in the nation barely escaped Bloomington with a 34-27 win.
One player who wasn’t in that game was Barrett, who was backing up Jones at the time and has Wilson’s vote for the best college football player in the nation this season.
“I think one of the premier players in college football is J. T. Barrett, and one of the reasons why he's probably one of the best teammates is because he battled through the quarterback controversy as a great player,” Wilson said.
Barrett, a dual threat quarterback, does not lead the conference in many statistical categories — he averages just 51.3 rushing yards per game and 222 passing yards per game — but he does lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency, with a rating of 183.1. That’s nearly 23 points ahead of the second-best, IU junior quarterback Richard Lagow.
Barrett is tied with Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes for the most touchdowns in the nation, passing or rushing, since 2014, with 84.
He’s leading an Ohio State offense that has scored 228 points in four games, the most ever by an Ohio State team in the first four games in the program’s history.
He’s leading the offense that boasts a Big Ten Freshman of the Week in running back Mike Weber, who leads the Big Ten with three 100-yard performances on the ground. Add junior H-back Curtis Samuel into the mix, and the Buckeyes have playmakers the Hoosiers will rarely see.
But Wilson said he and his team don’t see Ohio State as anything else but a Big Ten East opponent — an opponent they’ve been able to back against the ropes before, and hope to again Saturday.
“It's an awesome challenge, strong challenge, but it is what it is,” Wilson said. “It's Big Ten East football, and we're in the thick of it, so it was a nice win — it was a good win, but now it's the next one and here comes one of the premier teams and programs in college ball.”
