Hoosiers take on No. 6 Ohio State

This Saturday, the Hoosiers travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe, one of the largest stadiums in college football. No. 6 Ohio State brings a perfect 5-0 record into the 11:10 a.m. kick-off.\nIt will be the Big Ten opener for both teams. Both squads are fresh off of come from behind wins last weekend. IU (2-2) defeated Central Michigan despite being down 13 points in the third quarter. Ohio State needed a late touchdown to squeak past Cincinnati.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said he expects this game to be a traditional Big Ten game with both teams relying on the run. Ohio State may be lucky enough to have the services of freshman running back Maurice Clarett, who had surgery on his knee a week and a half ago and is probable to start.\nClarett is second in the nation in rushing with 157 yards a game and leads the conference in scoring. IU's defense ranks second to last in the Big Ten, giving up 190.2 yards a game. Defensive coordinator Tim Kish said he hopes his team is up to the challenge.\n"Every week we're trying to get better against the run," Kish said. "We have a real big test for us. (Clarret) is one of the better, if not the best, backs in the Big Ten."\nThe Hoosiers will counter with their own freshman running back Yamar Washington. Despite averaging 146 yards in his last two starts, Washington said he doesn't see the game as a match-up between the two backs. He said he's more concerned about his own team.\n"I don't think of it as a battle," Washington said. "Clarett has his own thing, and we have our own thing going on over here. We just need to improve of what we did last week, like red zone efficiency and holding onto the ball."\nDiNardo said the key for both teams will be running the ball and stopping the run. \nSophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones said the defense has to be focused.\n"We've been having a problem with executing, that's all," Jones said. "Ohio State likes to get up early and hold onto a lead. I think it's going to be a key for us to come out early in the game. We can build up on that and get our confidence up on that."\nJones said he expects Ohio State to constantly run the ball and the defense will have to do a good job of tackling. He added that pursuit of the ball and limiting their big runs will be a big factor.\nOhio State has a physical defense which DiNardo compared to Utah. The Utes were able to hold IU to their lowest point total of the season (13 ) on Sept. 7. \nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said he knows they are a talented squad and will have to be prepared to defeat the Buckeyes.\n"There is a reason why they are ranked where they are in the country," Hamdan said. "The way I look at it is they are a football team, and obviously just like any other football team they are going to have strengths and weaknesses, and it is our job to game plan against those things."\nDespite Ohio State's high ranking, OSU coach Jim Tressel said he knows not to take any more games lightly. Ohio State struggled in an emotion-filled game at Cincinnati. Tressel said he expects IU to be very tough in their approach to the game.\n"Indiana is doing a good job of doing what they're told and they're very aggressive," Tressel said in a statement. "They're a high blitz group, and what has happened in some of their games is that they've done a good job and then all of the sudden they've had one missed tackle on a blitz and the ball goes out long. It will be an interesting challenge for us on Saturday."\nThe Horseshoe in Columbus seats over 100,000 fans, and the game is already sold-out. The Hoosiers can expect nothing less than an intense and hostile crowd on Saturday. Hamdan said the offense will have to be very sharp. \nSophomore wide reciever Courtney Roby said he is looking forward to the challenge.\n"This will be my first time in Columbus," Roby said. "I heard it is very loud, the atmosphere I heard was crazy. So I am looking forward to it and just competing"