IU offense struggles all day

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Having a player move the football 294 yards from the line of scrimmage can often yield positive results for an offense.

Having those numbers come from the punter often means quite the opposite.

Indicative of a day that saw IU offensive drives sputter, stall and stop with disappointing results, the statistics of junior punter Chris Hagerup’s season-most day in terms of yards and punts — illustrated the ineffectiveness of IU’s high-flying offense against a stout Ohio State defense.

“They disguise their coverage really well. They’re fast, physical,” IU senior quarterback Ben Chappell said. “They get up field with the rush. All of that causes some havoc.”

Sure, when IU’s defense allowed the then second-ranked Buckeyes (6-0, 2-0) to hang 31 points on the scoreboard by halftime Saturday, an upset win appeared to be a dicey proposition at best.

The prospects grew worse when the Hoosiers (3-2, 0-2) ran to the locker room staring at a goose egg on their side of the scoreboard after 30 minutes of play.

In fact, the Hoosiers had gained just 68 first-half yards on 29 plays — by far their worst offensive first half output this season.

“We just didn’t execute,” Chappell said. “Obviously that has a lot to do with them and how good they are, but we just didn’t play well enough.”

Neither the running game nor the passing game could get off the ground for an offensive package that came into the contest as the fourth-best in the country: 348.2 passing yards per game.

Saturday, IU managed just 210 total offensive yards with Chappell posting a highly-
average 16-for-26, 106-yard day with two interceptions.

Chappell’s first interception came when he and junior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher appeared to get their signals crossed on IU’s second drive of the game.

“It was just miscommunication on the route,” Chappell said. “I thought he was going outside, he went inside.”

The ball sailed deep down the left side while Belcher cut toward the middle, allowing Ohio State’s Devon Torrence to intercept the errant throw and return it 25 yards. Three plays later, the Buckeyes scored to take a 14-0 lead.

As Chappell mentioned, the Ohio State defense often put pocket pressure on the pass-heavy IU offense and forced Chappell to make quick, short throws.

The longest passing play of the game for Chappell was a 25-yard completion to senior wideout Terrance Turner, though it came in the third quarter when IU already was in a 38-0 hole.

“It was more their overall defense. The defensive line, the linebackers, they were able to get a lot of pressure,” Turner said. “They’re a good team. (They were) the No. 2 team in the nation. They’re going to have a good offense, a good defense and it showed (Saturday).”

IU came in to the game a bit undermanned in the blocking department.

First, junior running back Darius Willis was ruled out just before the game with a groin injury sustained in practice. Willis, when not taking a handoff, serves as one of Chappell’s last lines of defense as a blocker during a pass rush.

The non-active fate also befit senior offensive lineman James Brewer thanks to an ankle injury. Then, just before the game, IU announced that sophomore offensive lineman Marc Damisch didn’t travel with the team due to the death of his father
Wednesday.

However, Chappell didn’t blame the circumstances for IU’s play.

“We’re not going to make excuses,” Chappell said. “It was next guy up. That’s what its
 gotta be. It’s football.”

All of it — a porous IU defense and an ineffective offense — allowed the Buckeyes to continue a 16-game win streak against IU while moving to the top spot in the national polls after former No. 1 Alabama lost to South Carolina later Saturday.