During the first run of the U.S. version of the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” host Drew Carey started each episode the same way.
Carey would walk down through the audience, clamber behind his desk into a chair and say the following:
“Welcome to Whose Line Is It Anyway, the show where everything is made up and the points don’t matter.”
Saturday afternoon will mark one of the few similarities between the improv comedy show and the IU football program.
When IU plays No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, the points should not matter to the Hoosiers.
It will be a near-impossible task for IU to win this football game.
IU’s last win against Ohio State came in 1988 in Bloomington — a decisive 41-7 win for an IU team led by former Coach Bill Mallory.
The 30 years since that game have seen a tie between the teams in 1990, a vacated win by the Buckeyes in 2010 and close calls in 2015 and 2017, in which the Hoosiers led at halftime, only to come up short.
This year’s matchup between the schools will likely feature little in the way of drama regarding the final score. Ohio State has been a ruthless football machine this season, from opening its schedule with a 77-point offensive outburst against Oregon State to grinding out a 27-26 win at Big Ten rival Penn State last weekend.
Sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins has thrown 19 touchdown passes compared to just two interceptions, and he’s posted at least 233 yards passing in each of Ohio State’s five games. On the ground, sophomore running back J.K. Dobbins and junior running back Mike Weber each have at least 350 yards rushing for the season.
Additionally, Ohio State boasts a group of wide receivers with blazing speed, a defensive unit that can stifle opponents and one of the best punters in the country in sophomore Drue Chrisman.
Given this, no reasonable person can think IU actually has a chance to win this game, which means the Hoosiers should look beyond the scoreboard for victories in this game.
This starts with the IU offense.
Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord’s reserved play calling nearly cost the Hoosiers wins against Virginia and Rutgers and also didn’t help the offense in the Michigan State loss. IU has little to lose against Ohio State, so the playbook should be opened up.
Junior wide receiver Nick Westbrook should be targeted early and often with downfield passes. A deep passing threat is something IU has lacked this season, and the Hoosiers will need points to stay competitive with the Buckeyes. Now is the time for DeBord to finally throw at least some caution to the wind and let sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey air out the ball.
With the limited success IU’s rushing attack had against Michigan State, it’s unlikely that freshman Stevie Scott will find much success against a ferocious Ohio State defensive line. To combat this, DeBord must make any and all efforts possible to get the football to IU’s best players in creative ways.
This means trick plays like those run at Rutgers to get freshman Reese Taylor the ball. It means playing freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. if Ramsey fails to move the football on offense.
Defensively, IU’s young players will make mistakes. That’s unavoidable. But limiting long-distance chunk plays will be the first order of business. The Hoosier pass rush has been hit-or-miss this season, but that doesn’t mean Coach Tom Allen should shy away from calling blitzes to try and get pressure on Haskins.
There’s no reason for the Hoosiers to be cautious in Columbus.
If there’s one game IU can play in with complete reckless abandon, it’s this one.
After all, the points don’t matter.
cpdrummo@iu.edu
@cdrummond97
