College Football Picks: Indiana at Ohio State

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The Indiana Hoosiers will make the trip to Columbus, Ohio this weekend and clash with the 2nd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.  Indiana suffered their first defeat of the season last week in a loss to Michigan 42-35.  The Hoosiers were unable to stop Denard Robinson on the final drive of the game.  Ohio State was unimpressive in a 24-13 win over Illinois.  Jim Tressel took a conservative approach and relied upon a strong defensive effort to grind out the victory.  The Buckeyes are a 23.5 point favorite.

It feels like Indiana is close as a program to turning the corner and becoming a viable threat in the Big Ten, but they continue to lose close games down the stretch.  The Hoosiers returned nine starters on offense and that experience has definitely shown in the first four games.  Ben Chappell is leading the conference in passing and ranks 4th nationally in yards per game (348).  He has thrown for 1370 yards and 12 touchdowns with just one interception.  Chappell is running the spread offense to a tee and has a 71.6% completion percentage.  The improved play at the quarterback position has allowed Indiana to flourish on offense.  Darius Willis provides the Hoosiers with a running game.  He leads the team with 248 yards on 64 carries and has scored four touchdowns.  Willis must make the most of his opportunities because they are limited throughout the game with such a pass happy offense.  Six Indiana players have at least ten receptions on the year.  Damarlo Belcher is the top target, catching 31 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns.  Ted Bolser has a team high four touchdown receptions.  Tandon Doss is coming off a 15 catch performance against Michigan that resulted in 221 yards receiving.  The IU defense gave up 574 total yards a week ago and are definitely the weak link of this team.

The Ohio State coaching staff showed little faith in Terrelle Pryor last week.  The Buckeyes abandoned the pass in the second half after some questionable decisions by Pryor and a minor injury suffered.  The star quarterback showed his frustration late in the game when a run was signaled in on third and long.  Pryor’s numbers have been solid this season.  He has passed for 1015 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions.  The junior was criticized much of his sophomore year for his inability to throw the ball downfield, but something clicked in last year’s Rose Bowl and that success had carried over until last week.  Ohio State’s running game ranks 14th in the nation gaining 234 yards per game.  Pryor leads the team in rushing with 373 yards on 54 carries.  Dan Herron has taken over the primary ball carrying duties in the backfield and produced.  He has rushed for 287 yards on 65 carries and scored five touchdowns.  Brandon Saine is the backup and has gained 183 yards.  Dane Sanzenbacher has turned himself into an elite wide receiver in the Big Ten.  The senior has 23 receptions for 351 yards and six touchdowns.  DeVier Posey lines up opposite of Sanzenbacher and has been on the receiving end of 18 passes for 261 yards.  The Buckeye defense is annually one of the top units in the country and are allowing just over two touchdowns per game.

Ohio State has beat Indiana 15 straight times with the last nine losses being by an average of 27 points per game.  The Hoosiers will try to snap an 11 game losing streak on the road in Big Ten games.  Indiana has struggled to stop Ohio State on the ground in recent match-ups, giving up an average of 244 yards the past six games.  Too much Buckeyes in this one as the trends will continue.

Play: Ohio State -23.5

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