Analysis of the Enemy: Indiana

What: Indiana Hoosiers @ the Ohio State University Buckeyes

When: Saturday, October 9th; 12:00 p.m. EST.

Where: Along the Olentangy

Television: ESPN Regional

Weather Forecast: High- 75 degrees; Low- 57 degrees; 20% chance of precipitation

The Indiana Hoosers are 3-1 after suffering another heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines. Disappointment was high in Bloomington last weekend, but that shouldn't overshadow the job that Bill Lynch has done in continuing the progress of the late Terry Hoeppner. Lynch's Hoosiers have will look to match their season win total from 2009 against the Buckeyes on Saturday.

Football Outsider's statistic, which you can find more information on here, are quite bearish on Indiana's defense. They have them ranked last in the country in S & P +, and 97th in the country in team S & P+.

Quarterback(s)

Ben Chappell (2010)

So Ben Chappell is pretty good at this thing called a forward pass. While Chappell's success has come at the expense of I-AA and MAC schools, and Michigan, it's still statistically impressive. Chappell is 9th in the country in touchdowns, 5th in completion percentage, 7th in attempts per game, and 3rd in yards per game, all while having turned the ball over once. He is, essentially, the Indiana offense.

Operating out of a modified Pistol formation, Chappell runs an Indiana offense that passes the ball about 58% of the time. While Chappell lacks NFL-size and measurables, he has the perfect characteristics for a collegiate quarterback. His short-to-medium accuracy is tremendous, and his decision-making skills prevent turnovers.

Offensive Line+ Heavy Personnel

Ben Chappell's efficiency has also helped the offensive line's performance. Only allowing 4 sacks on the year, the line has blocked enough for Indiana's passing game to take effect. Granted, they have not faced a defensive line as talented or athletic as Ohio State's, but the Indiana offense is built to circumvent the pressure packages of teams with great talent.. The line need only block for a very short amount of time before the ball is out of the quarterback's hand; obviously, this type of offense needs a player who can make correct decisions quickly, like Chappell, to function.

Indiana is largely a multiple wide receiver team, but freshman tight end Ted Bolser has worked into the rotation, notching 10 receptions, 4 of which have been touchdowns.

Hit the jump for more, including a detailed overview of what to expect on Saturday.

Skill Positions

Indiana, of all places, has some serious NFL talent at the skill positions.

Damarlo Belcher (6"5, 210) and Tandon Doss (6"3, 200) have size and impressive body control. Neither are elite level sprinters, but their production and overall athleticism are impressive. Doss, if you remember, victimized the Ohio State secondary on a few occasions last year, when he had 6 catches for 96 yards.

Darius Willis is talented, and he bears the brunt of the Hoosier rushing burden. Of course, the rushing attack is a secondary feature of Indiana's offense. They've relied on Ben Chappell's arm so far, and I see no reason for that to stop.

One thing to keep an eye on for this game is Tandon Doss on reverses and jet sweeps. They occasionally put him in motion pre-snap and then give him the ball after a play-fake to the running back.

Defensive Front Seven

Indiana lost some talent to graduation and the NFL Draft last year on the defensive line, and they now have three sophomores starting. Defensive tackles Adam Repogle ( 6"3, 295) and Larry Black (6"2 ,326) are both big bodied dudes who take up space. Strongside end Mick Mentzer rounds out the sophomore trio at 303 lbs., with junior weakside end Darius Johnson a lithe 252.

Another Repogle, this time Tyler, mans an outside linebacker spot, along with Leon Beckum. Middle linebacker Chad Scherer is the smallest of them all at 6"0, 220 lbs.

Secondary

Two seniors and two juniors fill out the secondary for the Hoosiers. Sr. Richard Council (6''1) and Jr. Matt Ernest (6''2) are the corners, with Sr. Mitchell Evans (6''3) and Jr. Donnell Jones (5''10) manning the safety positions. As you can see, Indiana's secondary has good height, especially at the corner spots. I was not particularly impressed by them on film, but last week's game against Michigan was very unique, and the strategy that they employ this week will be noticeably different.

Special Teams

Tandon Doss is a well-rounded individual. Junior Chris Hagerup averages 37 yards per punt, and Indiana ranks 97th in opponent kick returns. Ohio State should have a solid day in returns, based off this evidence.

Overview

Indiana is 88th in total defense and 72nd in scoring defense, and I expect the Buckeyes to get back on track, barring residual issues from Terrelle Pryor's quad injury last week. He basically functioned as a decoy the entire second half, and if he is limited in any way, the Ohio State offense depreciates quickly.

Frankly, this game has become much scarier over the last few weeks because of Ohio State's injuries in the secondary. Losing "Star" Tyler Moeller and starting safety C.J. Barnett for the season, combined with various players missing time because of minor injuries, has Ohio State thin, and suddenly young as far as depth goes, in the secondary. We need the starters to stay healthy now, because it only gets harder from here on out. Indiana's passing game is no joke, and while their defense may be struggling to stop opponents, their offense is flying high. True freshman Christian Bryant will be tested, as he will play significantly in stead of Andrew Sweat when Indiana uses multiple receiver formations (which is often.)

In case of further injury to the secondary, youngsters Corey Brown, Dominic Clarke, and especially Travis Howard will need to step up. It is unfortunate that a possible national championship run has been marred by a rash of injuries to the same unit so early in the season, but part of the benefit of being Ohio State is having the kind of talented depth that helps you overcome these issues. The defining portion of this game, in my opinion, is how Ohio State's depleted secondary handles an Indiana passing attack that is not only the best part of their team but truly one of the best in the country.

If Terrelle Pryor is healthy, I expect the offense to do work. Indiana's defensive line is big but young, and the experienced Buckeyes should handle them well enough to move the ball consistently throughout the day. The defense, perhaps surprisingly to some, will be a serious point of interest for me as I watch this game.