The No. 2 Buckeyes celebrate their 31-7 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field by singing Carmen Ohio together on Saturday. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor
At the top of the 2024 season, nobody expected the Indiana versus Ohio State matchup to be anything more than just another game on the Big Ten schedule.
Nobody anticipated the Hoosiers would be ranked, and nobody could’ve predicted the Buckeyes would have to fight for their lives to win.
Saturday’s top-five matchup at Ohio Stadium will mark a first for No. 5 Indiana, though stakes are sky-high for both teams. The Hoosiers will compete in their first top-five regular-season game in program history, whereas the Buckeyes will play in their third top-five matchup of 2024.
Quarterback Will Howard said he thinks Ohio State’s experience of playing in two top-five games already this season will work to its advantage.
“I think we learned from that Oregon game going into the Penn State game how to finish a game,” Howard said. “I feel confident that we’ve seen it, we’ve done it, we’ve been in these big games; I’ve played in a lot of them myself, and this year, this team is seasoned.”
Indiana’s No. 5 ranking isn’t something Ohio State is used to seeing either. It’s been 57 years since the Hoosiers have been ranked inside the top five, according to the Indiana Daily Student.
“This is going to be that type of game where we gotta be loud on third down every time they have the ball, and certainly, the atmosphere is going to be tremendous,” head coach Ryan Day said.
But Ohio State will be without one key starter this weekend, as well as for the rest of the season.
During Tuesday’s practice, starting center Seth McLaughlin suffered an Achilles injury, which is expected to sideline him for Saturday and the remainder of the year. The Buckeyes already lost starting left tackle Josh Simmons Oct. 12 against Oregon due to a season-ending knee injury.
“I’m crushed for Seth and our team,” Day said. “Once that wears off, you gotta move on. It’s the next-man-up mentality.”
For Indiana, head coach Curt Cignetti is in his first year with the program, after previously being at the helm of James Madison University’s football team for five seasons.
Following his arrival, Cignetti brought in 30 transfers — the third most in the country, according to Sports Grid — which included a core group of players from James Madison.
“I think that’s a winning recipe,” Day said. “I think when you come in without having guys who know your culture, that’s a little bit of a different approach.”
Defensively, the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in sacks with 31, according to cfbstats. Indiana’s unit is led by defensive end Mikail Kamara, who has garnered 9.5 sacks in 10 games — the most in the conference.
On the offensive side of the ball, Indiana is led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who played his first five college seasons at Ohio University and relocated to Bloomington, Indiana, for his final year of eligibility.
Rourke has completed 71.8% of his passes in nine games, sitting at fourth best in the Big Ten. In addition, he’s thrown 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions, all of which are top four in their respective categories.
“[Rourke is] extremely efficient — calm in the pocket and very efficient,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “[He] makes all the throws, gets rid of the ball quickly. In that type of offense, he’s very smart and figures out where the holes of the defense are and takes advantage.”
Though Rourke has only rushed for 17 yards in 2024, he amassed 832 yards on the ground during his time at Ohio University. Knowles said the Buckeyes have to be prepared for Rourke to use his legs Saturday.
“He hasn’t shown it that much, but you always have to be sound against it,” Knowles said. “We know we’ve had some issues in the past, not really in the quarterback run game, but more the improvised scramble or quarterback draw. So yeah, we have to work on that.”
Despite knowing that every game is a must-win now more than ever, Day said he’s relying on leaders and veterans to guide the team through this critical portion of the season.
“It’s easy to lose focus when you’re young on what’s going on across the country, or what’s going on in the future or what’s gone on in the past. The most important thing is focusing on what’s going on right now,” Day said. “We’ve got a top-five matchup right here at home, and we got everything on the line: an opportunity to go to Indy and reach our goals.”
