Buckeyes scared in Bloomington 34-27

The top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were outplayed for a half and every time that they picked up the pace,the Indiana Hoosiers had an answer.
What Ohio State had that the Hoosiers didn't was Ezekiel Elliott and his 274 yards combined with three long touchdown runs and a batted away pass in the end zone on the last play of the game allowed OSU to escape Bloomington with a 34-27 win.
Cardale Jones threw for 274 yards and a score,while Jalin Marshall caught six passes for 110 yards for the now 5-0 Buckeyes.
Ohio State returns home next Saturday to host Maryland on the Terrapins first visit to the Horseshoe...

Olenthangy Offerings

1) What a game from Ezekiel Elliott!
Elliott almost singlehandedly won this with his 274 rushing yards (tying Keith Byars for second most in a game by a Buckeye) and three touchdown runs of 55,65 and 75 yards.
Elliott's game might have re-entered him in the Heisman race and more importantly kept the Buckeyes in the national title race....

2) I feel a little iffy on Cardale Jones,even though he threw just one interceptiona,although it wasn't a good pass that was picked off.
It was pretty clear to me that Urban Meyer was afraid to let him throw the football in the latter part of the game and allowed Indiana to crawl back into the game.
It reminded me of how the Buckeyes did the same thing to J.T.Barrett against Penn State last season and allowed an inferior team to hang in there due to an overly conservative offense...

3) Jalen Marshall did have some nice receiving numbers,but fumbled the ball twice.
When you look at Marshall's similar issues against Indiana last year,perhaps he should skip the Indiana game next season.
In all seriousness,Marshall holds the ball away from his ball and doesn't take care of the football.
Marshall brings so much to the game with his explosiveness,it's too bad that you always have to worry about the security of the football...

4) Ohio State did take a sizable chunk of the Indiana offense away with injuries to Hoosier quarterback Nate Sudfeld and running back Jordan Howard.
Indiana couldn't throw the ball with backup passer Zander Diamont and had to result to trick plays to move the ball through the air.

5) The Buckeyes lost another wideout with the loss of Corey Smith to a leg injury that looked especially gruesome.
Smith had just started to become more of a force at wide receiver and his loss will be felt.

6) Classless fans in Bloomington,who decided to pick a time with a player down on the field with a potentially season ending injury to chant "F Ohio State"...

7) I wonder where Braxton Miller went in this offense?
Miller had one reception and a rushing play and the creativity that was used to get the ball in his hands against Virginia Tech has disappeared.
A little Miller might be the ticket to loosen defenses that will focus more and more on Ezekiel Elliott.

8) Raekwon McMillan finished with 14 tackles and Adolphus Washington with 10 more,no matter the issues on this day-the run defense up the middle was not one of them...

9) The last time that Indiana defeated Ohio State?
1988,when my son was one year old and still in diapers and I was just 20 years old.
Indiana won the 87 and 88 games and before that?
Ohio State had not lost to the Hoosiers in 36 years,so in the last 63 years (almost my father's lifetime),the Hoosiers have defeated the Buckeyes twice.
Losses to Indiana will not be tolerated....

10) I'm hoping that this is one of these dodged bullets that occasionally happens,but the game that that I found myself reflecting on as the game progressed was the 2002 title team and their win on the road against an average Purdue team that somehow pulled out a win on a similarly bad weather day on the road.

11) However,that team had an offensive identity-a run first team led by Maurice Clarett that used the pass as an way to keep the defense honest.
Considering the issues at quarterback and the injuries at wide receiver,perhaps this team should ponder a similar plan.