With 20 sacks through six games, Indiana has given opposing offenses plenty to prepare for ahead of the top-five showdown. For Ohio State, the matchup could come down to how well its offensive line handles the pressure when the Buckeyes take the field.
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Speaking during a media conference on October 14, Ohio State offensive lineman Carson Hinzman explained what makes the Hoosiers’ defense a challenging task for any O-line in college football.
“If they’re disguising it, obviously, Indiana, they’ll have a lot of twists and stunts and stuff like that,” Hinzman said. “And so understanding what kind of front we have, what kind of twist we can get from that front, them communicating with our guards, or especially when it’s gonna be loud, being able to communicate with Julian of what we’re kind of looking at, making sure we’re on top of that…we get it done pretty well.”
Indiana’s defensive front has already caused problems for Ohio State in their previous meeting. In the 13-10 Big Ten Championship Game loss last season, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin was sacked five times, while the Buckeyes managed just 58 rushing yards.
At the time, that was an outlier, especially in pass protection. However, the Hoosiers gave other teams a template for exploiting Ohio State’s offensive weakness, especially since Julian Sayin wasn’t a willing runner last season. Miami exposed these weaknesses in the CFP, and Sayin was again sacked multiple times.
During the preseason, there was a lot of noise around Sayin evolving his game in terms of scrambling and extending plays with his legs. We got a glimpse of that against Illinois when the Ohio State QB rushed for a touchdown and got a few critical first downs using his legs.
The Indiana challenge is also reflected in Ohio State’s recent pass protection. The Buckeyes allowed six sacks across their last two games, while Indiana ranked third nationally with 49 tackles for loss and recorded 20 sacks through six games.
With Indiana’s defensive front capable of disrupting both passing and running plays, Ohio State’s ability to identify stunts and communicate blocking assignments will be an important part of the matchup.
With Ohio State set to face Indiana on Saturday, October 17, Hinzman and the offensive line will have a chance to put their preparation to the test. Beyond the matchup, Hinzman also discussed how Gabe VanSickle has grown as a player and stepped up in an unfamiliar role against Maryland.
Ohio State star praises Gabe VanSickle’s growth as offensive line depth gets tested
In the same media appearance, Carson Hinzman praised Gabe for stepping into an unfamiliar role against Maryland despite limited experience and also discussed his improvement as a player and the importance of trust among Ohio State’s offensive linemen.
“Gabe comes over to me, he’s like, ‘I don’t know if I’ve done this since ever.’ I was like, hey, you’ll be good at it, you know what I mean? Like he’s got a couple of reps before, like he’ll be good. So for him to step up the way he did,” Hinzman said. “He’s just a big human, you know what I mean? And so it’s a lot…pretty well.”
Hinzman also stressed that adapting to new responsibilities requires more than physical ability. He explained that younger players, including Gabe, have to learn additional positions and understand how their assignments fit into the team’s overall scheme.
Reflecting on Gabe’s progress since the previous season’s Big Ten Championship Game, Hinzman said he had become a better athlete and developed a stronger understanding of the game. He also praised Gabe’s ability to recover from mistakes and improve his technique, particularly his punch and strike timing.
With VanSickle continuing to improve his technique and game knowledge, Ohio State can count on his growth and versatility as the offensive line navigates new challenges.