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One measure of a successful college football program is the nitpicking from fans and media after a 21-point victory. Such was the case after second-ranked Ohio State's 38-17 win over Indiana on Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes were good, but not as good as they had been in their first four games of the season.
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The Hoosiers came ready to play and challenged the Buckeyes for much of the afternoon, but in the end they couldn't match Ohio State's superior talent.
For the first time this season, Ohio State didn't move the ball as efficiently as it had done against the likes of Oklahoma and Rutgers. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was limited to 93 yards passing, completing just 9 of 21 throws, and was forced to run 26 times for 137 yards to help the offense get some traction against Indiana.
The Buckeyes' game plan was to hit some deep balls to loosen up the Hoosiers' defense, but Barrett either misfired, receivers ran bad routes or the coverage blanketed his wideouts, forcing his excessive number of runs. He also faced some pressure from the Indiana pass rush that the offensive line at times found difficult to contain.
"We're going to go to the drawing board and clean it up next week," Ohio State freshman running back Mike Weber said. "Eliminate (mistakes) and get bigger wins."
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, though, isn't going to worry too much about Barrett taking off with the ball considering his dynamic playmaking ability that's reminiscent of Braxton Miller a few years ago.
"I'll tell you, it's part of playing quarterback in this offense. You're one of the best players in the country, we're going to play you and use you and do what you do well," Meyer said. "We're aware of (the number of rushes) and have to be somewhat intelligent about how we do it, but go win the game."
Meanwhile, the defense continues to play at a high level. Ohio State forced two turnovers, including safety Malik Hooker's fourth interception of the season, and made some key stops. The biggest was a stop inside the 5-yard line in the second half with Indiana threatening to make it a seven-point game.
So the Buckeyes will file away the victory and move on to a more formidable challenge on Saturday night at No. 8 Wisconsin, which had a bye last week after losing for the first time this season the previous week at No. 4 Michigan in a hard-fought 14-7 decision.
The Buckeyes realize they have to play better this week than they did against Indiana.
"Outstanding. The typical Wisconsin," Meyer said. "I think it goes back to (former) Coach (Barry) Alvarez and what he's built up there. I think Coach (Paul) Chryst ... I can push play and see it's one of the best coached teams in the United States of America. Very good players. They have their niche."
Playing at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison is never easy. The fans are hostile and Wisconsin will be gunning to knock off Ohio State, which lost there as recently as 2010.
Wisconsin is in the midst of the rigorous part of its Big Ten schedule. Coming off a bye week after the tough loss at Michigan and facing the prime-time matchup with Ohio State on Saturday, the Badgers travel to Iowa the following week and then return home to face Nebraska.
Defensively, the Badgers get after opponents. In the loss to Michigan, their defense neutralized an offense that piled up 77 points against Rutgers last week. Michigan scored its second touchdown -- the winning points -- against Wisconsin in the fourth quarter.
"They're outstanding. They're what they've been," Meyer said. "It's amazing that they've had coach transition. They've changed defensive coordinators and it's a very similar defense. It's Wisconsin's defense. I like that. I like the fact that we change coordinators on offense, it's Ohio State's offense, so Wisconsin you've got to give the leadership a lot of credit. One of the best teams in America."
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
--QB J.T. Barrett -- The junior's upward trajectory in the Heisman Trophy race leveled off Saturday in Ohio State's 37-17 win over Indiana. Barrett had played spectacularly in the Buckeyes' first four games, but he was not nearly as dominant against the Hoosiers. Partly because of Indiana's defense, Barrett was off target and never able to get in a rhythm in the passing game, throwing for a season-low 93 yards and completing only 9 of 21 passes with one interception. With the passing game stalled, Barrett used his feet to run for a game-best 137 yards on 26 carries, but coach Urban Meyer doesn't necessarily want to see Barrett pulling the ball down and running as often in the future.
--DB Malik Hooker -- The first-year starter is a phenomenon. Ohio State has sent more than its share of talented defensive backs to the NFL in recent years and Hooker could follow if he continues his rapid ascent. In Saturday's win over Indiana, Hooker came away with his fourth interception in six games. His fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown, which would have been his third score this year, was nullified by an illegal block. He finished with four tackles, boosting his season total to 23 tackles, tied for third most on the team. The Ohio State secondary limited Indiana to 182 yards passing.
--RB/H-back Curtis Samuel -- The junior carried only nine times in Saturday's 38-17 win over Indiana and gained 82 yards, but he did not catch a pass. That's not enough touches, coach Urban Meyer said after the game. So expect to see Samuel targeted more this week against Wisconsin, either running the ball out of the backfield or getting the ball in space on short throws. Samuel's game-breaking ability is too great to give him limited opportunities, especially on the perimeter. Look for some big plays from Samuel against a tightly packed Wisconsin defense this week.
