Top-Ranked Buckeyes Open Big Ten Play at Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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#1 Ohio State at Indiana
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, 3:30 p.m. ET
Memorial Stadium (52,929), Bloomington, IN
TV: ABC/ESPN2 (reverse mirror)
Mike Patrick (play-by-play)
Ed Cunningham (analyst)
Dr. Jerry Punch (sideline)
Radio: WBNS FM (97.1 The Fan)
Radio: WBNS FM (97.1 The Fan) The Urban Meyer pregame show airs 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Paul Keels will call the action with former Buckeye Jim Lachey and Marty Bannister on the sidelines. The game can also be heard nationally on Sirius channel 135 and XM channel 195.
FIRST AND 10
- Ohio State enters the game having won 14 consecutive road games and 17 in a row overall, the longest active streaks in the nation.
- Ohio State has won 24 Big Ten regular season games in a row, going 8-0 in each of the past three seasons. The streak is a Big Ten record.
- The last time Ohio State and Indiana faced one another with an undefeated record was in 1942 when both teams were 1-0.
- Running back Ezekiel Elliott has a current streak of nine consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing. He is third in the Big Ten with 113.8 ypg.
- Safety Vonn Bell is second in the Big Ten with seven passes defended. He has six pass break-ups and one interception.
- Ohio State is one of only two teams from a Power 5 conference to not allow a rush of 20 yards or more this season (Missouri). The Buckeyes have given up just one rushing TD this season (NIU).
- Ohio State is tied for ninth in the FBS with 3.5 sacks per game (14 total).
- In the win over Western Michigan, Ohio State scored a defensive TD for the third time this season.
- Urban Meyer has the highest winning percentage (.848) among active coaches.
- Meyer is 15-0 in road games in his Ohio State coaching career. Under Meyer, Ohio State’s defense has given up the second-fewest rushing yards in the FBS in road games since 2012 at 110.3 ypg.
SETTING THE STAGE
No. 1 Ohio State (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will hit the road to start conference play when they travel to Bloomington, Ind., to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (4-0, 0-0) at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and televised on ABC with an ESPN2 reverse mirror in out-of-market areas. The Buckeyes are coming off a 38-12 win over Western Michigan while the Hoosiers picked up a 31-24 win at Wake Forest last Saturday. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers are meeting as undefeated teams for the first time since 1942 when both teams were 1-0.
ADOLPHUS, SAMUEL, ELFLEIN LEAD CHAMPIONS
Offensive lineman Pat Elflein and hybrid back Curtis Samuel led a nine-man champions group on offense by being named co-players of the game on that side of the ball while Adolphus Washington was named defensive player of the game against Western Michigan. Weekly champions vs. the Broncos included Joey Bosa, Michael Thomas, Corey Smith, Ezekiel Elliott, Jacoby Boren, Billy Price, Taylor Decker and Marcus Baugh. Special teams player of the game awards went to Corey Smith and Cameron Johnston. The scout team player of the week was Jared Drake.
JOHNSTON NAMED B1G SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior punter Cameron Johnston was recognized by the Big Ten on Monday for his outstanding play vs. Western Michigan.
Johnston repeatedly put Western Michigan’s offense in a tough position by averaging 51.5 yards off four punts with three of them inside the 20 and two of those inside the 10 (at the 1 and 8 yard lines; his other I20 was downed at the 13). The Buckeyes gave up zero punt return yards on the day for a fine 51.5 net average per punt. Johnston now has 64 punts downed I20 for his career, a mark that is second in Ohio State history to A.J. Trapasso who had 78 from 2005-08.
ROAD WIN STREAK TOPS IN THE NCAA
Ohio State has won 14 consecutive games on the road (games on an opponents home field), the longest such streak in the nation. Florida State has won 13 consecutive road games.
THE SILVER BULLET DEFENSE
Ohio State’s defense has been nothing short of dominant this season, living up to its “Silver Bullets” billing. The Buckeyes are giving up just 253.0 total yards per game and 12.2 points, including just 25 total points in the past three games.
Three of the six touchdowns scored by opponents this season have been a result of short fields. NIU’s only TD drive started at the Ohio State 22-yard line and two of Virginia Tech’s scoring drives started at the Ohio State 38- and 41-yard lines.
Here is a breakdown of what Ohio State’s defense has done so far this season and where they rank:
- No. 6 in the FBS and No. 2 in the Big Ten in fewest yards allowed (253.3 ypg).
- No. 8 in the FBS and No. 2 in the Big Ten in total passing yards allowed (131.5 ypg).
- No. 5 in the FBS in opponent completion percentage (.451).
- No. 8 in the FBS and No. 2 in the Big Ten in opponent passer rating (90.1).
- T-9th in the FBS with 14 sacks.
- Are one of only two teams from a Power 5 conference to not allow a rush of 20 yards or more this season (Missouri).
- No. 3 in the Big Ten in fewest first downs allowed (15.0).
- Tied for 1st in the Big Ten with 6 interceptions.
- Vonn Bell: No. 2 in the Big Ten in passes defended (7).
- Three Buckeyes (Darron Lee, Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis) rank in the Top 15 in the Big Ten in sacks.
- Ohio State has scored a defensive touchdown in three of four games this season, including two straight games with a pick-6.
- Held NIU to 404 yards below its season average.
- The 38-0 win over Hawai’i marked the fifth shutout for the Buckeyes in the Meyer era.
- The Silver Bullets have recorded at least two shutouts in a season in each of the past two years. The Buckeyes shut out Kent State (66-0) and Wisconsin (59-0) in 2014 and Florida A&M (76-0) and Purdue (56-0) in 2013.
