Eddrick Houston has had one game circled for months. Ohio State's defensive lineman did not need much prompting when asked about the trip to Indiana next weekend.
The memory of last year's Big Ten championship defeat was enough to explain why the Buckeyes are approaching the rematch with something to prove.
"They took something from us that we really wanted," Houston told Eleven Warriors on October 11. "That was one of our goals last year. So it's time to go to their place and handle business."
Ryan Day is preparing to visit the defending national champions, a team that has won 22 consecutive games.
Indiana won the Big Ten championship game 13-10. The defeat denied Ohio State a conference title for the fifth consecutive season and gave Curt Cignetti's program another landmark result on its way to the national championship. But revenge alone will not win the game.
"Do our job; no need to try to go out of our way and make plays that might just come to us," Houston said about his game plan against Indiana . "We need to just do our job and follow the game plan and play physical."
Ohio State beat Maryland 45-16 on Saturday, but the win wasn't as clean as the score suggests. The Buckeyes were flagged eight times and lost the ball twice, one of those turnovers ending in a pick-six.
Maryland couldn't make them pay for it. Indiana may not be so forgiving. Head coach Ryan Day also acknowledged after the win that Ohio State needed to clean up those errors before traveling to Bloomington.
Houston's own improvement has arrived at a useful time. The former five-star recruit had a quiet start to the season, recording only three tackles across Ohio State's first four games.
He registered four tackles against Iowa and another four against Maryland, showing more activity along the defensive interior. That performance also included 1.5 tackles for loss against the Terrapins.
Houston says he has changed the way he approaches his job and wants to be the best three-technique tackle in the country. He knows Ryan Day needs more from him week after week, not just in flashes.
Against Indiana, he knows he will have to pressure the quarterback without chasing plays and leaving gaps for the offense to exploit. Indiana just showed its staying power against Nebraska yesterday.
Down 11 in the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers rallied to win 20-17 on the road. They weren't at their best for much of the game, but they kept themselves in it long enough to turn things around.
Indiana caught Nebraska with the wrong personnel on fourth-and-one. The Hoosiers lined up tightly in a bunched formation, and Nebraska sent in its goal-line defense. Indiana took advantage.
Hoover faked a handoff, found Nick Marsh with nobody near him, and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to win the game.
Matt Rhule blamed himself for Nebraska's coverage breakdown on Indiana's winning touchdown. "We should have called a timeout. It didn't happen. The organization is my fault," Rhule said after the game.
That's been a recurring theme under Cignetti: IU rarely makes it easy for opponents to put the game away. That's also the reason why OSU will need to be on its toes throughout the game. Still, Ryan Day's team has enough quality to come out with a win.
Last year, Ohio State left points on the field, failing to score on two red-zone visits. The biggest miss came late, when Jayden Fielding pushed a 27-yard field goal wide. That's not all.
The offensive line also had a rough day against Indiana's pass rush. Julian Sayin went down five times, losing 29 yards on those sacks. More concerning, Ryan Day couldn't get his running game going and finished with only 58 rushing yards.
Now, Ohio State's line has done a much better job of protecting Sayin this season. He has taken nine sacks through five games, fewer than two per outing. So, with more time before defenders reach him, he can work through his reads instead of scrambling to avoid pressure.
Ohio State also has two backs it can turn to. Bo Jackson has rushed for 460 yards at 5.2 yards per carry, while Ja'Kobi Jackson has 354 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
Indiana will have to account for both, which could open up more room for Sayin and the passing game. Unlike last year, of course. On top of that, stopping Jeremiah Smith will take some real effort this year.
Jeremiah Smith has been a major part of Ohio State's offense, with 916 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns through six games. So, Sayin has a reliable option to look for when the Buckeyes need a big play, particularly near the goal line.
Ohio State is 5-1 heading into the matchup, while Indiana has yet to lose in six games. The Buckeyes still have the talent to beat anyone, but Indiana has a chance to make a statement of its own.
A win would show that last season's championship run was no one-off and that the Hoosiers belong among the country's best. Ohio State looks to be the only team in its schedule now that can stop it from happening.
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