Top grades:
Indiana’s wide COLUMBUS — receivers put on a clinic in the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday, making one-handed grabs and other great catches look routine. Ohio State’s secondary, featuring three new starters, looked unprepared.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano praised Indiana’s play Monday. On the other hand, he said, “catches are unacceptable” at Ohio State, no matter how great they are.
“We got off to a slow start,” Schiano said Monday. “They made some plays. It was a group of guys who have played some but hadn’t started, haven’t been in that role. I was concerned a little bit in the first half, but I was pleased with how they rebounded in the second half.”
Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow completed 40 of 65 passes and threw for 410 yards against the Buckeyes. He did most of the damage in the first half. Indiana led 14-13 at halftime, but Ohio State rallied to win the season opener 49-21 at Memorial Stadium.
“As coaches you always see the negative first, but when you look at the game, there was a really a ton of positive things,” Schiano said. “The defensive line played outstanding. We had 38 plays of no gain or lost yardage. That’s rare.”
Ohio State named defensive end Tyquan Lewis the defensive player of the game. Wide receiver Parris Campbell and running back J.K. Dobbins shared the offensive award. Freshman Amir Riep was named special teams player of the game.
Early contributions:
Ohio State defensive coordinator Dobbins and Riep were two of seven true freshmen to play for the Buckeyes. The others were defensive back Jeffrey Okudah; linebacker Baron Browning; defensive lineman Chase Young and Haskell Garrett; and kicker Blake Haubeil.
Lineup update:
Urban Meyer said Monday he hasn’t figured out how he will rotate Dobbins, who rushed for 181 yards in the opener, and Mike Weber, the returning starter who missed the opener with a hamstring injury, on Saturday against Oklahoma. He said Weber was at full speed in practice Monday and will make his season debut.
Ohio State confirmed Saturday Eric Glover-Williams, a junior safety turned wide receiver, was no longer with the program. On Monday, Meyer said the departure had to do with a “school conduct issue” but offered no further elaboration.
Road change: closures:
Fans attending the 7:30 p.m. h ome o pener Saturday against Oklahoma should be aware of the closure of Cannon Drive. It will be closed between 12th Avenue and Medical Center Drive.
Construction running through the fall of 2019 will mean the loss of 2,100 parking spots in the Polo and Dodd surface lots along Can- non Drive. Fans who have parked in these lots in previous seasons are encouraged to park in the Ninth Avenue Garage or in the West Campus lots near Kenny Road. Fans can also use CABS shuttles from the West Campus lots to Ohio Stadium.
Rules reminder:
Ohio State will once again enforce a “no bag policy” at Ohio Stadium. Bags larger than 5x8x1 inches will not be permitted into the stadium. That’s the size of an 8½x11-inch piece of paper folded in half.
Fans with medical or childcare needs will be allowed to carry one bag no larger than 14x4x4 into the stadium through the Band Center entrance between Gates 10 and 12 or the press entrance between the Huntington Club and Gate 23. on it. Regardless of how that game turned out, this is one of those games both teams are excited to play.”
This game will be an even bigger test for Ohio State’s inexperienced secondary, which let Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow throw for 410 yards and three touchdowns on Thursday. The Buckeyes did shut out the Hoosiers in the final quarter, winning 49-21.
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates, completed 19 of 20 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns in just one half in a 56-7 victory Saturday over UTEP.
A year ago, Mayfield completed 17 of 32 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns against Ohio State. OSU intercepted Mayfield twice. Jerome Baker returned one pick 68 yards for a score.
In addition to Mayfield, Oklahoma features an offensive line ranked the best in the country by Phil Steele’s College Football Preview.
“They have a solid and nextlevel offensive line,” Ohio State defensive tackle Robert Landers said. “You add Baker Mayfield to the equation. He’s a very versatile quarterback. He can beat you with his feet and his arm. It’s going to be very challenging not only up front but also for the secondary.”
Mayfield’s top target Saturday was tight end Mark Andrews, who caught seven passes for 134 yards. Fourteen players caught at least one pass. Eight players scored touchdowns.
Joe Mixon, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, led the Oklahoma running game a season ago, rushing for 78 yards against Ohio State. Abdul Adams started at running back in the opener for the Sooners, gaining 53 yards on seven carries.
In all, Oklahoma returns nine starters on offense. It will be a familiar group in more ways than one.
Even though Oklahoma has a new head coach, its offense won’t change. Riley was the offensive coordinator the last two seasons and led an offense that ranked third in the nation in scoring offense (44.2 points per game) during that time.
“They have the same coordinator on both sides of the ball,” Meyer said. “I know coach Bob Stoops very well. I know why he (resigned) — because he thought (Riley) would carry on the same culture that he created. Yeah, it’s going to be the same Oklahoma team.”