Ohio State football has a history with aggressive, blitzing Indiana defenses.
Hoosiers came from all angles and depths, including on well-disguised attacks from the secondary.
Hoosiers coach Tom Allen and then-defensive coordinator Kane Wommack took that aggressive approach against an offensive line with three returning starters and a pair newcomers who were former five-star prospects. They got exotic against a second-year starter in Fields who had completed 86.7% of his passes in the first three games and had dangerous escapability tools.
Indiana led all Big Ten teams in sacks in 2020. Over the past two seasons, it averaged less than half as many sacks as it did the year it flummoxed Fields. Even if Allen and Guerrieri don’t dial up exotic blitzes, the Hoosier made-over defensive line could be a handful. Andre Carter recorded seven sacks among 13.5 tackles for loss last season at Western Michigan.
When IU rattled Fields in 2020, he was in his third season of playing significant, major conference snaps. Starter Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, who is also expected to play real snaps, could face an immediate challenge to their ability to read coverages and pick up telegraphed blitzes. Same for center Carson Hinzman, who makes his first career start and is responsible for making calls at the line of scrimmage.
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