Head coach Ryan Day talks before Ohio State’s game against the Maryland Terrapins on Oct. 10, 2026. Credit: Liam Ahern | Managing Photo Editor.
Ohio State has not lost to Indiana in Memorial Stadium since 1988.
This matchup deems to be a tougher challenge.
As No. 5 Indiana hosts the No. 4 Buckeyes Saturday, the Hoosiers enter the matchup on a 22-game winning streak and as the reigning national champions.
Indiana also defeated Ohio State 13-10 in last season’s Big Ten Championship.
Head coach Ryan Day emphasized that although Ohio State is able to learn some from last season’s matchup, it is a new season.
“Nothing that happened in the past has anything to do with what’s going on this weekend,” Day said. “We can learn from the past and so some of the guys who played in that game can learn about all the reasons why we came up short and that’s fine and that’s good, but the focus has to be on right now and that’s it.”
Here are takeaways from Day’s Tuesday press conference on the importance of the team’s offensive line play and red zone performance.
Critical offensive line play
Indiana’s defensive line proves to be a tough task for the Buckeyes’ offense as the Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in sacks, with 20.?
As a result, Day emphasized how critical Ohio State’s offensive line play will be.?
“It is going to be a huge challenge, they do an excellent job up front on defense, their defensive line is one of the biggest challenges we’ll have all season,” Day said. “So we’ve got to have a great week of preparation.”
The Buckeyes were without starting offensive linemen Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels last week against Maryland, however, signs point to Daniels returning to face Indiana.?
“Looks like we’ll get Phil [Daniels] back this week and so he’ll have a full day [of practice] today,” Day said.?
Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Siereveld and Daniels, all started in the Buckeyes’ 13-10 loss to Indiana last year. Day emphasized the importance of having those returning starters face their upcoming opponent, in the Big Ten Championship a year ago.
“The good news is some of these guys have played against Indiana before and so they know how good these guys are and what comes with it,” Day said.
Red zone efficiency?
In Ohio State’s first top-five matchup of the season against Texas, the Buckeyes made five trips inside the Longhorns’ 20-yard line, but only scored two touchdowns.?
Since then, the Buckeyes have scored 14 touchdowns on 20 red zone trips.
Day emphasized what Ohio State will need to do to be successful in the red zone against the Hoosiers.?
“We can’t take negative plays, we’ve got to be efficient and execute and give them a good plan down there,” Day said. “That’s all about how we practice and how we prepare.”
Red zone struggles were also notable in the Big Ten Championship game last season, as Ohio State made four trips inside the 20-yard line, but only scored 10 points.
While Day isn’t focused on what happened in the past, he said during last season’s game against Indiana, red zone execution, in addition to converting four of 12 third downs, was not good enough.
“You’re not going to win many games when you do that,” Day said. “I think the thing that’s significant is it’s just a good reminder of how important those situations are.”
While the Buckeyes and Hoosiers are currently tied for fourth in red zone defense in the Big Ten, Indiana has an advantage on the offensive side of the ball. The Hoosiers are the eighth-ranked unit, compared to Ohio State’s 11th-ranked red zone offense among teams in the conference.?
“If we’re going to win this game, we’ve got to be good in there on both sides of the ball,” Day said.
