After Ohio State's 42-35 win vs. No, 9 Indiana on Saturday, there is a feeling of uneasiness in Buckeye Nation. The Buckeyes again struggled to put an opponent away in the second half as they have done in weeks past. After getting out to a 35-7 lead, Ohio State started losing all the momentum they accumulated in the first half.

Indiana head coach Tom Allen deserves a ton of credit for the game plan they brought to Columbus, and was able to adjust just as Ohio State did. It seemed their staff was a step ahead of Ryan Day and company, and it happens.

Indiana was able to have success on both sides of the ball by; Indiana successfully attacking Ohio State's man coverage and how they “banjo” bunch sets, Indiana D consistently getting pressure, and Indiana’s defense taking away what Ohio State does best.

A big part of Ohio State's defensive game plan was to play bump and run man coverage from a 1 and 2 high look. Through this man coverage game plan, the defensive staff mixed up different 4 and 5 man rushes from different fronts to get to Michael Penix.

In weeks past, Ohio State showed loose coverage from both 1 and 2 high looks (cover 3 and cover 4) in an even front. The key difference in this game is the alignment of the DB’s (press) and the use of both 3 and 4 man fronts interchangeably with man coverage.

Ohio State has shown the ability to play man coverage, but hasn’t for the entirety of the game. The thought process around man coverage is forcing low percentage throws (deep balls), and having the ability to bring extra rushers without losing pass integrity. If the rush can’t force the QB to speed up his delivery, DB’s can only hang on for so long. So, this creates a dilemma for defensive coordinators.

If you bring a 5th rusher, you are forcing the ball out relatively quickly, while the DB’s are slowing the release of the WR’s. Bringing 5 rushers forces a low percentage throw with the internal clock of the QB having to speed up. If you only bring 4, you give the QB enough time to find a favorable match-up and make the DB's play man coverage longer than they want to. Take this play from early in the game as an example.