Assessing Ohio State’s Week 1 Performance Against Indiana

Real Pod Wednesdays

Ohio State’s first game of the 2023 season gave us plenty to talk about.

While the Buckeyes were never in danger of losing and came back from Indiana with a 1-0 record and a Big Ten road win, Ohio State and its fans were left generally unsatisfied with the team’s performance on offense after the Buckeyes scored just two touchdowns in a 23-3 win.

That’s exacerbated concerns about whether Ohio State will have the quarterback play, offensive line and running game it needs to have a championship-caliber offense this year. On the bright side, Ohio State’s defense got the year off to a dominant start as it held the Hoosiers to just three points and 153 yards.

On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss what went well for Ohio State’s defense and what didn’t go well for the Buckeyes’ offense. We also consider whether the Buckeyes’ Week 1 showing changes our expectations for the 2023 season and look at some of the other top storylines from across college football’s opening weekend.

A rundown of what we discussed in our Week 1 recap:

• 1:00: Ohio State left Bloomington with a 1-0 record and that’s what matters most (just ask Clemson)
• 2:01: Indiana’s offense may be an “anomaly,” but OSU’s defensive dominance was still impressive
• 5:25: Some Week 1 offensive struggles were expected, but they weren’t supposed to last all game
• 8:35: The offensive issues are fixable, but they must be fixed quickly with Notre Dame coming soon
• 9:10: Kyle McCord wasn’t awful, but he (or Devin Brown) must be better for OSU to achieve its goals
• 13:52: Running the ball on third down remains a persistent problem for Buckeyes
• 18:02: Ohio State did a lot of experimenting offensively, which will probably continue in Weeks 2 and 3
• 22:12: Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka have to get the ball more than they did in Week 1
• 26:17: We got spoiled by C.J. Stroud’s ball placement, and Kyle McCord isn’t at that level right now
• 28:59: Cade Stover, Julian Fleming, Chip Trayanum were offensive bright spots
• 34:22: Josh Proctor looks like he belongs in the starting lineup (though bigger tests are coming)
• 40:22: Sonny Styles’ first start lived up to the hype (though bigger tests are coming)
• 44:12: Jim Knowles “loves” the defensive tackle rotation, but Andy thinks Mike Hall needs to play more
• 45:56: Triple option was a factor in no linebacker rotation, but we’ll believe more rotation when we see it
• 50:21: Our concerns and expectations for Ohio State haven’t changed too much from a week ago
• 59:50: Looking for passing improvement, running consistency and a potential shutout in Week 2
• 1:02:43: We’re not sure what to expect from Colorado this year, but it’s sure a fun team to watch
• 1:06:54: Drew Allar looks like the real deal, which makes Penn State a real threat in the Big Ten East
• 1:08:03: Notre Dame looks more dangerous with Sam Hartman (though it hasn’t faced much competition)
• 1:08:37: New clock rules mean more commercials, but fewer possessions comes with pros and cons
• 1:15:19: Texas/Alabama, Wisconsin/Washington State among Week 2 games to watch