Five Questions With Buckeye Huddle's Kevin Noon on Indiana vs Ohio State

With the 2023 Indiana football season almost here, we're talking to Ohio State football reporters to get a better feel for opponent coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers will face in their season opener.

The 2023 Indiana football season begins on Sept. 2, when coach Tom Allen and the Hoosiers take on coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes in Bloomington. 

With the season opener just days away, HoosiersNow.com spoke with Kevin Noon of Buckeye Huddle to help preview the matchup. You can find Kevin on Twitter here, and you can check out Ohio State coverage at Buckeye Huddle here. 

HoosiersNow.com Interview with Kevin Noon

Hoosiers Now: "Why has Ohio State ultimately decided to rock with the 2-Quarterback system to start the 2023 season? And between Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, who do you think and/or want to win out as the starter prior to that big game against Notre Dame?"

Noon: "If you take things at face-value, it would mean that a decision can’t be made between the two quarterbacks, one way or the other. Now, I am a little bit more of a skeptic by nature and could there be some roster management in play here, keeping both guys engaged at this point to not have one guy looking at the portal over the course of the season? Maybe."

"Often times when we see a dual-quarterback system, it is more of a case of one guy being patently different than the other guy, a true passer and a true runner. That is not the case here. Devin Brown is more of a dual-threat quarterback than Kyle McCord, but Ohio State fans will be quick to talk about C.J. Stroud being the “unwilling runner” and neither of Ohio State’s quarterback candidates would fall into that category, it just may be a case of Brown being a little ‘better’ runner than his teammate."

"I still think that McCord is the right answer this season, provided Ohio State’s offensive line is able to pass block (three new starters on the line). If you can’t block, then maybe you need someone who can create a little bit more with his legs. But I tend to think the line will be just fine, maybe not as prolific as some people would want, but certainly a line that will consistently put up better than passing grades."

"Experience is key to me and while McCord only has one start (2021 – Akron) under his belt, Brown has none. I would just rather see someone who has a little more polish on him for that Notre Dame game, even if Ohio State fans plan on overtaking that stadium in South Bend."

HN: "How confident are you in this Ohio State secondary heading into week one? It's a mix of experienced guys like Josh Proctor and Denzel Burke with newcomers like Davison Igbinosun, and one of the less stable positions on the OSU defense so far. Do you think IU's wide receivers and running backs (two of their best position groups) could take advantage in the passing game?"

Noon: "Ohio State’s defense was not as bad as people remember from 2022, it is just a case that Ohio State had a few too many busts at the worst possible times. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles shocked everyone upon arrival talking about five “big plays” against the defense per game, something that Ohio State fans immediately freaked out. But it came true in the Michigan game when the contest was decided by about five big gains, but you can also couple that with the offense not scoring all that much in the second half."

"Ohio State’s corners could be really good this year with Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun. Ohio State plays a 4-2-5 defense, but three of the defensive backs are safeties, so it would have to be more of a rotation at corner. Ohio State dealt with a lot of injuries in 2022, and while that is not something that only Ohio State dealt with (every team has injuries, but it was particularly bad for Ohio State in ’22) it put a wrench in things."

"The big X-factor in the secondary will be the play of Sonny Styles, who finally got some run in the Peach Bowl when UGA was running out of 12 personnel and the need of a big safety was real. Lathan Ransom, Ja’Had Carter and others will be in the mix too as Ohio State looks to get its best 11 on the field."

"In short, the secondary has a lot of experience, and while a few parts have experience at different schools and none at Ohio State, there are not going to be a lot of teams on the schedule that will be able to come out and throw with a lot of success, and if they do, we have been greatly misled."

HN: "Do you think Ohio State particularly cares who starts between Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby? Or do you think they look at it as 'We can run these guys over easily no matter who they start, so it just doesn't matter'?

Noon: "I think Ohio State is focused on Ohio State in many regards, and before readers jump on “yet another arrogant Ohio State writer” let me explain. I listened to Tom Allen’s press conference on Monday, and he said that Indiana was preparing for both of Ohio State’s quarterbacks, and I am sure it is the same thing in turn for Ohio State preparing for both of Indiana’s quarterbacks and whatever challenges that may bring."

"As for the second part of the question, I don’t think it is a matter of being, “run these guys over, regardless” but so much of football is based off of a level of confidence that doesn’t cross the line of negligence. Each player has his own strengths and weaknesses, and Ohio State will have to be ready to see each be used liberally, potentially."

"Now, I have covered a lot of football through the years, and I know the problems that a mobile quarterback brings to the table, so I think many coaches would prefer to face a pocket passer who really only moves the pocket and doesn’t tuck the ball and run, but that is just me."

HN: "What challenges do this WR core of Harrison, Egbuka and Fleming pose to the Indiana secondary? Just how special are they, and what do they force a defense to do with their talent?"

Noon: "You have put me in another position here where I am going to sound very high on the team that I cover, but it is warranted. Many services have Marvin Harrison Jr. listed as the top wide receiver in college football, and I have seen Emeka Egbuka listed as the No. 2 or No. 3 receiver, not in the Big Ten, but in the nation."

"The wild card is really going to be Julian Fleming, a former No. 1 receiver coming out of high school who has had more injuries than Lee Majors prior to his six-million-dollar upgrade. Fleming said during fall camp that he is healthy and ready to go, but we have heard that before. If Fleming is not as effective as the Buckeyes would like, does that open the door for longtime back-up Jayden Ballard, or does the youth movement get an early start with Carnell Tate, a player that Harrison Jr. said is further along than he was right now compared to when Harrison was entering his sophomore season of 2022?"

"I have seen a lot of receivers at Ohio State that have gone on to the league, and I am not trapped with a recency bias where I can only talk about the Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Terry McLaurin groups. I have been around for Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn Jr. and even David Boston and others."

"This is the best group of wide receivers I have ever seen and that is without seeing the class of 2023 play a single down. I just feel that way with the one-two of Harrison Jr. and Egbuka. Throw the rest in and this is going to be a downright scary group just due to their technique, route running and catch radius."

How is Matt Guerrieri prepping Indiana’s defense for Ohio State?

“He described them as nameless, faceless objects,” LB Aaron Casey says. #iufb pic.twitter.com/oyVuICOavz

— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) August 28, 2023

Everyone knows it's been 35 years now since Indiana beat Ohio State, and OSU is probably going to win again. How do you think the OSU team and fans view Indiana football? Is there any hint of almost sympathy OSU fans feel for IU?

Noon: "Ohio State fans do not feel sympathy. Period. Full Stop."

"Maybe it is the amount of Fireball and Natty Light they pound in the tailgate lots, or maybe it is something else. Ohio State fans still have 2020 in their memories and something that was way-too-close for their liking."

"Maybe it is just something going back to basketball and Bobby Knight and some of the battles between the two programs in the early 90s."

"When I talk to fans, nobody parrots the overall record of this series back to me. They are aware that Ohio State has had its way, but that there have been a couple of close games. But Indiana has not gotten over the hump the way that team further north up the Wabash River has and how highly ranked Ohio State teams have gone into Ross-Ade Stadium only to come home with a loss."

"Ohio State fans will be pulling for Indiana against Penn State and Michigan and anything else that serves their needs, but that isn’t saying much, as they would root for just about anyone in those instances."

"Then again, maybe that isn’t the worst thing in the world. I am not sure any Indiana fan is going to feel any better with a ‘pity like’ or words of encouragement like, “Good job buddy, maybe next year” and deep down, isn’t there a level of respect there when your opponent doesn’t want to let up, regardless of what the record may show?"

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