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Indiana-Ohio St. Preview

Oct 5, 2010 - 8:02 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Writer

Indiana (3-1) at No. 8 Ohio State (5-0), 12:00 p.m. EDT

The health of Terrelle Pryor was Ohio State's concern even after surviving a scare in its Big Ten opener, but the Heisman hopeful's gimpy leg appears to be improving every day.

Even if Pryor isn't 100 percent, Jim Tressel's team likely won't have too much trouble against Indiana.

A leaky Hoosiers defense has been particularly vulnerable on the ground, a weakness Pryor and the second-ranked Buckeyes look to exploit as they seek a 16th consecutive win in the series Saturday in Columbus.

Ohio State (5-0, 1-0) cruised through its non-conference slate with four victories by an average of five touchdowns but had to sweat for 60 minutes last Saturday at Illinois.

Of particular concern was Pryor's left quadriceps, which he strained on a drive early in the third quarter. After missing the next two series while his team nursed a 14-10 lead, the junior returned to lead a pair of scoring drives in the fourth - mostly handing the ball off - as the Buckeyes held off the Illini 24-13.

"The worst thing was when I came back and the guys thought I was alright and they were saying, 'Come on Terrelle, lead us,'" Pryor said. "There was no way I could do anything but hand the ball off and maybe get a couple passes."

Tressel said Tuesday that he thinks Pryor will be fine to face the Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1).

"Even if he's limited a little bit, each day he'll get a little closer to 100 percent," said Tressel, who is looking to record his 100th victory in 121 games since arriving in Columbus.

Only Michigan's Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler (119 games) have reached the milestone faster.

Pryor is Ohio State's leading rusher with 373 yards and is averaging 6.9 yards per carry, spearheading a ground game that's amassing 234.4 yards per game with the help of junior Dan Herron, who has five touchdowns.

Herron, nicknamed "Boom," had 95 yards on 23 carries against the Illini, helping drain the clock and move the chains in the fourth quarter.

"Boom is always ready to be that physical back you want him to be," Tressel said.

Herron has never topped 100 yards in 25 games, but he may get an excellent chance against Indiana. The Hoosiers are 108th in the nation against the run, allowing 207.0 yards per game.

They didn't have any answers for the conference's other flashy mobile quarterback in their Big Ten opener, as Denard Robinson ran for 217 of Michigan's 297 yards in a 42-35 win last Saturday at Bloomington.

Hoosiers coach Bill Lynch isn't looking forward to facing the 6-foot-6 Pryor a week after the 6-foot Robinson as he tries to engineer Indiana's first win over Ohio State since 1988.

"Size makes the biggest difference," Lynch said. "He's a big man when he plays. He can really go. ... They are both great players but it's just different. He's a very good passer like Denard, and Denard proved it. But it's just the presence that's a difference. The scheme of their offense is a difference."

There's no mistaking the scheme of Indiana's offense under senior Ben Chappell, who set a school-record with 480 passing yards while also breaking the program's marks for attempts (64) and completions (45) last weekend.

The Hoosiers are ranked fourth nationally with 348.3 yards per game through the air, but they also managed to keep the ball for nearly 42 minutes against Michigan.

Despite such a productive passing game, Tressel isn't discounting Indiana's willingness to run the ball, which it's done less than all but six teams in the country with 120 attempts.

"They're probably going to be OK at running it simply because you have to give so much attention to the fact that they throw it so well and so often," Tressel said.

Indiana may have more success throwing with Tyler Moeller out. The safety, who leads Ohio State with 4 1/2 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, tore a pectoral muscle in the first quarter in Champaign and will undergo season-ending surgery.

Freshman Christian Bryant will likely start in Moeller's place.

Bryant will be stepping into a defense that still has plenty going for it, as the Buckeyes are fourth nationally in total defense with 241.6 yards allowed per game.

Ohio State has won 41 of its past 42 home games against unranked opponents under Tressel.