Brutus Hates to See Us Coming: Ohio State at IU Preview and Why Tim Thinks Indiana Can Blow Them Out

Ohio State fans spent the week telling Kirkwood and Dunn to show some respect. Tim and Trent spent the week making sure they don’t. Episode 166 is the full Thursday preview for the biggest home game in Indiana football history. Tim and Trent go through five Curt Cignetti press conference clips, break down how Indiana wins and how Indiana loses, pick their MVPs, drop their score predictions, and update the Big Ten power rankings heading into Saturday. THAT’S WHAT CIG SAID Five clips from Curt Cignetti’s press conference this week. Cignetti on Jacob Savage earning real minutes as a true freshman linebacker. Cignetti on AJ Harris returning from injury and what still needs to click for him to reach his ceiling in this system. Cignetti on Arthur Smith and what makes Jeremiah Smith a “wow player.” Cignetti on Matt Patricia and the Ohio State defense. And Cignetti on Indiana’s missed tackles and whether it’s a technique problem or something deeper. THE PREVIEW Tim and Trent both land on turnovers as the swing factor in this game. Indiana’s defense has struggled with third downs and missed tackles, but Julian Sayin has shown he can be rattled in big moments. The Ohio State offense is one-dimensional in a way that makes the box score misleading — Jeremiah Smith will get his, but getting the ball to a wide receiver requires a lot to go right, and this Indiana defensive line has been the best pressure unit in the country without blitzing. On offense, Indiana has not been a consistent success-rate team. The run game has stalled against good competition. But the explosives are real, and Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker against this Ohio State secondary at home is a genuine mismatch worth watching. HOW INDIANA WINS The defensive line disrupts Julian Sayin before he can find Jeremiah Smith. Indiana limits the Ohio State run game and keeps them from opening up the field. Josh Hoover stays clean, gets the ball to his playmakers on the outside, and Indiana’s crowd makes it impossible for Ohio State’s offense to communicate. HOW INDIANA LOSES Ohio State’s offensive line holds up, Sayin gets comfortable, and Jeremiah Smith takes over. Indiana’s offense stalls the same way it did in stretches against Northwestern and Nebraska — three and out, no push up front, limited possessions — and the defense can’t carry the entire load by itself. MVPS AND PREDICTIONS Tim and Trent both pick Indiana to win. Their MVPs and score predictions are different enough that one of them is going to look very smart on Saturday and one of them is going to have to answer for it. Find out who picked what inside. BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS For the first time this season, Ohio State moves up to tie Indiana at number one heading into Saturday. The full updated rankings are inside, including Purdue jumping four spots after running away from Minnesota and UCLA continuing to climb. Follow Tim at @TBHoosiers and Trent at @STMcGee on X. Subscribe to Kirkwood and Dunn on Spotify and YouTube and pick up merch at the Kirkwood and Dunn store — https://kirkwood-and-dunn-shop.fourth... Win or lose Saturday, Trent will be live right after the game.