Tom Allen Previews the Buckeyes

On making it difficult for Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins on Saturday...

"Well, you're going to have to. He's a very, very gifted quarterback, he throws it well, quick release. (He's a) big tall guy that seems to have a good comfort level in their offense and has been very productive. Obviously, the quarterback of the past was more of a runner first. Could obviously also throw the football but now you have the challenge of being able to disrupt a guy who when he has time is very effective. You have to be able to mix it up and keep him on his toes and try to figure out what we are doing whether it is post-snap type things, pre-snap type of looks, those kind of things. That's the challenge, the chess match you kind of go through, but yeah very gifted player."

On limiting the big plays on defense...

"It is (a critical importance). It's about your alignments, your spacing. Within those alignments, your spacing, how you attack the football, the angles you take. Being great tacklers in space. Gotta get a lot of guys on the football. It's really the kind of foundational things we preach all the time. Tackling, takeaways and effort. We work on those things every single day and they have to become at the forefront in this game because of the talent you are playing against, the speed you are playing against and the big play ability they have."

On what he wants to see from his offensive unit...

"We have to keep growing. I really liked how we played in the first half. That has to continue, need to do that for four quarters. Obviously, the team you play against is a big variable in that. The bottom line is you have to establish a run game. That doesn't mean we run it a certain number of times. It's just a matter of fact that they know you can run the football and you have to take what they are giving you. They have a lot of big athletes on defense, they run extremely well and we have to take what they are giving us and do it efficiently and that's what our offense is trying to do and has been doing well a lot of the time, but not all the time. That has to be the next step. You look at an opportunity like this for us to play a team of this caliber at their place, to be able to rise up our program and elevate and be able to see where we are at and how we match up against a team of this caliber. I'm excited for the challenge and the opportunity it presents."

Indiana University Athletics

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