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GAME NOTES: The ninth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are aiming for their 16th consecutive Big Ten Conference road win as they battle the Indiana Hoosiers under the lights in Bloomington. Ohio State holds a commanding 65-12-5 series lead over Indiana, which includes 14 straight wins over the Hoosiers.

The record for consecutive Big Ten road wins is 17 set by Michigan, so the Buckeyes are awfully close to reaching that mark. They have posted back-to- back shutouts for the first time since 1996, including the most recent 30-0 thrashing of Illinois last weekend to open league play. The only loss to date for 3-1 Ohio State was a three-point setback to USC on September 12th in Columbus.

As for Indiana, it also enters this tilt with a 3-1 record, but the lone loss came last weekend in heart-breaking fashion to Michigan by a 36-33 final on the road. The Hoosier' three victories have come over mediocre competition, but a win over Ohio State this weekend would certainly earn the team some national attention.

"It was a great football game," said Indiana coach Bill Lynch after the loss to Michigan. "I feel bad for our guys in the locker room because they played their hearts out, and we came up a play short somehow."

Ohio State is averaging 28.5 ppg and 367.0 total ypg, solid numbers that aren't going to strike fear in the hearts of many opponents. Terrelle Pryor, the quarterback of the Buckeyes, has completed 57.5 percent of his passes for 695 yards with five scores and four interceptions. A threat as a runner as well, Pryor leads the team with 235 yards and two scores while averaging six yards per carry. Dan Herron is close behind with 233 rushing yards, and while he has five rushing touchdowns to his credit, his average of 3.5 ypc is far from impressive.

Defensively, Ohio State is yielding 258.8 total ypg along with 11.2 ppg. The Buckeyes have been extremely tough against the run, permitting foes to gain only 99.8 rushing ypg at a clip of three yards per attempt. As for the pass defense, it has mustered six interceptions while yielding a mere two touchdowns. With a total of nine takeaways and 11 sacks, there have been a high number of impact plays made by the defense. Brain Rolle leads Ohio State with 33 total tackles, and while the defense lacks a true superstar, there are plenty of solid contributors.

Ohio State posted 318 total yards against Illinois, so it was a bit surprising that the club was able to rack up 30 points. A closer look at stats from the game reveals that nine of the points came on field goals, and two of the three touchdown drives spanned fewer than 50 yards. Pryor played well under center, but the game belonged to the defense. The Buckeyes limited the Illini to 170 total yards, including just 82 on the ground, and came up with three interceptions.

"I've never seen the locker room so excited," said senior defensive tackle Todd Denlinger after the game. "It feels great to shut them out."

"We've been working hard each week at getting better," added junior offensive guard Justin Boren. "As a unit, we feel we've been improving. Practice has been going well and we're getting results in the game."

Switching over to Indiana, it is scoring 28.2 ppg and gaining 398.2 total ypg, strong numbers for a team that lacks a known commodity at the skill positions. Leading the charge at quarterback is Ben Chappell, who has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 944 yards and three touchdowns. Chappell does have four interceptions, but his overall play has been solid. Tandon Doss doesn't have a receiving score, but he paces the club with 26 catches for 374 yards. As for Darius Willis, he leads the IU ground attack with three rushing scores and has an average of 6.5 ypc.

"Well, I think it shows what kind of football player he is," said coach Lynch after Willis ran for 152 yards and two scores on 16 carries against the Wolverines last weekend. "We've been saying all along that he's a guy that we feel like is going to have a break out game. He's a very good player and he's finally healthy."

Opponents are scoring 22.2 ppg against Indiana while gaining 327.2 total ypg. Against the run, the Hoosiers have been tremendous, limiting foes to 2.7 ypc and 94.2 ypg. The pass defense hasn't been nearly as strong, as opposing quarterbacks are throwing for 233.0 ypg at a clip of 12.9 yards per completion. With 10 takeaways and 11 sacks, Indiana has made a wealth of big plays. Keep an eye on Jammie Kirlew, as he has posted 8.5 TFLs already in addition to a pair of forced fumbles.

Last weekend, Indiana ran the ball for 197 yards against Michigan, the second- most rushing yards every posted by the Hoosiers against the Wolverines. The Hoosiers finished with 467 total yards and only committed one turnover, but while Indiana was settling for field goals, four to be exact, Michigan scored five offensive touchdowns to win the game. With that in mind, the Hoosier defense deserves a decent amount of criticism.

Indiana is no pushover by any means, but Ohio State is simply the better team in this matchup. Expect the Buckeyes to play stellar defense as usual and win a physical affair.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 27, Indiana 17