The Lantern — Oct. 28, 2021

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Engineer-turned-squash-carver returns to Circleville JILLIAN PAVLISH Lantern reporter pavlish.8@osu.edu

The Circleville Pumpkin Show boasts over 300 food booths, games and craft vendors, but only one professional pumpkin carver.

Gus “Squashcarver” Smithhisler, a 1994 Ohio State alumnus, sculpts one-of-akind pumpkins that can be tailored for any event. Smithhisler said he has been carving pumpkins professionally for more than 19 years, and his work can be found all over central Ohio, including at the Columbus Zoo, the Ohio State Fair and the Circleville Pumpkin Show.

“I’d like to think that I started the carving

here in central Ohio,” Smithhisler said. “I started over in Indiana, and then I brought it over here. I love working with other sculptors — seeing what they do, getting ideas from them and giving them ideas.”

The annual Circleville Pumpkin Show has been a tradition in Circleville, Ohio, since 1903, boasting an annual attendance of more than 400,000 people over the span of four days and nights, according to the show’s website.

Smithhisler has been carving pumpkins at the show since 2005 and said October is his busiest month of the year.

“I carve every weekend in October, every last two weekends in September and several days during the week I’ll do demonstrations for nursing homes, for

urban societies, for schools and stuff like that,” Smithhisler said. “So I’m carving almost every day in October.”

Smithhisler said missing out on carving at the Circleville Pumpkin Show last year due to the pandemic was difficult for him but offered a much-needed break, allowing him to rebound this year better than ever.

“Normally, I’m carving every weekend and even sometime during the week, so last year was relaxing in a way because I actually got a break in October, but it was disappointing because I didn’t get to do a lot of carving,” Smithhisler said. “I think the break helped me refresh a little bit. I think that the sculptures have turned out better this year than ever before.”

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Thursday, October 28, 2021

CAMPUS

Ohio State awarded $15 million grant to assist in scientific advancement ON PAGE 3

Two local polling locations close, relocate away from University District TOM HANKS Lantern reporter hanks.53@osu.edu Two nearby polling stations will be unavailable to University District residents for the upcoming Nov. 2 election.

According to the Franklin County Board of Elections website, the Martin Janis Senior Center, located at 600 E. 11th Ave., and the Godman Guild Association, located at 303 E. 6th Ave., have been closed as polling locations for the 2021 election cycle.

The Martin Janis Center is closed due to flooding, Aaron Seller, public information officer for the Franklin County Board of Elections, said.

According to the board’s website, those who voted at the Janis Center are being redirected to the Dwell Community Church, located at 1934 N. 4th St. — a mile away from the Janis Center.

Seller said the board of elections considered locations closer to the Janis Center, but contenders didn’t have enough parking or failed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

“Sometimes we do run into issues finding viable locations,” Seller said. “It can be very difficult to find locations that meet all the requirements that we need — specifically in older parts of the county.”

The second closed polling location, the Godman Guild Association,

Two previous polling stations in the University District area will be closed for the upcoming Nov. 2 election.

is moving out of Weinland Park, according to an April 27 statement on its website.

The association was Columbus’ first settlement house, providing services such as classes for GED certification, vocational training and programming for youth, according to the statement.

Those who previously voted at the association have been redirected to the Veritas Community Church located at 345 E. Second Ave., according to the board’s website.

Seller said other polling locations in the area include the Ohio Union and the St. Thomas More Newman Center, located

at 64 W. Lane Ave. Both are equipped to handle assigned students and University District residents on Election Day. Cal Ruebensaal, president of Ohio State’s College Republicans chapter, said many Republicans on campus prefer to vote in their hometowns because they believe their vote in Columbus — an area traditionally won by Democrats — won’t change the outcome of the election.

“It’s more worth our vote to go home and vote in competitive districts than to vote in downtown Columbus, where we’re outnumbered five to one at least,” Ruebensaal, a third-year in

mechanical engineering, said.

Ronald Holmes, president of Ohio State’s College Democrats chapter, called the closures disappointing.

“I was very disappointed to hear about it. Voting on campus is difficult already,” Holmes, a fifthyear in political science, said.

“Many students never update their registration when they move to Ohio, and students have missed elections because they couldn’t make it to their home cities to vote, or forget to update their registration when they come here.”

Holmes said those who may not be able to make it to their

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

polling station on Election Day can vote early, and the College Democrats have been arranging transportation — such as carpools — to the polls or the Board of Elections.

Students who would like to carpool to voting locations can contact the College Democrats at ohiostatecollegedemocrats@ gmail.com, Holmes said.

“If you think it might be too difficult for you to get to your final location, definitely use one of those early voting opportunities to go and cast your vote early,” Holmes said.

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Ohio State receives $15 million NSF grant for Imageomics Institute SHREE LUITEL Lantern reporter luitel.9@osu.edu Ohio State was awarded a $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation Sept. 28 to create the Imageomics Institute, an interdisciplinary institute that aims to transform biomedical, agricultural and biological sciences.

According to the Translational Data Analytics Institute website, the institute is one of the first to use discoveries by the NSF to support its Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative. The Imageomics Institute created a new field of study in which scientists use images of organisms to understand biological processes on Earth.

The project will be led by faculty from Ohio State’s Translational Data Analytics Institute, or TDAI, in collaboration with scientists from Tulane University, Virginia Tech, Duke University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and 30 other universities and organizations around the world, according to the TDAI. Imageomics will use data analysis to identify biological and physical traits in images, Tanya Berger-Wolf, director of the TDAI, principal investigator for the Imageomics Institute and professor in the department of computer science and engineering, said. Artificial intelligence then gathers information and outputs material that is determined by biology.

“The approach that we are taking is to take well-defined biological structures and use them to constrain the architecture of the machine-learning model so that the output is meaningful within those biological structures,” Berger-Wolf said.

Ohio State recieved a $15 million grant for a new scientific institute Sept. 28.

The goal of the project is to use artificial intelligence to categorize different kinds of biological information, Bryan Carstens, affiliate of the TDAI and professor in the department of evolution, ecology and organismal biology, said.

“Genetic data are sometimes not clearly different when looking at them, but can be partitioned into two groups,” Carstens said.

“We would design algorithms that look for subtle differences in size, shape or orientation of certain features that humans are not perceptive to pick up on, but the computers would be.”

According to the TDAI, photos studied will include collections from museums, labs, the National Ecological Observatory Network and photos taken by other scientists, drones and members of the public who have uploaded pictures to platforms such as eBird, iNaturalist and WildBook.

Carstens said a lot of biological data already exists in museums,

since identifying individual species and taking measurements were how specimens were studied up until now. However, he said this process is labor intensive and time consuming, and imageomics will make the process much easier.

“The hope of the Imageomics Institute is that biologists will be able to partner with computer scientists and dramatically increase the pace at which we can make discoveries,” Carstens said.

According to the TDAI, the ability to use images will get scientists closer to answering specific questions about how certain animals physically express their genes and how hereditary genes work.

Berger-Wolf said there is a whole family of fish that humans cannot tell apart with the naked eye, but scientists know from the genome that they are different species. They hope computerbased approaches will point out the differences between the

species and the evolutionary processes that have made this possible.

“There are so many pictures of organisms that exist with value that we have not been able to analyze, and this will change the way that we see the natural world,” Berger-Wolf said. “This is where the frontier of this research is. It is the coming together of machinelearning computer scientists and biologists.”

Similar to how the study of genomics has inspired numerous other disciplinary fields, the study of imageomics can also eventually expand the medical field, BergerWolf said.

“Eventually, this can lead to looking at images of cells and organs, images of cancer cells and the classification, ‘What makes this cancer vs. not a cancer? What are the biological traits that make them different?’ ” Berger-Wolf said.

SHREE LUITEL | LANTERN REPORTER

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Thursday, October 28, 2021

ARTS&LIFE

International Netflix series captivates US audiences ON PAGE 5

Movie review: Highly anticipated ‘Dune’ delivers big BRETT PRICE Lantern reporter price.1422@osu.edu Director Denis Villeneuve officially accomplished what several have attempted: adapting Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel “Dune” into a successful major motion picture.

For many people, “Dune” has been the most anticipated film of the last decade, and despite being delayed time and time again, it delivered big. Thanks to outstanding directing, acting, production and score, this film is everything one could ask for.

To those looking to transcend into a new world with an epic scope and genuine characters, look no further: “Dune” has all of this and more.

Set thousands of years in the future in a feudal interstellar society where noble houses control planets and their resources, the film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a gifted young man who embarks on an epic journey on the most dangerous planet in the universe, Arrakis.

There, he encounters betrayal, enormous sandworms and a destiny that has been foreseen for thousands of years.

With so much detail densely packed into the novel, on top of several failed adaptation attempts in 1984 and 2000, many felt “Dune” was too difficult to adapt into a film. However, Villeneuve accepted the challenge, and due to an obvious love of the source material, the movie is not only a success, but a breakthrough in expanding the boundaries of what science fiction can be on the big screen.

There is no doubt Villeneuve had great support; the cast features many A-list actors, and the legendary Hans Zimmer composed a score unlike anything heard before. On top of that, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Brothers gave the movie a budget of $165 million.

There are few actors as popular as the continually up-and-coming Chalamet.

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“Dune,” directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel, hit the big screen Friday.

His stoic, nuanced portrayal of Paul Atreides is some of his best acting yet, leading viewers to connect with and care for the protagonist.

Rebecca Ferguson is another clear standout in this film, and her performance as Lady Jessica is one for the ages. She is poised and proud, but she is also a mother who loves her son more than anything, and her raw emotion on the screen is captivating.

Shot exclusively with IMAX digital cameras to optimize the viewing experience, this film is meant to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and the breathtaking score from Zimmer will make the audience’s seats shake in one of the best in-theater experiences of the last decade.

Though many expected Roger Deakins to oversee cinematography after previous collaborations with Villeneuve on projects such as “Blade Runner 2049” and “Prisoners,” it was cinematographer Greig

Fraser who delivered some of the most jaw-dropping shots to ever be featured on the big screen. Every moment on screen feels otherworldly, and that may be the most impressive aspect of the whole film.

As far as storytelling goes, Villeneuve knocks it out of the park. He remains faithful to the source material, quoting the book word for word in many cases. However, he still incorporates his own unique vision of the world, which is, ironically, part of what makes it so authentic.

This film is the first installment in a twopart series, which is a smart move, and likely more than just a ploy to squeeze as much money out of the title as possible.

Rather, this will allow for a more faithful adaptation of an incredibly dense novel, without omitting important plot points and character development.

Because the story was split to allow for a sequel, the film incorporates plenty of exposition, introducing viewers to the

fictional drug “melange,” which runs the universe, showing the ways of the religious sisterhood known as the Bene Gesserit and setting up the imperial feud between noble houses. These details are important to the lore and result in incredible worldbuilding.

“Dune” is nothing shy of a masterpiece, and there cannot be enough said about the boundaries it breaks while establishing the dense world of Herbert’s novel. As of Wednesday, Legendary Entertainment and Chalamet confirmed “Dune” will get a sequel.

In line with Chani’s (Zendaya) last words to Paul in the film, “this is just the beginning.” It appears as though this incredible story will continue to unfold on the big screen.

Dune is available in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max. Rating: 5/5

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Netflix continues to popularize international series in US COURTESY OF MARK HEIM VIA TNS

Reaching 111 million fans 25 days after its release, “Squid Game” had the largest series launch of any Netflix show, according to Netflix’s Twitter.

ALLIE FEHR Lantern reporter fehr.35@osu.edu There’s something about masked men in red jumpsuits that drew audiences from around the world to South Korean drama “Squid Game” and Spanish crime thriller “Money Heist.”

Reaching 111 million fans within 25 days of its release, “Squid Game” had the largest series launch of any Netflix show, according to Netflix’s Twitter. However, it was not the only foreign language series to garner success this fall — season five of “Money Heist,” also known as “La Casa de Papel,” made it the largest returning show on Netflix during the company’s third financial quarter in 2021, racking up 69 million household viewings in the season’s first four weeks, according to Netflix’s letter to shareholders. “ ‘La Casa de Papel’ was our first nonEnglish language title to show that — with subtitling and dubbing — great stories truly can come from anywhere and be loved everywhere,” Netflix stated in the letter to shareholders. “We are now producing local TV and film in approximately 45 countries.”

Morgan Podraza, a fourth-year Ph.D.

candidate in the Department of English who teaches English 2264: “Introduction to Popular Culture Studies,” said Netflix’s global expansion can likely be explained, at least in part, by the profit potential of an international reach.

“Netflix, as an organization, really started looking toward non-English content in part because their subscriber base was growing significantly in countries where English is not the primary language,” Podraza said.

However, Podraza said modern U.S. audiences have also embraced international shows. This is in stark contrast to the prior notion that foreign language content had no place in American popular culture, as it was frequently associated with art-house film, high culture and snobbery, she said.

“We’re seeing a huge shift in that perspective now,” Podraza said. “U.S.based audiences will be looking more toward that kind of content, and streaming services are looking to accommodate that not only by paying for and co-producing foreign language content, but also by providing subtitles and dubbing.”

Rachel Moore, a 28-year-old Columbus resident, said she saw her first foreign language series, Japan’s “Good Morning Call,” on Netflix about four years ago.

“It’s the classic story of a standoffish guy and then a naive girl who get stuck in an apartment together and have to learn to deal with each other,” Moore said. “I thought it was super cute.”

Since then, Moore — continually receiving new international series recommendations from Netflix — said she has dipped her toes into shows from Korea, Germany, France, Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Egypt.

Moore said exploration into the depths of Netflix’s global content has allowed her to find new all-time favorite series, such as German sci-fi mystery “Dark.”

“It’s hard to watch sometimes because it’s such an intellectual show,” Moore said.

“Watching it in another language, it doesn’t come as easily as if it was just in English, but it’s really special.”

Through her viewing patterns, Moore said she has spotted differences between U.S.-based and international content, specifically in how Korean romances refrain from overly explicit sexual scenes more common in American dramas.

“In America, they are kissing in the first episode, but in Korea, they are kissing in

the 10th episode,” Minji Ha, a first-year in chemical engineering who is familiar with U.S. and Korean titles, said.

Ha, who moved to the United States from South Korea when she was 18 years old, said she prefers the slow but satisfying buildup of romance in Korean dramas.

With the growing international popularity of South Korean K-pop groups such as BTS and BLACKPINK, Ha said she was not surprised to see “Squid Game’’ captivate audiences in the United States.

Although previous familiarity with certain components of a different culture, such as music, may encourage fans to watch shows from a given country, Podraza said international series themselves can also create a deeper, universal appreciation for different cultures.

“Having more foreign language films, having more people of color on screen and having more content created by people from those communities will positively influence perceptions about those communities and our relationships with them,” Podraza said.

OHIO STATE VS. MICHIGAN

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6 | The Lantern | Thursday, October 28, 2021

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McGuff, Buckeyes look to put challenging 2020-21 season behind them PATRICK ENGELS Lantern Reporter engels.12@osu.edu For the Ohio State women’s basketball team, the 2020-21 season was anything but a breeze.

The Buckeyes had seven games either postponed or canceled due to COVID-19.

Their starting point guard — junior guard Madison Greene — missed the last five games of the season — causing the team to drop five of their last six games.

They were unable to participate in postseason play due to a self-imposed postseason ban.

“It was a tough year last year, but we stuck together,” senior guard Braxtin Miller said.

While some teams may fall apart amid such adversity, the Buckeyes grew stronger during the chaotic and shortened 2020-21 season, establishing a tight-knit culture and learning valuable lessons they can carry over into the 2021-22 season.

As COVID-19 precautions prevented many players from seeing their families the entire season, the Buckeyes looked to fill that void by relying on each other and creating a family-like atmosphere both inside and outside the locker room.

“With COVID-19 and everything, last year was a really hard year for not only us, but every team out there,” junior guard Jacy Sheldon said. “A lot of us didn’t go home during the season, so all we really had was each other. We definitely fit in as much as we could with each other and used each other because those were some hard times.”

The extended time the Buckeyes spent together last season allowed the team to come together as one cohesive unit, which they can use to their advantage both this season and beyond.

“Because we weren’t able to go home so much, we relied on each other a lot and it just brought us so close, and I think you’re going to see that this year,” Miller said.

“The people that came in [this season] got to see how close knit of a group they were coming into.”

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State then-sophomore guard Jacy Sheldon (4) puts up a layup during the Ohio State-Miami (OH) game Dec. 10, 2020. Ohio State won 104-65.

Although Ohio State’s team chemistry is intact to begin the season, they will look to move past and learn from the difficult end to the 2020-21 campaign.

To prevent a similar losing streak from happening this year, Sheldon said her team must learn to finish and treat every game with an equal amount of focus and commitment needed to compete in the Big Ten Conference.

“We lost focus there at the end of the season and I think we learned from that more than anything,” Sheldon said. “That’s definitely something we’ll be focusing on, keeping our focus on every game, not only the whole season. [We need to] become mature enough to take it game by game and just focus on our next competitor because the Big Ten is full of great teams.”

While the Buckeyes hope to finish strong

this season, they will also look to get the sour taste out of their mouths that emerged due to their participation in a season where they could not compete in the postseason.

Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said missing out on tournament play last year was a difficult pill to swallow, as he believed his team had the right tools in place to make a deep run.

“We were disappointed because we didn’t have a chance to be in it,” McGuff said. “We were watching all these teams advance to the second weekend thinking, ‘Hey, we beat them.’ It was bittersweet wondering what, maybe, we could have accomplished.”

However, with 10 players returning to the team this season, including their three backcourt starters — Sheldon, Miller and Greene — the Buckeyes are using that

bittersweet feeling as motivation for this season.

“I thought we were really confident in ourselves and in each other, and we were happy with what we had,” Miller said. “To not be able to play and take that a little bit further into the postseason was definitely difficult. I think that’s fueling a lot of people to only want things more this year.”

As the Buckeyes look to learn from the adversity presented last season and gear up for the 2021-22 season, McGuff knows that one thing is certain: his team will play for each other no matter what challenges may lie ahead.

“This is as close as a team as we’ve had,” McGuff said. “I think we have really good kids that like each other, and I think that is something that we can lean on throughout this year.”

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Thursday, October 28, 2021 | The Lantern | 7

Opinion: Casey’s Callouts: The unsung heroes of No. 5 Ohio State’s victory over Indiana Kourt Williams II

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State freshman wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) moves the ball down the field during the Ohio State-Indiana game Saturday. Ohio State won 54-7.

CASEY SMITH Assistant Sports LTV Producer smith.12971@osu.edu No. 5 Ohio State beat the brakes off Indiana (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten), almost dropping a 50-burger in the first half alone — something that hasn’t happened since the Buckeyes put up 55 in the first two quarters against Florida A&M Sept. 21, 2013.

Easy fingers could be pointed to weekly regulars who fill up the stat sheets — redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud and freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson — but I was inspired Monday while watching, “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.”

An unknown team called the Average Joe’s Gymnasium played in a dodgeball tournament to win the $50,000 grand prize to save their gym that was in foreclosure.

They rise up, defy the odds and overtake their rival, the Globo Gym Purple Cobras, in the finals — the movie came out in 2004, so if I’m spoiling it, that’s not on me.

Nevertheless, in this week’s callouts, I’m going to highlight the “A verage Joes” on the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten) who shined, despite maybe getting overlooked originally, in Ohio State’s 54-7 victory against the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana.

The offensive line When your name is called as an offensive lineman, it is usually not a good thing, whether that is because of a penalty or getting blown past and allowing a sack.

The only time you want to be known is when you’re getting praised in the film room.

Reviewing the tape of the past has revealed a glaring truth: the

big boys down low are nasty.

Arguably one of the best units in the country tends to run slide protections to perfection, driving their assignment to the parking lot, leading to 187 rushing yards and just one sack allowed Saturday.

There was an ineligible man downfield in the second quarter and a holding penalty early in the fourth, so check the box where the offensive line’s name wasn’t called much.

That led to six Ohio State offensive lineman being graded as “Champions” by the Buckeyes’ coaches. So Thayer Munford, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Matthew Jones, Paris Johnson Jr., Luke Wypler and Dawand Jones, kudos, cheers and hoorah for your work in the trenches. It did not go unnoticed.

As the defense has grown into itself, redshirt freshman safety Kourt Williams II has found the majority of his snaps being taken in the second half of games when the game is a runaway.

He has slipped into the shadows behind sophomore safeties Ronnie Hickman, Bryson Shaw, Lathan Ransom and Craig Young in the defensive rotation, but showed out Saturday, totaling three tackles and a tackle for loss.

In this week’s video breakdown of the defensive line, there was a play where Indiana lined up in a trips formation, but all three receivers ended up blocking.

Hoosiers graduate running back Stephen Carr ran a route to the flat, but Williams prevented freshman quarterback Donaven McCulley from making the easy dump-off pass.

Williams sprinted from his position and knocked the wide receiver backwards to where Carr was running his route, leading to McCulley scanning the field for other options before being brought down in the backfield by senior defensive end Tyreke Smith.

The Buckeyes need to worry about finishing — especially last week, as they let Indiana dwindle down a 35-7 lead to a one-possession game in 2020 — and that comes with the backups, like Williams, stepping up when called on.

With games that could get ugly against Nebraska and Purdue, expect to see Williams on the field with this same speed and intensity he showed Saturday that earned him a “Champion” status by the Ohio State coaching staff.

Marvin Harrison Jr. I was in the elevator at Memorial Stadium, and some Indiana staffers who I assumed to be Colts fans being about an hour from Indianapolis, said, “Man, hearing Marvin Harrison Jr. sure makes you feel old.”

The freshman wide receiver, like Williams, sees most of his action after the three-headed monster of senior Chris Olave, junior Garrett Wilson and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba hit the bench.

He got the opportunity to play with the first team for a couple snaps, but didn’t haul in any passes. His two receptions came from a familiar face: high school teammate and freshman quarterback Kyle McCord.

The two linked up on a slant that went for 14 yards and an out route that Harrison turned into a 20-yard gain, juking side-to-side and putting a defender on ice skates in the process.

Harrison first made an impact on special teams, tackling Indiana freshman punter James Evans in the endzone for a safety.

It is interesting, Olave put himself on the map with a big special teams play in his freshman season. Now, Harrison, also a freshman, puts himself on the map with a big special teams play.

I know itthat might be a stretch this early in Harrison’s career to be comparing him to Olave — one of the best receivers to ever don the scarlet and gray — but with his glue-like hands and route-running ability, I wouldn’t be shocked if he goes down in the Ohio State history books.

I mean, hey, he did have a pretty good teacher growing up.

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Thursday, October 28, 2021

SPORTS

A few unsung heroes for the Buckeyes, reminiscent of a Hollywood classic

ON PAGE 7

How can the Buckeyes’ No. 1 offense improve?

JACOB BENGE Assistant Sports Editor benge.30@osu.edu

For a stretch of 19 consecutive drives, the Buckeyes’ offense punched its way into the end zone with redshirt freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud in the backfield.

Most may find themselves rereading that statistic. In the final five drives at Rutgers, eight against Maryland and six at Indiana, Stroud led No. 5 Ohio State to touchdowns.

No field goals, no punts — touchdowns on 19-straight offensive series, which didn’t count two non-drives at the end of the half.

“It’s something, I guess,” head coach Ryan Day said. “Really, it’s just a matter of going out there every single day in practice and trying to execute at a high level and being really hard on ourselves.”

Since 2017, Ohio State’s offenses have averaged over 41 points per game alongside an average of 506 yards.

This season, the Buckeyes currently own both the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense and total offense, with averages of 49.3 points per game and 559.7 yards, both on pace to break program records set in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

“Try not to go into each game with any expectations other than just execute at a high level and take it one play at a time, prepare the best we can during the week and go into the game and try to go from there,” Day said. “But there’s going to be roadblocks

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the Ohio StateIndiana game Saturday. Ohio State won 54-7.

along the way. We just got to stay humble on this thing, but also continue to build confidence.”

Stroud ranks at or near the top in major passing categories, including the most passing yards per game in the Big Ten Conference with over 327 yards.

TreVeyon Henderson said he’s always finding little aspects of his repertoire to improve, whether it’s staying balanced or in pass protection.

One area fans may call to see more of is Henderson’s carries, and he’s surpassed 12 in a game just twice. But Henderson said those cries can calm; he’s happy with what he’s getting now.

“I’m happy with the amount of carries I’m getting right now.

When we’re up 50-something against a team, there’s no reason to get 20 carries and put myself at risk of getting an injury,” Henderson said. “I think they’re being smart with the amount of carries I’m getting now.”

Ohio State’s receiving room ranks first in receiving yards and fifth among Power 5 programs.

Senior wide receiver Chris Olave is four touchdowns from tying the Buckeyes’ career-receiving touchdowns of 34, which has been held by David Boston for 23 years.

While Buckeye receivers are dangerous, their tight ends proved not to be overlooked against Indiana. Senior tight end Jeremy Ruckert caught five passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns, bringing him just one from tying Jake Stoneburner for Ohio State’s career-receiving scores for a tight end with 13.

Ruckert said the Buckeyes

“have a big target on our back,” but Ohio State has done a good job of keeping a steady mind.

“We’re not thinking about much, we’re just going out there and playing and trusting our training, trusting what we do during the week,” Ruckert said.

“I think it’s really just showing up now on these Saturdays. We’re on this roll of just being ourselves and getting this train rolling.”

The Buckeyes were added as one of 19 programs to the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll for most outstanding offensive line.

“If no one’s talking about you, that means you’re doing something right,” junior Nicholas Petit-Frere said. “The way I look at it is as long as I hear the team’s doing well and I hear other guys around me are doing well and a lot of skill guys are doing well and my offensive line teammates are doing well, that means we’re doing well.”

While Ohio State’s offense has steamrolled to the top spot in the country, it will be put to the test against No. 20 Penn State, which allows just 14.7 points per game.

Sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said he looks forward to the challenge of playing a top 10 defense. While it’s still October, this Buckeyes offense may just be getting started.

“We know the statistics show that we’re No. 1. But, we don’t pay too much attention to it,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s good to hear. We just try to go out there and do our thing. That stuff will come.”