Ohio State vs Purdue marks the beginning of the end of the season in Columbus. The Buckeyes are coming off an impressive, emotional victory over Penn State and now, the team turns its attention to the Purdue Boilermakers. As the second-ranked team in the first College Football Playoff rankings and now controls its own destiny in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes must remain wary of the “Spoilermakers.”
Since 2000, Ohio State is 10-5 against Purdue. Only Michigan has beaten Ohio State more often in that timeframe (17-6). The two faced off last year and the Buckeyes secured a dominant 41-7 win and look to do the same as the season enters its homestretch.
Ohio State vs. Purdue: Hit the Homestretch Running
Keep Improving on the Line
For the first five games, the Ohio State offensive line started to click. In the run game, the Buckeyes were creating holes and rushing for over 222 yards per game. In the passing game, Will Howard was rarely being hit and the unit was giving him plenty of time to work.
Then, Josh Simmons went down against Oregon. Then, his replacement, Zen Michaski was lost in the following game against Nebraska.
As a result, Ohio State kicked Donovan Jackson out from left guard to left tackle and backfilled with former starting center, Carson Hinzman. And, outside of two bad reps against a future first-round pick, the duo played well.
The Purdue pass rush begins and ends with Kydran Jenkins and Will Heldt. The Buckeye offensive line will have to work against a pair of players with more sacks than Ohio State’s sack leader.
Find a Pass Rush
At this point in the season, the Buckeye defensive line is what it is. It is loaded to the brim with high-end talent from recruiting wins. However, Jaylahn Tuimoloau is the only player with more than two-and-a-half sacks…with four-and-a-half.
Plain and simple, this is not getting the job done. Gone are the days of multiple 10-sack players on the defense.
Ryan Day noted that after the Oregon loss, the defense was stripped back to its bones and rebuilt. Against Nebraska – aside from a few Dylan Raiola scrambles – the defense was suffocating. Against Penn State, it allowed just two field goals.
The rotation on the defensive line is finally starting. Five defensive ends earned snaps, led by Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Five defensive tackles earned snaps, led by Ty Hamilton. Tyleik Williams left the game with a knee injury but Day claimed he would be “fine.” Against Purdue, Williams could take it easy and let Kayden McDonald and true freshman Eddrick Houston step up and get more playing time.
The Purdue passing game is not great. With just 185.8 yards per game, Purdue checks in as the 111th offense in football out of 134 programs. Even then, the Boilermakers have allowed 14 sacks in eight games. Tuimoloau and company have to pad their stats and start getting hot.
Ohio State can beat Purdue without a pass rush. They will not beat Indiana in two weeks without a pass rush. Someone has to step up for Ohio State vs. Purdue.
Build that Resume
Purdue is not a very good football team. Already, the Boilermakers were eliminated from bowl eligibility with seven losses. In 2007, Purdue was ranked 23rd. After losing to Ohio State, 23-7, Purdue has only appeared in the AP Poll or CFP Poll once (25th/19th in October 2021). It was then beaten 30-13 to drop out again.
This year, Purdue is 1-7. It is 0-7 against FBS teams. Purdue has the 119th-scoring offense and 129th-scoring defense.
A win over Purdue does not move the needle with the CFP Committee.
A commanding win doesn’t move the needle either.
On October 18, Purdue faced the top team in the Big Ten and lost, 35-0. College football is all about eye tests and narratives. While Oregon beat Ohio State head-to-head in Oregon if the Buckeyes can rack up wins against common opponents and do so more convincingly, it can swing the perception back.
Ohio State must win out to get back to the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2020. Purdue is next on the schedule. Ohio State must fire on all cylinders this week and next week against two of the worst teams in the conference.
