1-7 (0-5)

NOV. 10, 2024 – NOON

Ohio STADIUM

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Purdue comes to town with a good chance to become the first Big Ten team since Indiana in 2021 to go winless in conference play. On paper, it’s No. 2 Ohio State’s easiest matchup since the trio of Group of Five snackers ate out of conference play.

If all goes according to plan, the Buckeyes should continue to gain momentum from an emotional win at Beaver Stadium, have a chance to give their backups some playing time and get one step closer to reaching the AL Championship Game. Big Ten.

The headlines

building blocks

Ohio State’s offensive line outplayed left guard Donovan Jackson at left tackle against one of the nation’s elite edge rushers, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, moved Carson Hinzman into Jackson’s spot at left guard and proceeded to ride a season-defining performance in Pennsylvania. Now it is a matter of sustaining and taking advantage of that effort.

“The Penn State game is over,” Ryan Day said of the offensive line on Tuesday. “We have to worry about Purdue. We have to keep moving forward. So now we’ll see how things go as we move forward.”

Saturday has a chance to build confidence for the entire Ohio State team, but especially its offensive line. If the Buckeyes’ current lineup up front can make 10 straight runs to move the chains four times and bleed the final 5:13 off the game clock to turn Happy Valley into Sad Valley, they surely can run the damn ball against a defense that allows 5.1 yards per carry, which ranks 113th in the nation.

I did the work pic.twitter.com/4zmW4J1oPa

– Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) November 2, 2024

However, Jackson will get another test of his pass protection, which wasn’t perfect against the Nittany Lions as he allowed two sacks against Carter. Purdue outside linebacker Kydran Jenkins has accumulated 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss this season. The Boilermakers are tied for 57th in the country with 2.1 sacks per game.

lean enemy

There’s a reason murmurs are circulating that Ryan Walters could be the first Purdue head coach fired after two seasons or less since William Henry Dietz in 1921.

Unless the Boilermakers can defeat the Buckeyes, No. 6 Penn State, No. 8 Indiana or Michigan State, they will finish their 2024 campaign without a win over an FBS opponent. They forced overtime in two games, but lost 26-20 in overtime to Northwestern last week and 50-49 to Illinois on Oct. 12.

Purdue’s only win came in Week 1 when it beat FCS Indiana State 49-0. Since then, opponents have outscored the Boilermakers 264-113.

The Black and Gold rank below 100th nationally out of 134 teams in each of the four major defensive categories (points allowed, yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed per game). Purdue’s offense ranks outside the top 100 in scoring, total offense and passing offense, although it ranks 76th with 149 rushing yards per game.

Reengineering

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Ohio State’s defense “retooled” after taking a lot of criticism from the Buckeyes. 32-31 defeat to Oregon at the beginning of the year. The shakeup worked as OSU allowed Penn State’s offense to score just six points, and the Nittany Lions added seven on a Will Howard pick-six in the first quarter.

“You’re happy for the players, for all the work they did,” Knowles said. “We’ve been preaching that that has to be our standard. It just has to be the expectation. So it builds confidence, and I think not just in the players, but in the entire team, or in the entire staff, or in the fans. “When you have a defense you can count on, I think mentally it gives everyone a sense of calm.”

Ohio State began to pull off a lot more stunts and mix in some creative pressures on the defensive front while also disguising coverages better. Penn State didn’t have the receiving weapons to test the secondary like Oregon did, but the last two weeks have been a major step in the right direction for the Buckeyes’ defense.

RELATED Film Study: Mid-Season Defense Reengineering

As with the offensive line, this matchup with the Boilermakers is another opportunity to build confidence in Ohio State’s defense, especially considering how Purdue struggles to move the ball.

Be careful with these guys

Purdue S Dillon Thieneman

Thieneman has been a star on Purdue’s defense since his freshman season in 2023, when he racked up 106 tackles and six interceptions, tied for third in the country. He is once again the Boilermakers’ leading tackler in 2024 with 64 tackles to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and four pass deflections.

Purdue TE Max Klare

Tight end Max Klare is the best weapon in Purdue’s offense. (Credit: Alex Martin/Journal and Courier/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

For the third time in four games, Ohio State will face an elite weapon at the tight end position. Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson and Penn State’s Tyler Warren are followed by Klare, Purdue’s leading receiver. He has 30 receptions for 462 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. The Buckeyes limited Warren to four receptions for 47 yards last week, although he added 47 rushing yards on just three carries playing as a wildcat quarterback.

Game Week Talk

“Their record may not say it, but they have been playing good football. “We have to come in and play physically in this game and we have to continue to build on what happened last week.”– Ryan Day at Purdue

This preview and all of Buckeye Nation may not be taking Purdue seriously, but Day, at least publicly and to his players, is. And it should be. There are no wins in games like this unless the locker room stays focused.

“Their two best running backs are two of the best running backs in the country (TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins). Their tight ends are versatile in both the running game and the passing game. And then the history of the wide receivers they have there speaks for itself. “They have as talented a rookie receiver as we’ve seen.”– Ryan Walters on the Ohio State offense

After calling Ohio State’s offense “balanced” because of the playmakers spread all over the field, Walters made sure to mention not only the Buckeyes’ running backs and wide receivers, but also their tight ends as elements. that make them dangerous. While the Buckeyes’ tight ends combined have just 20 receptions for 236 yards and two touchdowns this year, the group’s improvement from last year in the blocking category has helped the team on the ground.

“(It) is something that has been my goal since I got here. In fact, I wrote it down in my notes in January, something I could continue working on all year.”– Jeremiah Smith on breaking Cris Carter’s freshman records

Jeremiah Smith broke Cris Carter’s freshman year receive yardage record at Penn State and tied his touchdown record the week before. A three-catch, one-touchdown outing against Purdue will put Smith in control of all three single-season freshman receiving records. He already has 39 receptions for 664 yards and eight touchdowns so far this year.

Be smart

• Ohio State has an all-time record of 41-15-2 against Purdue.

• The Buckeyes have won their last 10 straight home games against the Boilermakers. Their last loss to Purdue at Ohio Stadium was in 1989.

• Purdue’s roster features 10 players from Ohio, although none of them are starters.

• Ohio State’s roster features five players from Purdue’s home state of Indiana: offensive linemen Josh Fryar, Zen Michalski and Ian Moore, defensive end Caden Curry and wide receiver Mylan Graham.

• Saturday’s game will be played on the 22nd anniversary of the Ohio State Holy Buckeye’s victory over Purdue in 2002.

• Ohio State will play in Saturday’s FOX Big Noon game for the third straight week and fourth time this season, although FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will not be present for this week’s game.

• Saturday’s game will be the annual Ohio State Military Appreciation Game.

How it develops

Line: Ohio State -38, O/U 53.5

I’ve taken a baseball bat to the proverbial dead horse enough times in this story. Purdue is not a good team. Ohio State is. If the Buckeyes don’t win comfortably, it will be a huge disappointment for OSU fans and food for thought.

The smallest projected margin of victory between Eleven warriors staff this week is 32 points, and your beloved game preview writer is one of several members of our staff who has the Buckeyes winning by more than 50. Ultimately, the consensus among our staff is that the Buckeyes will cover the difference even though it is with a high 38 points.

	49		6