COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, Jeremiah Smith broke the Ohio State freshman receiving record with his ninth touchdown of the season and the No. 3 The Buckeyes defeated Purdue 45-0 on Saturday.

Smith’s 17-yard touchdown on a crossing route late in the first half broke a tie with Cris Carter, who scored eight in 1984. Smith finished with six catches for 87 yards.

Howard also threw touchdown passes to Gee Scott Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. He completed 21 of 26 passes for 260 yards and ran for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down to open the scoring for the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten).

TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 43 yards.

The season of misfortune continued for Purdue (1-8, 0-6), which lost its 10th straight game. That’s the longest losing streak since the Boilermakers lost 10 in a row in 2013.

Hudson Card had 108 passing yards and threw an interception for Purdue. Devin Mockobee carried 13 times for 73 yards.

Takeaway meals

Purdue: Came with the distinction of being the last unranked team to beat Ohio State. That was a 49-20 rout in 2018 that kept the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff. Not this time. Purdue just couldn’t string together enough good plays.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes put Purdue aside and started looking ahead to next week when they play Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) at Wrigley Field. They will then finish the regular season with critical home games against No. 8 Indiana and Michigan.

Survey Implications

Ohio State took care of business and should stay where it was.

Next

Purdue: Hosts No. 6 Penn State next Saturday.

Ohio State: Plays Northwestern at Wrigley Field next Saturday.

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