Remarkably, the Purdue Boilermakers have been able to knock off not one, but TWO top-3 teams this year. After dominating then No. 2 Iowa on the road, two weeks later they pulled off the upset against No. 3 Michigan St. at home. The schedule does not get any easier for the Boilermakers, as they must now visit No. 4 Ohio State at the Horseshoe. Ohio State, with one loss already, most likely needs to win out to get back to the College Football Playoff. And what looked like an easy win just two months ago, now takes on a whole new sense of peril.

Can Ohio State Stay Focused?

Ohio State is coming off a lackluster performance against Nebraska, and needs to maintain a win one game at a time attitude to avoid the upset. It would be easy for the Buckeyes to get caught looking ahead, as their remaining two games against No. 7 Michigan State and No. 6 Michigan will decide the fate of the Big 10 East. But we have already seen what can happen to even elite teams who come out flat against Purdue, so Saturday is a crucial game of its own for Ryan Day’s squad.

The focus for Ohio State offensively should be starting off hot. Both Michigan State and Iowa fell behind early in their upset losses to Purdue, and never even came back to lead. So it will be on CJ Stroud and the Buckeyes elite group of receivers to come out swinging out of the gate. It is doubtful any team in the country has the secondary talent to guard the trio of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave, all of which have over 600 yards receiving. Expect Shroud to push the ball downfield to his talented trio, get Purdue on the back foot, then feed running back Treveyon Henderson once the box has opened up.

Defensively, things get a little more interesting. Purdue has turned into a true air raid team, with quarterback Aidan O’Connell throwing the ball 54 times last week. Ohio State allows roughly 247 yards per game through the air, which is not great. The Buckeyes will need to dial up the pressure a little bit more than they are accustomed to, and force O’Connell off his rhythm. Getting off the field on third downs will also be essential. Ohio State held Nebraska to 2-13 on third down conversions last week, and it was a big reason they pulled off a win despite a slow offensive day. Purdue has now proven they can gauge quality defenses in a big way, so there should be no surprises when the Ohio State defense takes the field in Columbus.

Can Purdue do it Again?

The short answer is yes. Senior quarterback looked nothing short of a Heisman candidate last week, throwing for 536 yards and 3 touchdowns. Of course, that was only week. It is difficult to predict which Purdue will show up on Saturday. Will it be the team who dominated Iowa start to finish, or the team who lost to Minnesota at home? Either way, it will be tough for the Boilermakers to keep up with the plethora of elite talent Ohio State puts on the field every snap.

Purdue’s offense runs through O’Connell and wide receiver David Bell. Bell is the teams undisputed number one wide receiver with 1,003 yards. No other player has over 400 yards. Bell will need to get loose in the secondary early and often to keep pace with the explosive Ohio State offense. Since Purdue does not even attempt to run the ball consistently, everyone in the Horseshoe will know what is coming. That provides a daunting task for the offensive line, who will look to keep their quarterback clean and give him time to make the throws necessary to give Purdue a shot at the upset.

Defensively, Purdue has proven to be fairly stingy throughout the year. Stroud and company will give the Boilermakers a test they haven’t seen before, however. While most teams Purdue has seen have had only one, maybe two top wide receivers, Ohio State has three. On top of that, there is a 900 yard rusher in the backfield to worry about. Despite all the weapons they have to worry about, Purdue’s best chance is to stick to their style of play. Nebraska actually managed to somewhat harness Ryan day’s aggressive offense, so it certainly is not an impossible task. Defensive end George Karlaftis can wreak havoc, and Purdue’s pass defense is top 15 in the nation. Add to all of that the fact Ohio State has had red zone troubles recently, and the Boilermakers have a chance to get stops and give their offense a chance.

Prediction

This game certainly was not expected to carry as much importance as it does at the start of the season. With Purdue earning the reputation of a giant killer, Ohio state must show up and play to the best of their abilities. With so much on the line for the 8-1 buckeyes, I expect Ryan Day to have his team ready, and Ohio State picks up the win at home, 41-27.

Follow us on Twitter!

Visit our Shop!