Ohio State vs. Purdue Notebook: Denzel Burke and Chip Trayanum Leave with Injuries, Buckeyes Have Best Game of Season on Third Down

The health of several key Ohio State players is in question entering the Buckeyes’ biggest test of the season to date.

Starting running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka were already sidelined by injuries going into Saturday’s game against Purdue. By the time Saturday’s game was over, the Buckeyes had lost two more key players as second-string running back Chip Trayanum left the game with an injury in the first quarter and starting cornerback Denzel Burke exited with an injury in the third quarter. Neither Burke nor Trayanum returned to the game.

Asked about the health of all four of those players after Saturday’s game, Ryan Day didn’t have much to say.

“I can't give you any updates right now. I know everybody wants to know, but I can't do that right now.”– Ryan Day

The nature and severity of the injuries suffered by Trayanum and Burke against Purdue remains unclear.

Trayanum left the game after taking a big hit from two Purdue defenders at the end of a 9-yard catch late in the first quarter. He initially attempted to jog off the field but dropped to the ground and was assisted to the sideline by members of Ohio State’s medical staff.

Burke left the game after fellow Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock appeared to make contact with his ankle while making a low tackle on Purdue wide receiver Mershawn Rice at the end of a 35-yard catch-and-run.

As for Henderson and Egbuka, indications going into Saturday’s game were that neither of their injuries would sideline them long-term. Day said Tuesday that Egbuka’s injury, which he suffered while being tackled on a catch against Maryland, is “not going to be a long-term issue.” He said Thursday that Henderson was feeling “much better than he was last week, for sure,” though Henderson still ended up being ruled out for Saturday’s game after initially being listed as questionable and going through pregame warmups.

While talking about the running backs, who were also without Miyan Williams on Saturday, Day said the Buckeyes “hope to get everybody back for next week.” But after Day said last week that Henderson would return to play against Purdue only to be sidelined again, we may not know for sure until next Saturday who among Henderson, Trayanum, Egbuka, Burke and Williams will be back on the field for next week’s battle of unbeatens against Penn State at Ohio Stadium.

Another strong outing for pass defense

Hudson Card, Purdue’s starting quarterback with previous experience as a starter at Texas, entered Saturday with a completion percentage of 63.6 this season, averaging 248.5 yards per game through the air.

Against Ohio State, Card completed a mere 40.6 percent of his throws, going 13-of-32 with 126 yards and one touchdown.

That continues a trend of stout aerial defense from the Buckeyes’ secondary. Entering Saturday, Ohio State ranked sixth in the country for passing defense and only bettered its average of 158.4 passing yards allowed per game against the Boilermakers by surrendering 134 yards through the air.

It helped that the Buckeyes got consistent pressure. They logged three sacks, with 1.5 each from starting defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, and Card came under duress on many more plays than that.

“We knew they had an offensive coordinator that likes throwing the football,” Tuimoloau said. “For us, we had to get after it, really. That was the whole message from Coach (Larry Johnson) and Coach (Jim) Knowles, just having the D-line go. And that’s what we did today.”

In total, Purdue averaged a mere 3.8 yards per pass attempt.

Offense, defense efficient on third down

Third-down efficiency was a lingering concern for Ohio State entering its game against Purdue, with the Buckeyes ranked 68th nationally in third-down conversions (40.3%) and 63rd in third-down conversions allowed (37.8%).

Ohio State converted on 61.5 percent of its third-down attempts against the Boilermakers, going 8-for-13, while the Buckeyes’ defense held Purdue’s offense to an eye-popping 3-for-17 (17.6%) on its third-down attempts.

That included a 3-for-3 outing in 3rd-and-3 or shorter for the offense, an area where it has struggled. Ohio State utilized a quarterback sneak for the first time this season to convert on one of those instances, with Kyle McCord moving the sticks on a 3rd-and-1.

“Third down is a huge point of emphasis. We drill the situations and we knew that third down, we had to get our opportunities, we had to get our looks. I’m glad we executed it today.”– Donovan Jackson

The Buckeyes also had an efficient outing in the red zone, where they scored five touchdowns in six trips. A Devin Brown fumble as he dove for the end zone proved the only thing that stopped them from perfection inside the 20-yard line.

X makes first start

With Emeka Egbuka out with an injury, the door was left open for Xavier Johnson to come full circle on his journey after walking on at Ohio State. Johnson made his first start for the Buckeyes on Saturday.

Johnson hauled in one reception for 21 yards and added five carries for 39 yards as injuries mounted in Ohio State’s backfield. He is up to five receptions for 79 yards and 10 carries for 64 yards in 2023.

A team captain, Johnson also received Ohio State’s “Block O” jersey this year, awarded annually to a player with exemplary leadership. It is in memory of the late Bill Willis, whose No. 99 is retired in the Horseshoe.

Johnson also returned two kickoffs for 49 yards in his regular duties there, bringing his total up to 218 yards on nine returns in 2023, an average of 24.2 yards per runback.

Four more freshmen burn redshirts

After Carnell Tate became the first true freshman to play in five games this season against Maryland, four more members of Ohio State’s 2023 class played in their fifth game of the season against Purdue, ensuring they will not redshirt this year.

Brandon Inniss, Luke Montgomery, Malik Hartford and Jermaine Mathews Jr. were all among a group of freshmen who played in West Lafayette that also included Noah Rogers, Bryson Rodgers, Jelani Thurman and Kayden McDonald.

Inniss had the highlight of the day among freshmen by scoring a 58-yard touchdown on the first catch of his Ohio State career, hauling in a deep ball from Devin Brown and taking it all the way to the end zone.

The Freshman does it! @Brandon1inniss x @OhioStateFB

: Peacock pic.twitter.com/6vFzv2bXa1
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 14, 2023

Buckeyes officially bowl-eligible

By winning its sixth game in a row to start the season, Ohio State is now officially bowl-eligible for the 11th year in a row.

The last time Ohio State wasn’t bowl-eligible was in 2012, when the Buckeyes were banned from the postseason as punishment for the “Tattoo-Gate” scandal. The last time OSU wasn’t bowl-eligible due to performance was 1999, when the Buckeyes went 6-6. At the time, teams had to have a record above .500 to make a bowl game.

Dating back to 1972, Ohio State has played in a bowl game in 47 of the last 51 seasons. The Buckeyes are now assured of playing in a bowl game for the 48th time in 52 years.