Ohio State vs. Purdue Preview: Buckeyes Eager to Build On Offensive Line, Defense Momentum Against Struggling Purdue Team

Purdue

Boilermakers

1 - 7 (0-5)

roster  |  schedule

NOV. 10, 2024 - NOON

Ohio STADIUM

Columbus, OH

FOXOSU -38

Purdue rolls into 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 snacks they munched on in the non-conference.

If all goes to plan, the Buckeyes should continue building momentum off of an emotional win in Beaver Stadium, have an opportunity to give its backups some playing time and move one step closer to making the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Headlines

Building Blocks

Ohio State's offensive line bumped left guard Donovan Jackson out to left tackle against one of the nation's elite edge rushers in Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, plugged Carson Hinzman in Jackson's place at left guard and proceeded to put on a season-defining performance at Penn State. Now it's a matter of sustaining and building upon that effort.

"The Penn State game's over," Ryan Day said about the offensive line on Tuesday. "We got to worry about Purdue. We got to keep moving forward. So now we'll see kind of how things go as we move forward."

Saturday has the chance to be a confidence-builder for Ohio State's entire team, but especially for its offensive line. If the Buckeyes' current alignment up front can rattle off 10 straight runs to move the chains four times and bleed out the final 5:13 of the game clock to turn Happy Valley into Sad Valley, surely it can Run the Damn Ball against a defense that allows 5.1 yards per carry, which ranks 113th in the nation.

Got the job done pic.twitter.com/4zmW4J1oPa

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

Jackson will get another test of his pass protection, however, which wasn't perfect against the Nittany Lions as he allowed two sacks vs. Carter. Purdue outside linebacker Kydran Jenkins has piled up 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.

Meager Foe

There's a reason murmurs are circling 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 upset 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 have 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. Opponents have outscored the Boilermakers 264-113 since.

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, though it is 76th with 149 rushing yards per game.

Re-engineered

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Ohio State's defense "re-engineered" itself after catching much criticism from the Buckeyes' 32-31 loss to Oregon earlier in the year. The retooling worked as OSU allowed Penn State's offense to score just six points, with the Nittany Lions adding seven off a first-quarter pick-six of Will Howard.

"You're happy for the players, all the work they put in," 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 the whole team, or the whole staff, or fans. When you have a defense that you can count on, I think it just mentally gives everybody a sense of calm."

Ohio State's started running a lot more stunts and mixing 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 as Oregon did but the last two weeks have been a major step in the right direction for the Buckeyes' defense.

RELATED Film Study: Re-engineering the Defense Midseason

Much like with the offensive line, this bout with the Boilermakers is another chance to build confidence for Ohio State's defense, especially given how Purdue struggles to move the football.

Watch Out For These Guys

Purdue S Dillon Thieneman

Thieneman's been a star in Purdue's defense since his freshman season in 2023 when he racked up 106 tackles and six interceptions, tied for third most in the country. He's the Boilermakers' leading tackler again in 2024 with 64 takedowns to go with 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and four pass breakups.

Purdue TE Max Klare

Tight end Max Klare is the best weapon on 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 held Warren to four catches for 47 yards last week, though he added 47 rushing yards on just three carries playing wildcat quarterback.

Game Week Talk

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

This preview and the whole of Buckeye Nation might not be taking Purdue seriously but Day – at least publicly and before his players – is. And he should be. Gains are not made in games like this unless the locker room keeps its focus.

“Their top two running backs are two of the better backs in the country (TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins). Their tight ends are versatile both in the run game and in the pass game. And then the history of the wideouts that they have there sort of speaks for itself. They have as talented a freshman receiver as we’ve seen.”– Ryan Walters on the Ohio State offense

After calling the Ohio State offense “balanced” due to the playmakers spread across the field, Walters was sure to mention not only the Buckeyes' running backs and wide receivers but their tight ends too 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 aided the team on the ground.

“(It's) something that's been a goal of mine since I first got here. I wrote it down in my notes in January, actually, just something that I could continue to work toward throughout the year.”– Jeremiah Smith on breaking Cris Carter's freshman records

Jeremiah Smith broke Cris Carter's freshman receiving yardage record at Penn State and pulled even with his touchdown record the week prior. A three-reception, one-touchdown outing against Purdue will give Smith a hold of all three single-season freshman receiving records. He's already up to 39 receptions for 664 yards and eight scores so far this year.

Get Smart

• Ohio State has a 41-15-2 all-time record against Purdue.
• The Buckeyes have won their last 10 consecutive home games against the Boilermakers. Their last loss to Purdue at Ohio Stadium was in 1989.
• Purdue’s roster features 10 players from Ohio, though 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 Ohio State’s “Holy Buckeye” win over Purdue in 2002.
• Ohio State will play in FOX’s Big Noon Saturday game for the third week in a row and the fourth time this season, though FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will not be in attendance for this week’s game.
• Saturday’s game will be Ohio State’s annual Military Appreciation Game.

How It Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -38, O/U 53.5

I've taken a baseball bat to the proverbial deceased horse enough times in this story. Purdue isn't a good team. Ohio State is. If the Buckeyes don't win comfortably, it'll be a major disappointment for OSU fans and a cause for reflection.

The smallest projected margin of victory among Eleven Warriors staffers 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 spread even though it sits at a lofty 38 points.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
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