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    • Ohio State Football is coming off a 45-0 victory over Purdue
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    Ohio State Football is coming off a 45-0 victory over Purdue

    Vaseline Posted on

    Ohio State coach Ryan Day tried to make it clear all week that Purdue was not a pushover for the No. 2 Buckeyes.

    But no coaching language can hide the truth. The Boilermakers are the worst team in the Big Ten, and only a disastrous fumble by Ohio State could have prevented Saturday’s game at Ohio Stadium from becoming a blowout.

    The Buckeyes may not have been at their sharpest, but they were solid in a 45-0 win in front of 103,463.

    Ohio State earned its first shutout in Big Ten play since 2017, while holding Purdue to just 206 yards.

    Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed 21 of 26 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score just over three-quarters of the way through the game.

    Ohio State improved to 8-1 (5-1 Big Ten). Purdue fell to 1-8. The lone win came in the opener against FCS opponent Indiana State. Since then, the Boilermakers have been outscored 340-113.

    Ohio State’s defense shines again

    Ohio State’s defensive resurgence after “re-engineering” that unit after the loss to Oregon continued. Purdue’s best drive came before the missed chip shot field goal when linebacker Cody Simon was the lone starter in the front seven for most of the possession.

    The Boilermakers moved into OSU territory on their next possession after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on freshman defensive tackle Eddrick Houston, who started in place of Tyleik Williams. But the drive ended when defensive back Jack Sawyer and defensive back Jordan Hancock sacked Hudson Card on fourth down.

    Purdue threatened on its first possession of the second half, but Lathan Ransom intercepted a pass in the end zone.

    The final blow came on the Boilermakers’ next possession. JT Tuimoloau knocked the ball from running back Reggie Love III. Defensive end Jack Sawyer picked up the ball and ran 11 yards for the touchdown.

    That was the last series for the starting defense. It allowed just 143 yards, 3.3 per game. Purdue was just 2 of 9 on third down and failed on its two fourth down attempts.

    Ohio State’s offense plodded along

    Ohio State’s starting offense managed just one first on its first possession before scoring five touchdowns and kicking a field goal on their last six.

    The Buckeyes’ reshuffled offensive line, featuring Donovan Jackson at left tackle and Carson Hinzman at left guard, took another step forward.

    TreVeyon Henderson had just six carries, but the senior averaged 14.2 yards on them and gained 85 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown. He also had a 32-yard catch to set up a touchdown.

    Freshman Jeremiah Smith had six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. Sophomore Carnell Tate also had six receptions for 56 yards. The Buckeyes rolled without a big game from senior Emeka Egbuka. He didn’t have a catch until he caught a 10-yard touchdown pass on the starters’ final possession. OSU starters gained 390 yards, an average of 7.2 per game.

    Special teams proved crucial early on

    Special teams has been a problem in recent years and it cost Parker Fleming his job after last season. While Ohio State hadn’t made any unforgivable mistakes in the kicking game this season, it hadn’t really given the Buckeyes a boost either. Day regretted that this week.

    But the kicking game provided the biggest game-changing plays early against Purdue.

    The game was scoreless midway through the first quarter when Ohio State forced a punt after a three-and-out at the Boilermakers’ 13-yard line. Defensive end Caden Curry got free and got his hand on Keelan Crimmins’ kick. The Buckeyes took over at the 8. Howard’s fourth down carry from the 1 gave Ohio State the lead.

    Purdue then drove 80 yards in 13 plays to the OSU 3 – almost all against a Buckeye front seven made up of mostly backups – before Ryan Walters decided to settle for a field goal. But Spencer Porath’s 21-yard field goal went wide right. Ohio State then went 80 yards to take a 14-0 lead.

    Jayden Fielding, who made two field goals in last week’s win over Penn State, kicked a 42-yard goal to open the scoring in the second half.

    Porath hooked a 38-yard field goal attempt wide left with 9:50 left to keep OSU’s shutout alive.

    Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts.

    Vaseline
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