A road contest at a 2-4 opponent may not usually strike fear into teams or their fans, but that likely is not the case this week as Ohio State travels to Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium, looking to exact revenge after the Boilermakers’ 49-20 win over the Buckeyes in 2018.
The teams are very different now, but that has not stopped Purdue in the past from pulling out the occasional high-profile upset, so Ohio State should stay on high alert heading into this Saturday. Check back every Monday at BuckeyeSports.com for a brief preview of the Buckeyes’ upcoming opponent, with stories and features throughout the week.
OPPONENT: Purdue (2-4)
Head coach Ryan Walters’ tenure has not gotten off to the start most in West Lafayette had hoped after former head coach Jeff Brohm departed for Louisville this past offseason.
The Boilermakers’ season started with a 39-35 loss to Fresno State, and after a 24-17 win at Virginia Tech, they suffered a pair of back-to-back home losses to Syracuse (35-20) and Wisconsin (38-17). A 44-19 win over Illinois last weekend helped to stop the bleeding, but the wound opened right back up with a 20-14 loss to Iowa this past weekend.
Purdue has been serviceable on the offensive end, averaging 25.7 points and 390.3 yards of offense for game, but the defense – with is Walters’ calling card considering his previous stint as defensive coordinator at Illinois – has been among the worst in the Big Ten, allowing 28.0 points and 380.3 yards per game, including 153.8 on the ground. That should be exactly what the doctor order for Ohio State’s rushing attack that struggled against Maryland with TreVeyon Henderson on the sidelines.
To replace outgoing quarterback Aidan O’Connell, the Boilermakers took a look at the transfer portal and landed on former Texas quarterback Hudson Card, who hit the portal after losing the starting job to Quinn Ewers last season. But Card has been inconsistent through six games, averaging 248.5 yards per contest but throwing just six touchdowns to five interceptions, which does not bode well against a stingy Ohio State secondary.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
- RB Devin Mockobee: The former walk-on-turned scholarship running back has led the Boilermakers with 372 rushing yards this season and has four rushing touchdowns.
- WR Deion Burks: Burks has been the most popular target of quarterback Hudson Card, collecting 24 receptions for 396 yards and four touchdowns.
- SAF Dillon Thieneman: It’s rare that a freshman comes in and plays on defense, and even rarer when they might be the best player on that side of the ball. Thieneman leads Purdue with 53 tackles through six games and has a team-high three interceptions.
- LB Kydran Jenkins: Dominating the middle of the field for the Boilermakers has been Jenkins, who is third on the team with 26 tackles and has a team-high six tackles for loss and four sacks.
GAME INFO: Ross-Ade Stadium, 12 p.m., Peacock
Buckle up, because for the first time in Ohio State’s storied history (at least since games started being televised), this contest will not be available through a linear television option, instead available through NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.
This will be the fifth broadcast network/streaming service that Ohio State has played on in six games, with viewers able to find the Buckeyes on the Big Ten Network, CBS, FOX, NBC and, shortly, Peacock this season.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 58th all-time meeting between Ohio State and Purdue, though the Buckeyes are just 6-4 in their last 10 games against the Boilermakers.
The common thread? All four of those losses have been at Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium, with the Boilermakers not having beaten the Buckeyes in Columbus since 1988. Ohio State will have to return to the scene of the 2018 crime on Saturday looking for the team’s first win at Purdue since 2013, and just the second in their last six tries.
In fact, Purdue’s 15 wins against Ohio State are tied for the fourth-most by any team against the Buckeyes, with Michigan winning 49 games, Illinois winning 30, Wisconsin winning 18 and Iowa tying the Boilermakers with 15 victories against Ohio State. Just four other teams – Michigan State (14), Northwestern (14), Penn State
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result | TV/Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2 | at Indiana | Bloomington, Ind. | W, 23-3 | CBS |
| Sept. 9 | Youngstown State | Columbus | W, 35-7 | BTN |
| Sept. 16 | Western Kentucky | Columbus | W, 63-10 | FOX |
| Sept. 23 | at Notre Dame | South Bend. Ind. | W, 17-14 | NBC/Peacock |
| Oct. 7 | Maryland | Columbus | W, 37-17 | FOX |
| Oct. 14 | at Purdue | West Lafayette, Ind. | W, 41-7 | Peacock |
| Oct. 21 | Penn State | Columbus | W, 20-12 | FOX |
| Oct. 28 | at Wisconsin | Madison, Wisc. | W, 24-10 | NBC |
| Nov. 4 | at Rutgers | Piscataway, N.J. | W, 35-16 | CBS |
| Nov. 11 | Michigan State | Columbus | W, 38-3 | NBC/Peacock |
| Nov. 18 | Minnesota | Columbus | W, 37-3 | BTN |
| Nov. 25 | at Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. | L, 30-24 | FOX |
| Dec. 29 | Cotton Bowl vs. Missouri | Arlington, Texas | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
