College Football Preview – Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers

The Ohio State Buckeyes were written off in Week 2 of the college football season. Ohio State lost at home to Oregon, leading to Kerry Coombs being relieved of defensive play calling duties. However, the Buckeyes have taken their game to the next level over the past month. They rolled through four straight opponents and are now ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State is a heavy favorite at home against the Purdue Boilermakers this week.

On Saturday, November 13, 2021, the No. 19 Purdue Boilermakers will face the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

College Football Betting Odds

Purdue +21

Ohio State -21

Total 63.5

Purdue is a historic giant killer. The Boilermakers have more wins as an unranked opponent over top five teams than any other program, and they added two more to their list in the last month. They went on the road to knock off the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes in mid-October, and they beat the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans by 11 points last week. They beat the Buckeyes by 29 points in their last meeting in 2018, and they have had more success against Ohio State than other programs.

Since losing to Oregon, Ohio State has defeated all of its opponents by two possessions. The Buckeyes weren’t too impressive in their wins over Penn State and Nebraska, but they did easily handle their business against the middling teams in the Big Ten.

When Purdue Has the Ball

Aidan O’Connell was superb in Purdue’s two wins over Michigan State and Iowa. He has had his share of ups and downs, but he led the Boilermakers past the Spartans and Hawkeyes and to a 6-3 record.

The Boilermakers are one of the worst teams at running the ball though. They are averaging just 2.5 YPC and 78.0 YPG on the ground, ranking in the bottom six nationally in this department.

David Bell is one of the top receivers in the country. Bell is what makes this passing game special, as he has 64 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns. He has been at his best in big games with monster performances in the upset wins over Michigan State and Iowa.

Ohio State has been better on defense after a very slow start. The Buckeyes are now one of the best run defenses nationally, allowing 3.0 YPC and 109.1 YPG. This secondary does leave something to be desired though.

When Ohio State Has the Ball

The Buckeyes have doubled down on what makes them great. They are averaging 5.7 YPC and 10.0 YPA to make them one of the most productive offenses in college football. C.J. Stroud has really improved under center, throwing for 2,675 yards with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions.

TreVeyon Henderson has been sensational as a freshman. He has run for 937 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 7.3 YPC. That has led to him surpassing Miyan Williams and Master Teague III as the go-to running back for Ohio State.

These receivers are superb too. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba should all be high NFL draft picks, and they can stretch a defense.

This Purdue defense is better than expected. The Boilermakers rank in the top 20 in scoring defense (18.4 PPG0 and total defense (331.4 YPG) thanks to the play of George Karlaftis. He has over 40 pressures already this season for Purdue.

Prediction

It’s tempting to take Purdue and the points here, but this is a bad matchup for the Boilermakers. Ohio State can make Purdue very one-dimensional and has the talent in the secondary to slow down Bell.

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