The Ohio State Buckeyes left no doubt this time around in their visit to West Lafayette, Indiana, as they defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in dominant fashion 41-7.

Last time the Buckeyes played in Ross-Ade Stadium they suffered a historic blowout defeat five years ago 49-20, ending any hope of a championship. They got their revenge, and then some, in the blowout win which featured a fast start that has been hard to come by in previous outings. Ohio State scored on three of their first four possessions, with the lone outlier being a fumble while crossing the goal line.

Junior quarterback Kyle McCord marched the Buckeyes down the field on their first drive and found Junior wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown. The next drive featured some plays with backup Sophomore quarterback Devin Brown, who had a rushing touchdown and almost had another but fumbled the ball into the endzone.

After another McCord touchdown pass to Senior tight end Cade Stover, a touchdown run by Sophomore running back Dallan Hayden, and another McCord to Stover connection, Ohio State built up a huge lead.

The game was 13-0 after a quarter, 20-0 after a half, and after the second Stover touchdown, the score was 34-0 after three quarters. Purdue managed a score to open up the fourth quarter, but Freshman wide receiver broke free for his first reception and touchdown off a nice ball from Devin Brown.

The final score of 41-7 showed that both the Ohio State offense and defense were able to play, for the most part, a complete game on both sides of the ball.

Kyle McCord had a solid stat line even with a lot of surprising drops by some of the buckeye receivers, finishing 16/28 for 276 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Backup Devin Brown had a 58-yard passing touchdown, as well as 20 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.

With TreVeyon Henderson being a late scratch and Miyan Williams banged up, Senior running back Chip Trayanum started in the backfield. A hard hit knocked him out of the game in the first half, finishing with 28 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Dallan Hayden, who had some great games last year but has not appeared in a game this season, was forced to step in.

Just days after the coaching staff wanted Hayden to redshirt, he showed why he is arguably as talented as anyone in the backfield. Hayden took 11 carries and scampered for 76 rushing yards and found the endzone early in the second half.

Senior wide receiver and “Block O” recipient Xavier Johnson also saw some snaps from behind McCord, earning five carries and 39 yards, as well as a 21-yard catch. With Junior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka not making the trip to West Lafayette, Marvin Harrison Jr. showed yet again how important he is to the offense. He had six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. His fourth 100-yard game of the year and 11th in his buckeye career, moving him into a tie for second in Ohio State history.

Cade Stover showed he is one of the best tight ends in the country yet again as well, hauling in four catches, 53 yards, and two touchdowns. Freshman wideouts also had a day, as Brandon Innis posted his first catch and touchdown. Wide receiver Carnell Tate also made some big plays, with three catches, 79 yards, and a huge 55-yard reception.

While the offense looked good, both quarterbacks lost a fumble, with Brown losing the ball while diving into the endzone which negated a solid drive. Turnovers and getting healthier in the backfield will be goals as the Buckeyes prepare for next week.

On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebackers Cody Simon and Tommy Eichenberg had solid games all over the field and both finished with eight tackles and one tackle for loss each. The defensive line got after it as well, as Junior lineman Tyleik Williams, Jack Sawyer, and JT Tuimoloau finished with two, one and a half, and one and a half tackles for loss respectively.

The secondary made some big plays as well, holding Purdue to just 134 passing yards on 35 attempts. The rushing game was held to 123 total yards on 3.5 yards per carry. The Buckeyes went 8-13 on third down compared to Purdue’s 3-17, and the Buckeyes had two turnovers but failed to force any. 

With bigger games coming up the defense will need to force some turnovers and the offense needs to continue to convert on third down to allow the defense to rest. Next up for the Buckeyes is their biggest home-game all season, as they welcome No. 7 Penn State to The Shoe at noon.