The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are back on the road this week as they face the Purdue Boilermakers, who are winless in Big Ten play.

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened up as the number one team in the first College Football Playoff rankings that were announced Tuesday night. The scarlet and gray have been the top team in the country for most of the season, and this will remain the same for another week. The team in the way of what they want to accomplish this week is the Purdue Boilermakers.

Ryan Day’s side is coming off a big 38-14 victory over a reeling Penn State group that featured a third-quarter explosion for the Buckeyes as they eventually cruised to victory. They are now 8-0, including 5-0 in conference play, and this will be the only other true road game of the year until the big one to end the regular season.

The Purdue Boilermakers are 2-7 this season and are winless in Big Ten play at 0-6. They have battled well at times in recent games, including their last contest at TTUN, where they only lost 21-16 and were in the game for most of it. They will look to hang around early with this dominant Ohio State side, but this one could get ugly early. Let’s recap each team’s recent game and look ahead to what to expect in this one.

The Buckeyes Continue To Handle Business and Leave No Doubt

Ohio State used a strong second half to beat Penn State by 24 points and is now the only undefeated team in the Big Ten besides Indiana. Other than a questionable fumble in the first half, the offense looked steady and capitalized on big plays to their playmakers numerous times.

Julian Sayin is now the Heisman favorite after yet another dominant showing, where he had more touchdowns than incompletions. The gunslinger finished 20/23 for 316 yards and four touchdowns, boasting a 99.1 QBR. Carnell Tate (five catches, 124 yards, one touchdown) and Jeremiah Smith (six catches, 123 yards, two touchdowns) are, to many people, the best two receivers in college football and prove it every week. Bennett Christian had the other receiving touchdown in this one, and Brandon Inniss (four catches, 41 yards) made some more plays this week.

The ground game had its moments in this one against a solid Nittany Lions defense, the big play being a 51-yard scamper by Bo Jackson. He continues to be the lead back for this offense and led the team in carries (13), rushing yards (105), and yards per carry (8.1). Four other players carried the ball in this one, including the other three running backs who each had at least four carries. Julian Sayin had a huge scramble for a first down, and CJ Donaldson had the lone rushing touchdown.

The defense was tested a little bit more in this one, giving up an early touchdown and having to defend a short field after a turnover by the offense. Arvell Reese led the Silver Bullets with 12 total tackles, two and a half tackles for loss, and a sack. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. had a big game with four total tackles, two and a half tackles for loss, two sacks, and one pass defended. The Buckeyes had seven tackles for a loss and four sacks on the day, and stepped up big in the second half.

Even playing from behind, Penn State was held to just 145 passing yards on 28 attempts and an interception by Caleb Downs. The running back duo of Penn State had a few decent runs, but the team as a whole had 55 rushing yards and 1.8 yards per carry. Both running backs found the endzone, but it was the only two scores they had in the afternoon. The receivers couldn’t get open or connect with the quarterback in this one, with the leading receiver having just 28 yards.

The Penn State defense was a group with lots of high expectations under former-Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles. All week, the media expressed how dangerous it was for Ohio State that Knowles was on the other sideline, as he knows everything Ryan Day and company like to do.

Well, it sure didn’t look like it in this one. Penn State registered no sacks, one turnover off of a questionable fumble call, and gave up 38 points to a Buckeyes offense that stepped on the gas when they needed to. The defense did help the offense hang around early in the game, but could only keep the scarlet and gray offense at bay for so long.

It doesn’t get any easier for this Penn State side, who no longer have James Franklin or Drew Allar, and haven’t won a game since September 13th. They host the number-two-ranked Indiana Hoosiers next before ending with Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers.

Boilermakers Keep Coming Up Short

The Purdue Boilermakers are coming off a five-point loss to the Michigan Wolverines in a game where they continued to hang around. They trailed by four for most of the third quarter, and by five with six minutes left. Neither side of the ball played poorly, but the talent gap made the difference in the end.

The Purdue offense had a balanced attack with 138 yards both passing and rushing, but the biggest play they had all game was a 20-yard run. Quarterback Ryan Browne had just 133 passing yards on 19 completions and had a touchdown to running back Malachi Thomas. Thomas led the Boilermakers in carries (15) and rushing yards (68), but it was running back Antonio Harris who had a better yards per carry total (4.9) and found the endzone.

Wide receiver Michael Jackson III led the team in receptions(6), receiving yards (58), yards per reception (9.7), and longest reception (19). The Boilermakers had two other players with five catches.

The offense had a fumble, but also forced both a fumble and an interception on Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood. Defensive back Tahj Ra-El had a huge day for the defense with 13 total tackles and 11 solo tackles. Linebacker Mani Powell had five total tackles, four solo tackles, one and a half tackles for loss, and one and a half sacks. The defense made some plays and kept the offense in it, but gave up 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns to Michigan’s new starting running back Jordan Marshall.

Underwood and the passing attack for the Wolverines weren’t really able to get going, with only one player with over 25 receiving yards. He was able to use his legs to gain 44 yards on the ground, as they continue to rely on the run even without Justice Haynes. Overall, this was another game this season for Purdue where they did enough to hang around, but couldn’t quite take charge of the game.

What to Expect in This One

Ohio State comes into this game with the only thing standing in their way being themselves. With the passing offense and defense as a whole playing great football, I think they will again try to work on the rushing attack and offensive line. With three games until the big one, they will want to make sure every unit and position group is clicking before heading to Ann Arbor.

This should be a similar game to others that the Buckeyes have played and could be comparable to the Wisconsin game in some ways. Purdue and Wisconsin are both winless in conference play, along with Penn State and Michigan State, and this could be a game where Purdue struggles to move the ball in either phase of the offense.

This Buckeyes defense has been one of the most dominant of the century, and has gotten up for every game regardless of the opponent. I could definitely see a turnover or two in this one for the Purdue offense, especially when playing from behind. I think the secondary will try to stay busy, and Caleb Downs will come up and make plays with the linebackers.

As for the offense, this is also one of the best units in the country, especially in the passing game. The training wheels have slowly come off of Julian Sayin, and he’s proving that he probably never needed them. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate should both get their targets, and Max Klare could find the endzone, as it’s a homecoming game for the tight end. It will be interesting to see how the carries are split up in the ground game against a defensive line that just gave up a lot of yards to one running back.

The money line for Ohio State is currently at -20000, with the spread opening at -26.5 and now at -29.5. The over/under total is at 48.5, with a lot of money coming in on the Buckeyes. It’s hard not to think they will win by 30+ against a team that hasn’t won a game since September 6th. Ryan Day, Matt Patricia, and Brian Hartline will put their stars in the best positions to go out and succeed, and Ohio State will roll before heading back to Columbus for its next two games.

Prediction: Ohio State 38 Purdue 6