Buckeyes’ Defense, Heisman Hopefuls Suffocate Boilermakers

It’s awfully difficult to win games without the ball. There are instances where the defense or special teams can will a team to victory, but if the offense has no time to work, it gets difficult. Ohio State took care of business on the road at Purdue, thanks to a lopsided time-of-possession ratio. The Buckeyes held the ball for 40:53 as compared to Purdue’s 19:07

The Big Ten Network called Ohio State a boa constrictor with how the Buckeyes play the game. Much has been made about the pace of play of Ryan Day’s team. It came into this one tied for the fourth-fewest plays per game. The Buckeyes take their time on offense and then turn around and suffocate the opposition with an elite defense. It was more of the same in this one.

Ohio State fans have come out of this one frustrated with a few ill-timed mistakes. However, overall, it was as methodical as could be. There are issues to be ironed out moving forward, but in front of a majority scarlet crowd on the road, top-ranked Ohio State moved to 9-0.

Buckeyes’ Defense, Heisman Hopefuls Suffocate Boilermakers

No Tate, No Problem

Ohio State went into this game with an injury to its offensive line. What nobody was prepared for was Carnell Tate missing the entire contest. Evidently, Tate felt a little tight in pregame warmups, so Day decided to hold him out as a precaution. While the Buckeyes look good statistically, Tate’s absence was felt.

Julian Sayin had another efficient game quarterbacking the offense. When it was all said and done, he had the quietest 303-yard performance of his career. He completed 27 of his 33 attempts and found the endzone once. If there is an area for criticism, it would be Sayin’s third-quarter interception. Trying to cap off an 8:34 drive, Sayin rolled out, threw across his body to find a receiver in the endzone, and it went right to a Purdue defender. It was his first interception in 173 passes (September 13 vs. Ohio).

Jeremiah Smith picked up the slack as expected. On the day, he hauled in 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. It was his first career 10-reception game as he set the program record for the fastest player to score 25 receiving touchdowns in 25 games. However, seven catches, 109 yards, and the touchdown were in the first half. Given, Ohio State heavily ran the ball in the second half, but Purdue sold out to take him away.

In Tate’s absence, someone needed to step up. As it was, Max Klare was the second-leading receiver with 59 yards on five catches against his old squad.

All in all, the offense has its issues with redzone efficiency and at right guard. Even then, Joey McGuire only punted once.

Run Game Still Not There

Day and Brian Hartline, as we suggested in the lead-up to the game, wanted to work on the run game. In total, the Buckeyes ran the ball 41 times. The game situation dictated more rushing attempts in the second half, but there was more of a concerted effort. It wasn’t quite there.

The game opened up with a 70-yard touchdown by Bo Jackson on the first play. Unfortunately, it was called back. He was the leader of the group on the day again, with 14 carries for 75 yards. When Jackson carries the ball, he just looks more decisive and explosive compared to the rest of the room. After him, it was fell true freshman Isaiah West who was next up. West runs with a physicality that makes the defense have to tighten its chinstraps. On a number of occasions, West was hit behind the line and he willed himself forward for a gain. He ran the ball nine times for 60 yards, leading the way with 6.7 yards per carry.

CJ Donaldson was the go-to goal-line back. The West Virginia transfer only ran the ball five times, but he found paydirt twice.

Ohio State finished the day with 166 yards on the ground. The Boilermakers averaged 234 yards per game allowed on the ground through nine games. Taking out the Week 1 win over Ball State, the last eight opponents averaged 253 yards per game. Needless to say, there were yards to be had against Purdue. Overall, Ohio State wasn’t able to take advantage.

This will continue to be a concern moving forward. It’s nitpicking at this point, but it’s not a non-factor. Even then, the seven runs of over 10 yards were a season high.

Another Great Defensive Performance

In total, Ohio State’s defense allowed 10 points. Those scores were on book-end drives with Purdue kicking a field goal to open the game on its scripted drive and then a garbage-time touchdown against the backups. Purdue had the ball eight times in this one. Only two drives ended with a three-and-out.

The Boilermakers had a handful of impressive third-down conversions in the first half, prolonging their drives. All in all, the Ohio State defense played well, and it responded to the little success Purdue had. The Boilermakers only managed 186 yards of offense, by far their worst of the year.

While the Buckeye defense did not register a sack, it did manage three tackles for loss. In the middle, Kayden McDonald was a force. He amassed four stops with one tackle for loss. Purdue had no success running the ball up the middle at all. Its only success came off a couple of stretch runs where Ohio State was a little out of position. Even then, linebackers Payton Pierce, Sonny Styles, and Arvell Reese were there to make the play.

The play of the game on defense was in the second quarter. Browne tried to squeeze the ball across the middle, but Caleb Downs disrupted the pass. As a result, it went straight up into the air and landed in Jermaine Mathews‘ waiting arms for his second of the year.

Onto The Next One

Getting to 9-0 is the expectation. Next up, the Buckeyes take on UCLA. Another program struggling in 2025, it should be expected that Ohio State continues to work on its deficiencies to work up to that Michigan game at the end of the year.