Ohio State Football: Way-too-early game-by-game predictions for 2018
Raise your hand if you thought Jeff Brohm would make the Purdue Boilermakers somewhat competitive in his first season as head coach. Now that no one’s hands are raised, you can just sit back and appreciate the type of turnaround he engineered in West Lafayette in 2017. He deserves all the praise in the world.
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Is Purdue ready to compete with the big boys of the Big Ten, though? The Boilermakers were 0-4 against ranked opponents in 2017 and that trend could continue in 2018 as this Ohio State matchup could be the first of back-to-back games against teams in the Top 25.
This could be a tough game for the Buckeyes, though. It’s not going to be an easy blowout victory like everyone would expect from an Ohio State vs. Purdue matchup, but the Buckeyes will find a way to win. The defense will step up in crucial moments and shut down Elijah Sindelar or David Blough late in the fourth quarter, ending a come-from-behind bid.
Dwayne Haskins will get off to an incredibly slow start, but big catches by K.J. Hill and Binjimen Victor will get him going and raise his confidence level. He’ll be backed by a solid run game, but this close loss will give the Boilermakers confidence as well.
Final Score: Ohio State 35, Purdue 24 (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten)