Ohio State Football: Buckeyes on upset alert at Purdue?
Despite a perfect record, Ohio State football has been leaking a little oil in recent weeks. Should they be on upset alert on the road against Purdue?
Ohio State was less than impressive in last week’s 30-14 win over Minnesota, a game the Buckeyes didn’t fully put away until late in the fourth quarter. It has been the Ohio State defense that has been cause for concern in Columbus; they allowed 178 yards on the ground and 396 yards overall last week against a typically inept Golden Gophers offense. Nick Bosa‘s decision to withdraw from school means that help is not on the way for Urban Meyer and company.
Ohio State has only faced one offense this season that ranks in the Top-50 in offensive S&P+, and yet the Buckeyes rank 58th in the nation in yards allowed. The problem is far from talent because even without Bosa Ohio State boasts a strong defensive line led by Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Young. It will be up to Meyer and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to get things fixed before it costs the Buckeyes a game.
That could happen this week as Ohio State travels to West Lafayette to take on a Purdue team that sports an explosive offense. After an 0-3 start, things have turned around for the Boilermakers since Jeff Brohm made the call to bench junior QB Elijah Sindelar for senior David Blough.
Blough has been the Big Ten’s second-most efficient passer since taking the reins, leading the Boilermakers to a 3-1 record, with the one loss coming on the road against Missouri in a game where Blough threw for over 500 yards. Riding a three-game winning streak, Purdue is still very much alive in the Big Ten West race. An upset over the Buckeyes would position Purdue for a run at the divisional crown.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday night’s Big Ten battle between the Buckeyes and Boilermakers:
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Date: Saturday, October 20
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: West Lafayette, IN
Venue: Ross-Ade Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Ohio State should be gearing up for a shootout against the potent Purdue offense. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has made up some ground in the Heisman Trophy race, and he’ll have an opportunity to put up some big numbers against the Purdue defense. This will be Haskins’s second road start, and Urban Meyer will need to take the training wheels off in this matchup, unlike his gameplan at Penn State. Purdue is likely to put up points, so Meyer will need to let his talented sophomore passer to take shots down the field to Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill in order to keep pace.
Purdue will hope to catch Ohio State napping a bit, with the Buckeyes having an eye toward next week’s bye. Purdue should be able to make some plays offensively, particularly with super-freshman Rondale Moore, who is second in the Big Ten in receiving yards and ranks fourth in the nation in all-purpose yards per game. If they can maintain some offensive balance with D.J. Knox carrying the ball, then the Boilermakers should be able to turn this into a track-meet.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Ohio State -13.5
Over/Under: 67
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Prediction
I’ve got a gut feeling that Ohio State may be in trouble in West Lafayette on Saturday night. Purdue has the offense to take advantage of Ohio State’s defensive shortcomings, and could turn this into a high-scoring affair that is won off of a key mistake by one team or the other. Things looked bleak after Purdue’s 0-3 start, but Jeff Brohm has circled-the-wagons and has his Boilermakers playing good football. An increasingly strange 2018 college football season gets a little weirder on Saturday with Purdue pulling the upset.
Final Score: Purdue 41, Ohio State 38