Purdue vs. Ohio State: Complete Game Preview

Ohio State is still undefeated despite their defense looking as bad as it has in several years.

They hope to right the ship on defense as they host Purdue, the team that started the Buckeyes' slide a year ago with an overtime loss in West Lafayette.

The Boilermakers have been a thorn in the Buckeyes' side as of late, winning two of the last three meetings against the Buckeyes, both at Purdue.

What will happen this time around?

Here is a look at Saturday's game.

Game Day Information

Who: Purdue at Ohio State

Where: Ohio Stadium (102,329), Columbus, OH

When: Saturday, noon

TV: ABC/ESPN2; Beth Mowins: play-by-play, Joey Galloway: color

Radio:

Ohio: Akron - 1590 AM; Cincinnati - 1480 AM; Cleveland - 850 AM; Columbus - 1460 AM; Columbus - 97.1 FM; Toledo - 1470 AM; Youngstown - 1390 AM

Indiana: Lafayette - 96.5 FM; Indianapolis - 1260 AM; South Bend - 96.9 FM; Fort Wayne - 1380 AM

Satellite: Sirius 112

Depth Chart for Purdue

Quarterback: Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve

Running Back: Akeem Shavers, Akeem Hunt

Wide Receiver: O.J. Ross, Antavian Edison, Gary Bush, Raheem Mostert, Cameron Posey, Shane Mikesky

Tight End: Gabe Holmes, Crosby Wright

Offensive Tackle: Kevin Pamphile, Trevor Foy, Justin Kitchens

Offensive Guard: Peters Drey, Devin Smith, Cody Davis

Center: Rick Schmeig, Robert Kugler

Defensive End: Ryan Isaac, Ryan Phillips, Jalani Phillips, Greg Latta

Defensive Tackle: Bruce Gaston, Kawann Short, Brandon Taylor, Michael Rouse

Linebacker: Robert Maci, Will Lucas, Antwon Higgs, Sean Robinson, Nnamdi Ezenwa, Joe Gilliam

Cornerback: Ricardo Allen, Josh Johnson, Frankie Williams, Normondo Harris

Safety: Landon Feichter, Taylor Richards, Max Chariot, Chris Quinn

Depth Chart for Ohio State

Quarterback: Braxton Miller, Kenny Guiton

Running Back: Carlos Hyde/Jordan Hall, Rod Smith

Wide Receiver: Corey "Philly" Brown, Devin Smith, Jake Stoneburner, Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas, Chris Fields

Tight End: Jeff Heuerman, Nick Vannett

Offensive Tackle: Jack Mewhort, Reid Fragel, Darryl Baldwin, Taylor Decker

Offensive Guard: Andrew Norwell, Marcus Hall, Antonio Underwood, Chase Farris

Center: Corey Linsley, Jacoby Boren

Defensive End: John Simon, Nathan Williams, J.T. Moore, Michael Bennett

Defensive Tackle: Johnathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Joel Hale, Adolphus Washington

Linebacker: Ryan Shazier, Zach Boren, Josh Perry, Curtis Grant, Conner Crowell, David Perkins

Cornerback: Bradley Roby, Travis Howard, Doran Grant, Adam Griffin

Safety: C.J. Barnett, Christian Bryant, Orhian Johnson, Corey Brown

What Happened to the Boilermakers Last Week?

Purdue scored the first touchdown against Wisconsin on Saturday.

Then Montee Ball and the Badgers' running game happened, as Wisconsin ran for 467 yards in their 38-14 win on the road at Purdue.

Robert Marve was forced into action in the blowout loss after Caleb TerBush completed just seven of 16 passes for only 80 yards.

The loss is the second straight the Boilermakers have had, getting outscored 82-27 in losses to Michigan and Wisconsin, both at home.

What Happened to the Buckeyes Last Week?

Ohio State is 7-0 after beating Indiana, but their defense is on red alert status after giving up 49 points on the road to the Hoosiers.

Braxton Miller had 360 yards of total offense with three touchdowns, and running back Carlos Hyde rushed for 156 yards and found the end zone twice for the Buckeyes.

After seven weeks this year, it's surprising that the defense that most thought would be the rock of this team has become extremely tenuous.

It's just extremely un-Ohio State to have a leaky defense like they did against the Hoosiers.

What It Means to Both Teams

For Purdue

The Boilermakers looked to be a Big Ten sleeper with Ohio State and Penn State banned from the Big Ten Championship Game, but have started conference play 0-2.

Danny Hope's job may be at risk again unless his team delivers a signature win this season.

And for whatever reason, Hope's Boilermakers have had the Buckeyes' number of late.

A win might stabilize the ship and steer Purdue closer to bowl eligibility.

For Ohio State

One word: revenge.

Teams that have beaten the Buckeyes in past years have not usually gotten the best of the Buckeyes. Just ask Michigan State and Nebraska.

Ohio State wants to continue to push for 12-0 and to continue to improve Braxton Miller's Heisman resume.

Key Player for Purdue: DT Kawaan Short

Purdue's lately become a school that produces some pretty talented linemen.

Two years ago, Ryan Kerrigan moved from terrorizing the Big Ten to becoming a good end for the Washington Redskins.

This time around, it's Kawann Short, who had a field day against Miller and the Buckeyes.

He made life miserable for an OSU offensive line, which was vastly improved compared to a year ago. But Short is the type of player who can take games over if he dominates up front.

Key Player for Ohio State: DB Bradley Roby

We all know what Braxton Miller and the Buckeye offense can do. The issue has become a poor defense, especially in the back seven.

With a depleted linebacker corps, someone in the back seven needs to become a leader. Who better than a potential first-round pick in corner Bradley Roby?

The third-year sophomore will have a busy day against the Purdue spread, both dealing with different receivers and the screen and run games which will hit the perimeters.

Purdue's offense can take a defensive line completely out of the game through scheme, so Roby and his teammates in the back seven will need to be very sound to slow down this offense.

Purdue Will Win If...

Purdue beat the Buckeyes in overtime last year, sending the Buckeyes into a tailspin in which they lost four games to finish below .500.

The Boilermakers' offense should be able to put up some points. The concern is stopping Ohio State's two-headed monster running the football in Miller and Hyde.

OSU is ranked No. 8 in rushing offense, and the Boilermakers just gave up well over 400 yards on the ground to Wisconsin at home a week ago.

The defense will have to take the lesser of two evils and force Miller to throw, even though he will still run for some big plays.

The truth is it's extremely difficult unless you have six or seven incredible athletes to keep Miller from running wild. He's proven that all season.

Ohio State Will Win If...

Ohio State's offense is night and day from what it was last year, and should be able to put up some big numbers against a Purdue defense that was burned at home in consecutive games.

The challenge will obviously come defensively against a Purdue team that's very basic schemes give Ohio State's personnel fits.

The strength of the defense is in the front four, but most of what they do renders them ineffective, which means Luke Fickell and Urban Meyer will have to be creative in what they do.

If Ohio State can get up big early and make Purdue one-dimensional, they can force some turnovers and make this game lopsided.

Prediction

Everything in history says the Buckeyes should roll in this matchup, especially given the wake-up call the defense received from the escape at Indiana.

Purdue does have the matchup advantage with their spread attack, but don't count out how much practicing against OSU's spread may help the defense a little bit.

The Buckeyes have a chance to run away by dominating the ground game once again if Purdue's last two losses were any indication.

It's not out of the question to imagine either Miller or Hyde running for 200 yards against the Boilermakers.

Prediction: Ohio State 48, Purdue 27