Know the Opposition: Ohio State Buckeyes Face Purdue Boilermakers

Mascot: Boilermakers
Stadium: Ross-Ade Stadium (62,500)
2009 Record: 5-7
2010 Record: 4-2
Head Coach: Danny Hope (second year at PU, 9-9)
Lettermen Returning: 43 (21 lost)
Returning Starters: Offense-5; Defense-6; Specialists-1
Base Offense: Ace (3 receivers)
Base Defense: 4-3
Returning Stars: DE Ryan Kerrigan & LB Jason Werner

Purdue Preview

Revenge will be on the minds of the Buckeyes when the Purdue Boilermakers come to town for an early Saturday kickoff. Not only is Ohio State licking its wounds from last week's disappointing loss to Wisconsin, but memories of last year's meltdown in West Lafayette continue to linger. 

Lest anyone think this will be an easy victory, consider two things. 

First, the Buckeyes are beat up, missing a number of key players.

Second, Purdue is playing good football of late, including an impressive defeat of Northwestern two weeks ago in Evanston. Riding their defense and an improving running game, they enter this contest with confidence, having beaten the Buckeyes in the past.

On offense this is a very different Boilermaker team than we have grown accustomed to. In place of "basketball on grass" is a running game averaging over 200 yards per game. 

When strong-armed starting quarterback Robert Marve went down, he was replaced by youngster Rob Henry, who is much more of a runner.

Purdue fans could not be happier. 

Henry won't wow you with his arm (40-79, 443 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions), but is a shifty runner with decent speed. He leads the team with 356 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, averaging a healthy 5.6 yards per carry. His running will present a very different challenge to the Silver Bullets than the power attack of Wisconsin. 

Purdue's running backs have been solid but unspectacular.

Senior Dan Dierking has been pressed into duty and is neither big (5'10", 195) nor particularly fast. Still, he has rushed for 353 yards at 6.2 per carry. Behind him are Keith Carlos and Al-Terek McBurse, both also averaging over six yards per carry. Their size won't overwhelm you, but they run well out of the spread.

We are used to Purdue having exceptional receivers, but this year is the exception. Keith Smith's early injury left an inexperienced group without a leader.

The starters are senior Cortez Smith, sophomore Antavian Edison (who is a threat to run the ball), and freshman O.J. Ross (who has tremendous upside). Smith is the most productive of the trio with 17 catches, 220 yards, and two touchdowns. 

The Boilermakers' top target has become tight end Kyle Adams. Used mostly as a safety valve, he leads the team with 20 receptions, but only averages 6.6 yards per catch. He is a veteran player and a solid blocker. 

The offensive line has been a pleasant surprise for Purdue. They had to replace three starters from a year ago, and do not have a lot of players who were highly rated coming out of high school, but unlike Ohio State's much more celebrated line, this unit has been coached up.

They are a big group, with every starter tipping the scales at 300 pounds or more, and are led by huge guard Ken Plue (6'7" 358 lbs.), who is in line for some postseason Big Ten honors. They have certainly benefited from a mobile quarterback, but the fact that Purdue is averaging 202 yards a game on the ground and has only allowed eight sacks is pretty impressive. 

Moving to the other side of the ball, the Boilers have a very nice front seven but have some holes in the secondary.

The strong defensive line features end Ryan Kerrigan who is sometimes unblockable... as Ohio State found out last season. 

He leads Purdue with 41 tackles, including 14 for loss, with 5.5 sacks. Unless the Buckeye tackles play much better than last week, look for Pryor to wind up on his backside more than once courtesy of Mr. Kerrigan.

Also of note is big, young defensive tackle Kawann Short, who has eight tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks.

The linebackers are experienced and solid. Middle backer Dwayne Beckford has the most tackles of this group (39), but it is the guys on the outside who make big plays. Senior Jason Werner has five tackles for loss, five pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. 

Junior Joe Holland has 38 tackles including four for loss.

Overall this is an athletic group that is quite effective in pass coverage but not afraid to attack the run, as evidenced by the fact that Purdue is surrendering only 123.5 ypg on the ground. 

The Purdue secondary, though, is a question mark.

The safeties are both juniors and have done a decent job, led by Logan Link's 36 tackles and an interception. At corner Purdue is very vulnerable, starting sophomore Josh Johnson and speedy freshman Ricardo Allen, who is tiny at 5'9" 175.

Teams have exploited this weakness, hitting on 64 percent of their passes for 221 yards per game.

Clearly this is the best place for Ohio State to attack.

Special teams have become dirty words to Ohio State fans this year. Purdue doesn't excel here, either. Punters Cody Webster and Carson Wiggs average 41 yards per punt between them, and are pretty effective with their hang time, rendering few opportunities for punt returns. Wiggs also does the place kicking and has hit on 7-10 FG with a long of 49. 

The Boilers have been dreadful in the return game, averaging 17.7 yards per kickoff and 1.3 per punt. But hope springs eternal this week as they face Ohio State coverage units that are among the worst in the NCAA. On paper, this is actually a stalemate as neither team has anything to brag about.

Game Outlook

It is hard to get a read on this game. Nobody knows how the Buckeyes will respond to last week's beating. Will they come out angry and determined or will they feel sorry for themselves, and come out flat and uninspired.

Purdue has caused Ohio State to play ugly football the past two years, and comes in with a good defense that is playing with confidence.

How it all transpires is anybody's guess.

Although not a riverboat gambler, I'll take a shot. Purdue will come out in the spread, looking to create rushing lanes, and will have some early success with an attack different from anything the Silver Bullets have seen lately. 

However, I have a hard time believing they can move it up and down the field all day on a proud, angry defense. Eventually they will need to pass the ball, and that is not their strength.

Ohio State will come out throwing like they did against Indiana, and although they will mix in some carries for Boom and utilize Pryor's legs, I believe they will ride the mismatch between OSU's receivers and Purdue's corners.

The offensive line's ability to protect Pryor could have a huge impact.

Also, look to see if the Bucks come out focused or are hurt by silly penalties or turnovers. Again, it comes down to whether they are resolute after last week's embarrassment or are still dazed. Hopefully a veteran unit will be gritty and determined.

If they play inspired football, they are too talented for Purdue to hold down all day.

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle

Dave: OSU 27-17
Drew: OSU 30-10