Ohio State Buckeyes—Know the Opposition: Purdue Edition

Drew Thurman (11:44 am)

Mascot: Boilermakers

Stadium: Ross-Ade Stadium (62,500)

Coach: Joe Tiller (124-87-1, 12th year at Purdue, 85-57)

2007 Record: 8-5 (Won Motor City Bowl over Central Michigan 51-48)

2008 Record: 2-3

Base Offense: Ace (3 Wideouts)

Base Defense: 4-3

Lettermen: Returning - 41, Lost - 23

Returning Starters: Offense - 6, Defense - 6, Specialists - 1

Stars: RB Cory Sheets, QB Curtis Painter, LB Anthony Heygood

Cheerleaders:

Notable Alumni:

Neil Armstrong - First man on the moon
Bob Griese - Hall of Fame quarterback and ABC announcer
Orville Redenbacher - Popcorn mogul
John Wooden - Legendary basketball coach
Drew Brees - NFL quarterback

Purdue Overview:

The Boilermakers come into Ohio Stadium on Saturday a very disappointed team. They have a 2-3 overall record, and have lost their last two games to Notre Dame (4-1) and Penn State (6-0).

The schedule has been pretty tough so far for Purdue, but the only quality win they have is over Central Michigan (3-2).

The offense has been a frustrating part of the losses thus far, especially in the loss to Penn State when they had only 241 yards in the game. This left Tiller and company so frustrated that they actually benched senior quarterback Curtis Painter to play Joey Elliott.

Painter is the leader of this offense though, and has already been named the starter against the Buckeyes. So far Painter has 1225 yards passing with five touchdowns and five interceptions. Painter is only completing 57.6 percent of his passes though, which is the lowest since his freshman year with the Boilermakers.

Painter has two main targets he will hit a lot at wideout in Desmond Tardy (393 yards, two TD) and Greg Orton (330 yards, 1 TD). Tardy is the man to watch with his average of 15.7 a reception.

Painter will also hit a whole host of other targets including Keith Smith (198 yards, 1 TD) and running back Kory Sheets (139 yards, 0 TD

Look for Sheets to play a big role in this game running the ball as well. He is averaging just under 100 yards a game, and has 508 total rushing yards with eight touchdowns. If Sheets gets outside he can bust the long one at anytime.

More disappointing than their offense has to be the play of their defense. So far, the Boilermakers are letting opposing offenses average 435 yards a game against them. The worst part is their running defense which has given up 196 yards a game. It is also important to note that the Boilermaker defense has only forced six turnovers so far in five games.

With all that said, expect to hear the name of linebacker Anthony Heygood a lot in this game. He has 44 tackles on the season, a forced fumble, and a interception. The other two men to watch on the defense is safety Tori Williams (33 tackles) and linebacker Joe Holland (33 tackles).

Prediction

On Saturday you are going to see a very upset and angry Boilermaker team. How much of the outcome this actually alters no one knows, but I think very little outside of a personal foul penalty or two.

On offense the game plan will be very simple; run, run, and run it some more. If Beanie stays healthy watch him bust several long runs against a poor tackling Boilermaker unit. His health is important though with Boom Herron's absence this week!

I also expect to see Terrelle Pryor exploit this defense on numerous levels. Look for him to run early, and then look for the open man down field while extending plays. Also watch for Robiskie and Hartline to get involved in a big way like they did against Minnesota. 

Pryor seems very comfotable in Ohio Stadium, and I think he has another big day in the Shoe on Saturday.

On defense I think the Buckeyes have to target Kory Sheets above everything else. He is the heartbest of the Boilermaker offense, and can bust a long play if the defense does not tackle well in space.

Look for the Buckeyes to shut him down up the middle, but I expect some success for Sheets on pitches and screens. It will also be important not to give Curtis Painter any early success.

He along with the Boilermaker offense are rattled thanks to the poor start to the season, and I think the Buckeyes will capitalize on that early. Look for the Buckeye defense to force several turnovers in this game.

Overall, I think the Buckeyes will come out strong at home in this game. Purdue will have some decent success with short slants and bubble screens in the first half, but then the Buckeye defense will make the adjustments and shut them down.

This will also be a big day for Pryor and Wells. I expect the Buckeye offense to be around the 200 yard rushing mark against the Boilermakers, but don't count out the passing game.

Either Robiskie or Hartline will have a day over a hundred yards and help balance the offense for Ohio State. This to me is a momentum game for the Buckeye before heading to East Lansing. I see it...

Final Score: Ohio State 35 Purdue 13