Game Preview: Ohio State at Purdue

Dave Thurman (12:36 pm)

Coming off a less than inspiring win over one of the two B1G teams from the state of Indiana, the Buckeyes now head north to take on the Purdue Boilermakers at West Lafayette.  Not only is it one of the more annoying venues in the conference with the loud train horn constantly blaring and fans shouting "Boiler Up!" (whatever that means), it is also the sight of a very painful loss in 2009.  Most fans don't need to be reminded of that day when the offensive line collapsed, and Terrelle Pryor played his worst game as a Buckeye.  The 2011 team hopes for a better outcome, but takes on a Purdue team that is 4-1 at home.  While the Boilermakers are far from a good team, they have had their moments, and certainly pose a serious threat on their home turf. 

During a week of great unrest in the B1G conference with the media attention all focused on Penn State and Joe Paterno, Ohio State has quietly prepared for this game with determination.  Not only is it a chance to atone for the '09 debacle, it is also a step in a possible Leaders division title, setting up a huge contest against beleaguered Penn State next week in the Shoe. 

When Purdue has the ball:

Known for their great quarterbacks, Purdue may not have an NFL caliber signal caller but they have found themselves a pretty good one this year in Caleb TerBush.  He won the job from the more acclaimed Robert Marve earlier in the year and has done a nice job.  The sophomore is big (6'5" 225) but also decently mobile.  He has completed 61.3% of his passes with a solid 10 to 6 touchdown to interception ratio.  TerBush has also scrambled for 183 yards and a touchdown.  While he is unlikely to beat you on his own, he has been much better at home, and poses enough of a threat to keep the OSU defense on its toes.  He is aided by two junior tailbacks in Robert Bolden (469 yds, 4.6 ypc, 3 tds) and Akeem Shavers (338 yds, 4.6 ypc., 5 tds).  Of the two Bolden is the quicker and more dynamic while Shavers is more punishing.  The tough Silver Bullet line shouldn't let either back have a big day, but both are capable of solid numbers. 

Purdue receivers, like the other skill position players, are productive but not especially scary.  Fifth year senior Justin Siller is a good possession receiver (34, 342, 1), while O.J. Ross is a bit more of a downfield threat (29, 326, 3), as is Antavian Edison. The Boilers usually have three wideouts on the field and sometimes four, and there is decent depth at the position.  Like OSU they don't feature their tight end as much as the could. 

---

The Boilermakers feature a line with nice size and experience, anchored by senior left tackle Dennis Kelly, who is a good one.  Overall, though, it is like most of the offense - pretty average. The numbers bear this out as Purdue averages 367 yards and 26 points per game.  Not bad, but certainly not elite, either.

Overall, the Purdue offense doesn't strike fear in opponents, but neither did the 2009 edition that riddled the Buckeye secondary all day.  Missing injured Rob Henry, who was expected to be the starting quarterback, they have settled in under TerBush, and pose enough of a threat that the Silver Bullets need to bring their A game.  Considering what Kofi Hughes did last week against the Buckeyes, there is reason to believe Purdue will attack the middle of the field, testing a young and sometime porous OSU secondary.

When Ohio State has the ball:

There will be no surprises when the Scarlet and Gray offense takes the field.  Like the good old days under Woody Hayes this team is easy to scheme but not so easy to stop.  While next to last in the nation in passing (115.4 yards per game), OSU averages over 200 yards each game on the ground and they have picked up steam since the return of tackle Mike Adams and running back Boom Herron.  Purdue will counter with a couple of big defensive tackles in the middle of their line, led by junior Kawann Short (42 tackes, 12.5 for loss).  Still, despite the two 300 pounders in the middle, the Boilers have surrendered 191 yards per game on the ground, and teams have averaged 4.5 per carry.  Truth is, outside of Short, the line is pretty weak, and miss defensive end Ryan Kerrigan in a big way. 

The linebackers are veterans and form the strength of the defense.  Fifth year senior Joe Holland is familiar to Buckeye fans, and has 67 tackles,  He is also adept at falling back into pass coverage from his outside backer position.  The middle linebacker, Dwayne Beckford, is also a fine player, and leads the team with 70 tackles.

Purdue's secondary features a couple of seniors and four returning starters but is an average unit as a whole.  Teams have thrown for 209 yards per game against the Boilermakers, but only hit on nine touchdowns, while Purdue has picked off seven passes.  Safety Albert Evans has 55 tackles and 1 interception, while corner Ricardo Allen has three picks, and has taken one to the house.  Obviously this unit will be called upon primarily to provide run support, and the two senior safeties give them some room for optimism. 

This is not a great defense, yielding just over 400 yards and 26 points per game.  They will be physically tested, and OSU should have solid success running the ball. If Boom stays healthy he should register his fourth straight 100 yard game, and if they refrain form turning the ball over, the Buckeye offense should control the clock. 

Dave's Wildcards:

Intangibles could play a big role in a game that should be pretty close.  Ohio State is 18-1 in their last 19 November games,and has won 22 of its last 25 Big Ten road games.  But one of those losses was at Purdue, and this year's Boiler team is at least as good as the '09 version.   

-Offensive line chemistry. Senior J.B. Shugarts is out and freshman Antonio Underwood gets the start at right tackle.  If he fails to cut it, then OSU will move people around and insert either Marcus Hall or Corey Linsley.  While this means we won't see Shugarts' obligatory false start, it does cause concerns.  Two years ago a patchwork line acted like a sieve, and caused the downfall of the Buckeyes.  Hopefully this won't be a repeat of that calamity. 

-Special teams. Purdue boasts one of the best special team units in the conference, Punter Cody Webster averages 45.5 per boot and kicker Carson Wiggs has a 53 yard field goal to his credit this season, and is also a pooch punt specialist.  Kick returners Raheem Mostert and O.J Ross both have big play ability.  While Ohio State is pretty much their equal in the special teams department, keep an eye on Jordan Hall who is coming off an injury and may not be 100%.  Whoever wins the special teams battle may also win the war.

-Turnovers.  I guess this could be listed for any game, but considering the fact that Ohio State had 5 turnovers in their last trip to West Lafayette, this looms very large on Saturday.

Score Prediction:

Dave: Ohio State 24, Purdue 20
Drew: Ohio State 28, Purdue 17