Ohio State Football: Grading the Week 11 Loss at Purdue

It looks like Ohio State's dynasty atop the Big Ten has come to an end, as they will need a miracle to win the Leaders Division after their disappointing 26-23 OT loss at Purdue.

The loss not only all but takes OSU out of title contention for the first time since 2004, but it might also signal that the Luke Fickell era will last just this one season.

But whatever the future holds, what is true is Ohio State has now lost twice at Purdue, which has now become the Buckeyes' kryptonite in the past few seasons.

Who's to blame most in this game?

Here's this week's report card. 

Quarterback: B

Braxton Miller did not play well enough to win on the road, but he was the only reason the game even went into overtime to begin with.

Miller was inconsistent, but he did throw for two touchdowns and run for one more.

His clutch TD pass to Jordan Hall, his second throw to Terrelle Pryor's high school teammate, in the final seconds of the fourth was why the Buckeyes forced overtime.

He missed a few passes, but he did show plenty of aggressive play in attacking the Purdue defense deep multiple times.

Running Backs: B

Jordan Hall's two-way play and clutch TD catch made this grade higher than it probably should have been.

OSU's running backs struggled in the first half, as the team averaged just 1.1 yards per carry. They would pull that number up to 3.5 by game's end.

Herron rushed for 62 yards, while Hall had 46 yards rushing and 58 yards receiving on the day.

The offensive line did contribute to some of the struggles by not doing an adequate job, so the RBs don't deserve all of the blame for a slow day.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C-

Buckeye receivers combined for just four catches on the afternoon, all of whom were players in their first season of full-time college play.

With the top three receivers on the team either hurt or suspended, OSU really has been running thin for most of the season to begin with.

That lack of experience doesn't help a freshman QB out all that much, especially considering the fact that OSU's passing game is barely better than those of Army and Navy, two service academies that throw only a handful of passes per game.

DeVier Posey's return in the final two games certainly should help from an experience level because this passing game clearly lacks a go-to target.

Offensive Line: D+

Ohio State's offensive line really missed the stabilizing presence of JB Shugarts on Saturday as his replacement, Antonio Underwood, was beat time and again yesterday by Purdue's front four.

After giving up six sacks against Indiana, the Buckeyes' line had yet another tough afternoon against a Purdue defensive line that lost Ryan Kerrigan from last year's squad.

Whether it is poor coaching once again by Jim Bollman or defenses stacking the box because they don't respect the passing game (again, partially due to poor coaching), this line isn't getting the job done.

Just imagine how tough it will be next season without Mike Adams, Mike Brewster or Shugarts to stabilize things up front.

Defensive Line: C+

Despite some of the work John Simon and the OSU defensive line have done in past weeks including in the above picture at Illinois, the front four of the Buckeyes was neutralized at Purdue.

Part of the reason for that was Purdue's plan of going to the perimeter early and often, challenging a surprisingly weak back seven of the OSU defense.

Simon did have a TFL along with Michael Bennett and Johnathan Hankins, who has really come along and had a great sophomore season.

Unfortunately, Hankins came off the field late and if he misses the final two games of this season, it could be a massive loss for this OSU defense which is already struggling.

Linebackers: C-

If it wasn't for the play of electrifying true freshman Ryan Shazier, the linebackers would get a massive F grade.

Shazier, who is the closest thing OSU has right now to a Tyrann Mathieu-esque playmaker, was tied for second on the team in tackles with seven, and also recorded a sack and a forced fumble.

This added to an already impressive freshman resume that includes a ferocious block on a Chris Fields' punt return TD against Toledo and a blocked punt against Wisconsin.

Shazier has quickly become a fan favorite and is quite possibly the most exciting underclassman outside of Braxton Miller on the entire roster.

Unfortunately, this group may be without Andrew Sweat, who suffered a concussion in the loss. His status for next week's home finale against Penn State is uncertain at this time.

Defensive Backs: C

Ohio State's secondary had almost as many dropped interceptions as their receivers had in total catches.

C.J. Barnett was among those who dropped sure picks throughout the course of the game that made a huge difference in the outcome.

The group did not hold up all that well when Purdue hit the perimeter, especially considering the large amount of missed tackles on the season, already a huge surprise this year.

Bradley Roby had another solid game on Saturday as he has emerged as one of the few bright spots on a disappointing defensive group this season.

Special Teams: F

The special teams unit played OK, but they get the F for one big reason: the blocked extra point at the end of regulation.

That is something which is completely unacceptable in any situation, let alone when you need to win to keep conference title hopes alive.

The kick alone cost Ohio State the game in the end, which is why special teams gets an F despite an otherwise solid game.

Coaching: F

This game may have sealed Luke Fickell's fate as a one-and-done as Ohio State head coach.

While Jim Bollman is already one foot out the door, the stunning thing is that a coaching staff that has been a part of six straight Big Ten titles coached like they hadn't been in a must-win situation.

And even worse, the coaches are still coaching scared and passive when they realize that they are still auditioning for work after this season.

Fickell does deserve a head coaching job somewhere, but he needs to start in a place with less pressure to win than at Ohio State and grow over time.

Right now, he just doesn't have what it takes.

Intangibles: F-

The dynasty is all but over at Ohio State, but no one expected it to end where it did.

The damage of Jim Tressel's coverup of illegal memorabilia trading has killed one of the greatest dynasties in Big Ten history in which OSU won or shared the Big Ten title each of the past six seasons.

And while the fact that this Ohio State team may be among the worst in the new millennium, the evidence still remains that the conference as a whole is still as weak as it's ever been.

All good things must come to an end, but the end of this run may soon be just the beginning of a tough time for OSU football, especially considering how the NCAA continues to keep the university in a holding pattern when it comes to sanctioning the program.

Whether Urban Meyer or someone else takes over as coach at Ohio State, fans should limit their expectations for the time being because of how much the program has been hurt over the past 11 months.

Follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim for more college football news and updates.