Ohio State Football: Three keys to victory over Purdue
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football team has one final test before they welcome Penn State into the Shoe next weekend. They can’t focus on that game right now though. All of their focus has to be on Purdue this weekend because they haven’t had a lot of good history there.
We all remember what happened the last time the Buckeyes traveled to West Lafayette. Purdue pounded the Buckeyes and that loss kept them out of the College Football Playoff. The Boilermakers are going to be looking to do the same thing on Saturday.
Ohio State is coming off a 20-point victory against a previously undefeated Maryland team. Despite starting off slow, the Buckeyes kicked it into gear in the second half behind Kyle McCord’s strong passing attack. He threw for a career-high 320 yards.
If the Buckeyes want to walk out of West Lafayette with a win, they will need to play a more complete game than that. Purdue isn’t very good, sitting with just a 2-4 record. But they always seem to have something up their sleeve when they face Ohio State.
There are three keys for the Buckeyes to win this game on Saturday. The first one has to do with their defense and how to shut down Purdue
1.The Ohio State football team must stop the run
The best part about Purdue’s offense is their ability to run the ball. They average 141 yards on the ground per game. While that isn’t that good, it’s their best way to move the ball effectively. They don’t have that strong of a passing game this year.
Ohio State’s defense has been just okay at stopping the run this year. They allow 106 yards per game, which is 24th best in the country. That’s exactly how many yards they gave up to Maryland last week. Stopping the run will force Purdue to pass, and Hudson Card has been turnover-prone.
The weather looks dicey for Saturday too. That means the Boilermakers are going to run the ball as much as they can. If Ohio State can stop them, that means they will have to drop back and pass in windy and rainy conditions against the 6th-best passing defense in the country.
I expect Ohio State to be able to stop the run in the second half. I could see Purdue being able to run it a bit in the first quarter. Once adjustments are made though, I think those holes close up, and the Boilermakers will be forced to throw the ball more.
The second key to a win has to do with Ohio State’s running game.