Purdue at Ohio State
* Date, Time: Sat., Oct. 20, noon (Eastern)
* Location: Ohio Stadium
* TV: ABC (regional telecast; ESPN2 outside the region; announcers: Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway and Lewis Johnson)
* 2012 Records: Ohio State, 7-0 overall, 3-0 Big Ten; Purdue, 3-3 overall, 0-2 Big Ten.
* 2012 Rankings: Ohio State, seventh in Associated Press poll; Purdue, unranked.
* Coaches: Ohio State, Urban Meyer (first year at OSU, 7-0; 11th year overall, 111-23; vs. Purdue, first meeting); Purdue Danny Hope (fourth year at Purdue, 19-24; ninth year overall, 54-46; vs. OSU, 2-1).
* Series History: Ohio State leads the all-time series with Purdue 38-14-2, including 26-5-2 in Columbus. OSU has won 13 of the last 17 overall in the series, but Purdue has won two of the last three meetings with both of those wins in West Lafayette. OSU has won the teams’ last eight meetings in Columbus, dating to a loss in 1988 (31-26).
Last year, OSU had a late extra point attempt blocked, sending the game to overtime. OSU got a Drew Basil field goal, but Purdue QB Robert Marve scored on a 1-yard TD run to give the Boilers a 26-23 win. Purdue outgained OSU 363-298 in the win, sacking OSU’s Braxton Miller five times.
OSU rolled to a 49-0 win in the teams’ last meeting in Columbus in 2010. Corey “Philly” Brown caught one of Terrelle Pryor’s three touchdown passes in that win. That 49-point win was OSU’s biggest by margin in the series.
Purdue is shooting to win back-to-back games in the series for the first time since 1960 and 1967.
* Purdue Schedule: Sept. 1, Eastern Kentucky, W 48-6; Sept. 8, at Notre Dame, L 20-17; Sept. 15, Eastern Michigan, W 54-16; Sept. 22, Marshall, W 51-41; Oct. 6, Michigan, L 44-13; Oct. 13, Wisconsin, L 38-14; Oct. 20, at Ohio State, noon (ABC/ESPN2); Oct. 27, at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m.; Nov. 3, Penn State; Nov. 10, at Iowa; Nov. 17, at Illinois; Nov. 24, Indiana.
* Purdue Key Players (2012 Stats): QB Caleb TerBush (74 of 121 passing, 716 yards, 8 TDs, 6 INTs), QB Robert Marve (49 of 73 passing, 500 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs), RB Akeem Shavers (77 carries, 324 yards, 3 TDs), RB Akeem Hunt (23 carries, 257 yards, 2 TDs), WR O.J. Ross (38 catches, 299 yards, 1 TD), WR Antavian Edison (31 catches, 373 yards, 5 TDs), WR Gary Bush (21 catches, 186 yards, 4 TDs), WLB Will Lucas (33 tackles, 3-1/2 TFLs), SS Landon Feichter (32 tackles, 3 INTs), DT Kawann Short (20 tackles, 4 sacks, 9 TFLs), CB Ricardo Allen (20 tackles, 1 INT), DT Bruce Gaston (12 tackles, 4 TFLs), DE Ryan Russell (14 tackles, 2 sacks, 4-1/2 TFLs).
* Purdue Fast Facts: Location: West Lafayette, Ind.; Enrollment, 39,697; Conference: Big Ten Conference; Nickname, Boilermakers; Colors, Old Gold and Black; Stadium, Ross-Ade Stadium (surface, Prescription Athletic Turf/Bermuda grass; capacity, 62,500).
* Ohio State Schedule: Sept. 1, Miami (Ohio), W 56-10; Sept. 8, Central Florida, W 31-16; Sept. 15, California, W 35-28; Sept. 22, UAB, W 29-15; Sept. 29, at Michigan State, W 17-16; Oct. 6, Nebraska, W 63-38; Oct. 13, at Indiana, W 52-49; Oct. 20, Purdue, noon (ABC/ESPN2); Oct. 27, at Penn State, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN); Nov. 3, Illinois; Nov. 17, at Wisconsin; Nov. 24, Michigan, noon (ABC).
* Ohio State Key Players (2012 Stats): QB Braxton Miller (96 of 159 passing, 1,271 yards, 11 TDs, 4 INTs; 129 carries, 912 yards, 9 TDs), RB Carlos Hyde (85 carries, 454 yards, 7 TDs), RB Jordan Hall (40 carries, 218 yards, 1 TD), RB Rod Smith (20 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs), WR Jake Stoneburner (11 catches, 133 yards, 3 TDs), WR Philly Brown (41 catches, 403 yards, 1 TD), WR Devin Smith (21 catches, 457 yards, 6 TDs), DB Christian Bryant (43 tackles, 1 INT), LB Etienne Sabino (37 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT), LB Ryan Shazier (65 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks), DE John Simon (26 tackles, 8-1/2 TFLs, 3 sacks), CB Bradley Roby (33 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INTs), CB Travis Howard (25 tackles, 3 INTs), DT Johnathan Hankins (33 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack).
Depth Charts
Ohio State Offense
LT 74 Jack Mewhort 6-6, 312, Jr.
76 Darryl Baldwin 6-5, 300, So.
LG 78 Andrew Norwell 6-6, 310, Jr.
73 Antonio Underwood 6-2, 306, So.
C 71 Corey Linsley 6-3, 295, Jr.
50 Jacoby Boren 6-2, 287, Fr.
RG 79 Marcus Hall 6-5, 315, Jr.
57 Chase Farris 6-4, 290, R-Fr.
RT 77 Reid Fragel 6-8, 310, Sr.
68 Taylor Decker 6-7, 313, Fr.
TE 86 Jeff Heuerman, 6-5, 250, So.
Or 81 Nick Vannett 6-6, 255, R-Fr.
WR (H) 11 Jake Stoneburner 6-5, 245, Sr.
80 Chris Fields 6-0, 197, Jr.
QB 5 Braxton Miller 6-2, 220, So.
13 Kenny Guiton 6-3, 210, Jr.
RB 34 Carlos Hyde, 6-0, 232, Jr.
Or 7 Jordan Hall, 5-9, 194, Sr.
2 Rod Smith, 6-3, 228, So.
WR (X) 15 Devin Smith 6-1, 200, So.
83 Michael Thomas 6-2, 198, Fr.
WR (Z) 10 Corey Brown 6-0, 187, Jr.
16 Evan Spencer 6-2, 205, So.
K 24 Drew Basil 6-1, 210, Jr.
39 Kyle Clinton 6-1, 215 So.
Ohio State Defense
LEO 54 John Simon 6-2, 263, Sr.
88 Steve Miller 6-3, 255, So.
Or 8 Noah Spence 6-3, 240, Fr.
DT 52 Johnathan Hankins 6-3, 322, Jr.
92 Adolphus Washington 6-3, 289, Fr.
Or 90 Tommy Schutt 6-2, 295, Fr.
NT 53 Garrett Goebel 6-4, 290, Sr.
51 Joel Hale 6-4, 295, So.
DE 43 Nathan Williams, 6-3, 249, Sr.
50 J.T. Moore 6-3, 260, So.
63 Michael Bennett 6-3, 285, So.
OLB 10 Ryan Shazier 6-2, 230, So.
36 Conner Crowell 6-1, 235, R-Fr.
5 Camren Williams, 6-2, 225, Fr.
MLB 32 Storm Klein, 6-2, 242, Sr.
Or 44 Zach Boren, 6-1, 245, Sr.
14 Curtis Grant 6-3, 235, So.
OLB 37 Joshua Perry 6-4, 238, Fr.
25 David Perkins 6-2, 220, Fr.
CB 1 Bradley Roby 5-11, 190, So.
12 Doran Grant 5-11, 188, So.
SAF 2 Christian Bryant 5-10, 192, Jr.
19 Orhian Johnson 6-3, 210, Sr.
SAF 4 C.J. Barnett 6-1, 202, Jr.
3 Corey Brown 6-1, 198, Jr.
CB 7 Travis Howard 6-1, 200, Sr.
9 Adam Griffi n 5-8, 180, So.
P 17 Ben Buchanan 5-11, 192, Sr.
24 Drew Basil 6-1, 210, Jr.
LS 41 Bryce Haynes 6-4, 220, R-Fr.
or 56 George Makridis 6-2, 230, Jr.
Purdue Offense
WR 4 O.J. Ross, Jr., 5-10, 188, Ormond Beach, Fla.
16 Dolapo Macarthy, R-Fr., 6-5, 220, Merrillville, Ind.
or 17 Charles Torwudzo, So., 6-4, 223, Brownsburg, Ind.
WR 13 Antavian Edison, Sr., 5-11, 175, Fort Myers, Fla.
33 Danny Anthrop, Fr., 6-0, 180, West Lafayette, Ind.
LT 51 Justt n Kitchens, Jr., 6-4, 294, Warner Robins, Ga.
or 64 Kevin Pamphile, Jr., 6-5, 300, Miami, Fla.
LG 67 Peters Drey, 5th, 6-6, 302, Mobile, Ala.
59 Cody Davis, Jr., 6-5, 286, Spring, Texas
C 76 Rick Schmeig, Sr., 6-3, 305, Cincinnatt , Ohio
57 Robert Kugler, R-Fr., 6-3, 280, Pittsburgh, Pa.
RG 71 Devin Smith, Jr., 6-7, 320, Detroit, Mich.
59 Cody Davis, Jr., 6-5, 286, Spring, Texas
RT 78 Trevor Foy, Jr., 6-7, 300, Louisville, Ky.
51 Justt n Kitchens, Jr., 6-4, 294, Warner Robins, Ga.
TE 86 Gabe Holmes, Jr., 6-6, 247, Miramar, Fla.
or 82 Crosby Wright, 5th, 6-3, 248, Carbondale, Ill.
WR 6 Gary Bush, Jr., 6-0, 185, Miami, Fla.
18 Cameron Posey, Fr., 6-2, 180, Boca Raton, Fla.
QB 19 Caleb TerBush, 5th, 6-5, 225, Metamora, Ill.
9 Robert Marve, 6th, 6-1,212, Tampa, Fla.
15 Rob Henry, Jr., 6-2, 200, Ocala, Fla.
RB 24 Akeem Shavers, 5-11, 203, Texarkana, Texas
11 Akeem Hunt, So., 5-9, 184, Covington, Ga.
K 37 Paul Griggs, Fr., 6-1, 200, Charlotte, N.C.
43 Sam McCartney, R-Fr., 6-4, 215, West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue Defense
DE 99 Ryan Russell, So., 6-5, 275, Carrollton, Texas
89 Jalani Phillips, So., 6-4, 260, Warner Robins, Ga.
DT 93 Kawann Short, 5th, 6-3, 315, East Chicago, Ind.
97 Michael Rouse, R-Fr., 6-4, 295, Flossmoor, Ill.
or 92 Ryan Watson, Fr., 6-3, 294, Ellicot City, Md.
DT 90 Bruce Gaston, Jr., 6-2, 303, Chicago, Ill.
55 Brandon Taylor, Jr., 6-1, 295, Aventura, Fla.
DE 61 Ryan Isaac, Jr., 6-5, 294, Michigan City, Ind.
91 Greg Latta, Jr., 6-6, 265, La Quinta, Calif.
WLB 45 Will Lucas, Jr., 5-11, 230, Lakeland, Fla.
10 Sean Robinson, So., 6-3, 240 Springfi eld, Ill.
MLB 39 Joe Gilliam, Jr., 6-1, 227, Indianapolis, Ind.
5 Antwon Higgs, Sr., 6-3, 246 Pompano Beach, Fla.
SLB 58 Robert Maci, 5th, 6-4, 249, Fishers, Ind.
18 Nnamdi Ezenwa, 5th, 6-2, 225, Acworth, Ga.
or 31 Armstead Williams, R-Fr., 6-3, 223, Monroville, Pa.
CB 21 Ricardo Allen, Jr., 5-9, 186, Daytona Beach, Fla.
2 Frankie Williams, R-Fr., 5-9, 186, Tampa, Fla.
SS 44 Landon Feichter, So.,, 6-0, 189, Fort Wayne, Ind.
34 Max Charlot, Sr., 6-0, 201, Corona, Calif.
FS 4 Taylor Richards, So.,5-10, 192, Lake Mary, Fla.
7 E.J. Johnson, So., 6-1, 185, Cocoa, Fla. (Cocoa)
CB 28 Josh Johnson, Sr., 5-11, 195, Dade City, Fla.
1 Normondo Harris, Jr., 6-0, 180, Miami, Fla.
P 42 Cody Webster, Jr., 6-1, 210, Harrisburg, Pa.
30 Thomas Meadows, Fr., 6-1, 180 Maidens, Va.
Also Notable
* Shades of pink will be prevalent inside the stadium as OSU will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Saturday.
* The Buckeyes are one of 12 unbeaten teams nationally. Ohio State and Ohio are the nation’s only 7-0 teams so far.
* The Buckeyes will be shooting to reach 8-0 to start a season for the third time in seven years, dating to 2006. Over the last 20 years, OSU has reached at least 8-0 on at least seven occasions: 1993 (started 8-0), 1995 (started 11-0), 1996 (started 10-0), 1998 (started 8-0), 2002 (finished 14-0), 2006 (started 12-0) and 2007 (started 10-0).
This is the fourth team Meyer has led to a 7-0 start in his 11th year as a head coach. Only two first-year OSU coaches have started 8-0. Carroll Widdoes was 9-0 in 1944 and eventually won his first 12 games before a loss. Earle Bruce posted an 11-0 record to open the 1979 before a Rose Bowl loss to USC.
* Four Purdue players are from Ohio, led by senior center Rick Schmeig (Cincinnati).
* Ohio State has two players on the roster from Indiana – DT Joel Hale (Greenwood Center Grove) and RB Rod Smith (Fort Wayne Harding).
* Urban Meyer’s teams are 68-14 when ranked.
* OSU is 26 of 30 this season on scoring chances in the red zone. That includes 23 touchdowns and three field goals.
* Braxton Miller has eight career 100-yard rushing games, including seven this year. Carlos Hyde has four in his career, including two this year.
In the win over Indiana, OSU had two 100-yard rushers (Miller with 149 yards and Hyde with 156) and a 100-yard receiver (Devin Smith with 106) for the first time in the same game in school history.
* The Buckeyes have had 20 70-yard drives this season – 11 more than the nine they had all last season.
Breaking It Down
* When Ohio State Has The Ball: Well, this is about as plain as the nose on your face. Let’s look at the numbers. Ohio State is eighth nationally in rushing offense at 263.6 yards per game. In Big Ten play, that average is actually just over 303 ypg. Purdue’s defense is 97th nationally, allowing 199.5 ypg.
But drill down to Purdue’s lopsided home Big Ten losses to Michigan and Wisconsin and you see that the Boilers gave up 304 yards rushing to Michigan and 467 this past week to Wisconsin. Montee Ball had 247 of those yards and Wisconsin, factoring in its passing yardage, rolled up 645 yards total against the Boilers.
So if you don’t think Purdue is in for a steady dose of Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde (and probably Philly Brown and Rod Smith, too), then you haven’t been paying attention. OSU reached the 50-point plateau in consecutive games for the first time in 16 years.
* When Purdue Has The Ball: Purdue’s offense has sputtered the last two weeks. Caleb TerBush has been the starting quarterback, but he has been anything but consistent. He ranks eighth in the conference in passing efficiency. Last week against Wisconsin, TerBush, Robert Marve (just back from his third knee injury) and Rob Henry were a combined 11 of 31 passing for 128 yards and an interception.
Of course, you’ll find a picture of the Ohio State defense in the dictionary next to the word “ineffective.” If there is a week where Purdue’s offense is going to get healthy, this would be it. OSU gave up 49 points last week at Indiana and still somehow won that game. That’s the most points OSU has given up in 18 years. And that was Indiana.
However, it is possible that the OSU defense could buckle down. It begins with pressure up front. This vaunted OSU front seems to run hot and cold when it comes to getting after the passer. How else do you explain four sacks against Nebraska and none against Indiana?
The linebacker play is a mess right now because of injuries and, apparently, a real slow learning curve for the young guys. That’s why fullback Zach Boren showed up over there last week … and somehow led the team with eight tackles. The secondary, to me, seems fine. They should match up well with Purdue’s collection of receivers.
* How It Will Go: We know Ohio State is going to push 45 or maybe even 50 points again this week. You can just feel it in your bones. Purdue is absolutely reeling right now. Ohio State needs to play like an 8-0 team and jump on this team early and often.
Quite simply, the defense needs to make a play. They need to get after TerBush (or whoever lines up at quarterback). There is no excuse for what we saw last week, and it sounds like Urban Meyer is going to start holding people – players and coaches alike on that side of the ball – accountable for that. I think that message will get through.
I’ve got it Ohio State 52-17
* For The Record: I am 7-0 straight-up and 3-4 against-the-spread with Ohio State. (The Buckeyes are an 19-1/2 point favorite over the Boilermakers.)
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