COLUMBUS, Ohio — The legend of the trap game of all trap games permeated the halls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Ohio State prepared to take on Purdue for the first time since that October night in 2018, the night where Ohio State didn’t look like Ohio State, the night where Ohio State looked beatable.
It was a night Zach Harrison didn’t have many thoughts on. He remembers watching the game on the couch from his friend’s basement; a recruit who didn’t commit until December. It was a night Dawand Jones — an Ohio State commit at the time — heard updates from a high school locker room.
No matter if players were in West Lafayette that October night in 2018 or not, all players on the Ohio State sideline knew what Purdue was capable of, seeing what it did against Michigan State and Iowa.
The Buckeyes were vulnerable, a team that showcased its own share of struggles against Penn State and Nebraska coming into a game against a Boilermaker team that embraced being Cinderella.
But Ohio State didn’t have time for this. It had a conference to win, a Playoff spot to obtain.
And for the first time in weeks, the Buckeyes played like it, beating Purdue, 59-31, Saturday afternoon in Columbus.
The offense was back to its unstoppable rate, scoring touchdowns on each of its first six drives — 42 points on 29 plays. C.J. Stroud looked like the quarterback he was against Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana. The wide receiver room looked like the best room in the country — taking Stroud’s passes in stride for circus touchdowns against what statistically was one of the better pass defenses in the conference. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams found running lanes and turned on the jets at the second level, keeping Ohio State ahead of schedule like head coach Ryan Day preached all week.
The defense returned to its bend-but-don’t-break approach, allowing Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell to pick the middle of the Ohio State secondary apart for 390 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Are the numbers good? No, not at all. But Purdue still couldn’t keep up.
That's where Ohio State's success is going to be in this final stretch of games: returning to that place of being respected, being feared as one of if not the best offense in the country and letting everything else fall where it may.
That's what the Buckeyes did in their first matchup against the Boilermakers since that October night in 2018. It came in as a contender. It left as a contender, turning heads as to what could potentially be done in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Garrett Wilson becomes the weekly representation of the Ohio State pass offense
Wilson was Stroud’s guy Saturday afternoon.
After missing the Nebraska game with an undisclosed injury, the junior wide receiver returned with a vengeance.
He was everywhere, whether it was the passing game — bringing in 10 catches for 126 yards and three touchdowns — or the run game: taking a jet sweep 51 yards for a touchdown. Wilson was a machine, bringing in Ohio State’s first four-touchdown game since Noah Brown’s showcase against Oklahoma in 2016.
It wasn’t just one play that allowed Wilson to shine. He did whatever Stroud needed him to do, whether it was through crossing routes in the middle of the field or circus touchdown catches draped by a defender on a fade.
Ohio State’s offense was in a rhythm because Stroud was in a rhythm with Wilson.
It continues to be a receiver-of-the-day offense for Stroud and the passing game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his run after last week’s 240-yard performance against Nebraska, becoming Ohio State’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Parris Campbell in 2018.
But Wilson was why Ohio State’s offense was what it was against the Boilermakers.
The defensive approach remained the same.
The scheme itself may have changed. The personnel may have changed, along with the person calling the plays. But the approach is the same: Ohio State’s defense is one based on the idea that talent can win out in any situation.
It’s an approach many quarterbacks had feasted on this season, and one that continued Saturday against Purdue.
The Boilermakers allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback hurries, along with five tackles for loss, giving O’Connell plenty of time in a clean pocket, hitting receivers finding those soft spots in the Buckeyes’ zone.
The bend-but-don’t-break approach led to 481 yards and 31 points for a Purdue offense that has been clicking at another level on the pass defense.
Ohio State’s defense knew what was coming. It knew what O’Connell could do. It knew what junior wide receiver David Bell could do, recording 11 receptions for 103 yards. Ohio State knew that Purdue wasn’t going to run the ball, limiting the Boilermakers to 91 yards on 19 carries.
But this goes back to what sophomore linebacker Cody Simon said Wednesday heading into the Buckeyes’ game against Purdue: every defense has its shortcomings. The idea is to find a way to limit those shortcomings as much as possible.
Ohio State didn’t limit Purdue’s shortcomings. The defense just got bailed out by its offense.
So what does this mean for the Playoff?
Ohio State came into the game controlling its own destiny. It doesn’t have a chance at the No. 1 spot with undefeated No. 1 Georgia taking seemingly a permanent spot at the top.
There is something to be said about style points.
It’s what’s keeping Ohio State behind Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings, with the committee relying on the head-to-head matchup between the Buckeyes and the Ducks to determine which team is ranked higher.
Ohio State was still looking for that game where the committee could refer to it like it did comparing Michigan to Michigan State. Despite the Wolverines losing the head-to-head matchup with the Spartans, the Wolverines were the “more complete team,” leading to a place one spot higher than the Spartans.
Did Ohio State do enough to jump Oregon? Well, 59 points is nothing to scoff at. The 31 points allowed is alarming, but it’s something that’s remained consistent throughout the season.
Does it matter? Not really. But it really is Ohio State’s first statement against a team that the College Football Playoff committee deems as worthy as a top-25 team.
It’s a good place to be with games against Michigan State and Michigan on the horizon.
Ohio State prepared to take on Purdue for the first time since that October night in 2018, the night where Ohio State didn’t look like Ohio State, the night where Ohio State looked beatable.
It was a night Zach Harrison didn’t have many thoughts on. He remembers watching the game on the couch from his friend’s basement; a recruit who didn’t commit until December. It was a night Dawand Jones — an Ohio State commit at the time — heard updates from a high school locker room.
No matter if players were in West Lafayette that October night in 2018 or not, all players on the Ohio State sideline knew what Purdue was capable of, seeing what it did against Michigan State and Iowa.
The Buckeyes were vulnerable, a team that showcased its own share of struggles against Penn State and Nebraska coming into a game against a Boilermaker team that embraced being Cinderella.
But Ohio State didn’t have time for this. It had a conference to win, a Playoff spot to obtain.
And for the first time in weeks, the Buckeyes played like it, beating Purdue, 59-31, Saturday afternoon in Columbus.
The offense was back to its unstoppable rate, scoring touchdowns on each of its first six drives — 42 points on 29 plays. C.J. Stroud looked like the quarterback he was against Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana. The wide receiver room looked like the best room in the country — taking Stroud’s passes in stride for circus touchdowns against what statistically was one of the better pass defenses in the conference. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams found running lanes and turned on the jets at the second level, keeping Ohio State ahead of schedule like head coach Ryan Day preached all week.
The defense returned to its bend-but-don’t-break approach, allowing Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell to pick the middle of the Ohio State secondary apart for 390 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Are the numbers good? No, not at all. But Purdue still couldn’t keep up.
That's where Ohio State's success is going to be in this final stretch of games: returning to that place of being respected, being feared as one of if not the best offense in the country and letting everything else fall where it may.
That's what the Buckeyes did in their first matchup against the Boilermakers since that October night in 2018. It came in as a contender. It left as a contender, turning heads as to what could potentially be done in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Garrett Wilson becomes the weekly representation of the Ohio State pass offense
Wilson was Stroud’s guy Saturday afternoon.
After missing the Nebraska game with an undisclosed injury, the junior wide receiver returned with a vengeance.
He was everywhere, whether it was the passing game — bringing in 10 catches for 126 yards and three touchdowns — or the run game: taking a jet sweep 51 yards for a touchdown. Wilson was a machine, bringing in Ohio State’s first four-touchdown game since Noah Brown’s showcase against Oklahoma in 2016.
It wasn’t just one play that allowed Wilson to shine. He did whatever Stroud needed him to do, whether it was through crossing routes in the middle of the field or circus touchdown catches draped by a defender on a fade.
Ohio State’s offense was in a rhythm because Stroud was in a rhythm with Wilson.
It continues to be a receiver-of-the-day offense for Stroud and the passing game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continued his run after last week’s 240-yard performance against Nebraska, becoming Ohio State’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Parris Campbell in 2018.
But Wilson was why Ohio State’s offense was what it was against the Boilermakers.
The defensive approach remained the same.
The scheme itself may have changed. The personnel may have changed, along with the person calling the plays. But the approach is the same: Ohio State’s defense is one based on the idea that talent can win out in any situation.
It’s an approach many quarterbacks had feasted on this season, and one that continued Saturday against Purdue.
The Boilermakers allowed zero sacks and zero quarterback hurries, along with five tackles for loss, giving O’Connell plenty of time in a clean pocket, hitting receivers finding those soft spots in the Buckeyes’ zone.
The bend-but-don’t-break approach led to 481 yards and 31 points for a Purdue offense that has been clicking at another level on the pass defense.
Ohio State’s defense knew what was coming. It knew what O’Connell could do. It knew what junior wide receiver David Bell could do, recording 11 receptions for 103 yards. Ohio State knew that Purdue wasn’t going to run the ball, limiting the Boilermakers to 91 yards on 19 carries.
But this goes back to what sophomore linebacker Cody Simon said Wednesday heading into the Buckeyes’ game against Purdue: every defense has its shortcomings. The idea is to find a way to limit those shortcomings as much as possible.
Ohio State didn’t limit Purdue’s shortcomings. The defense just got bailed out by its offense.
So what does this mean for the Playoff?
Ohio State came into the game controlling its own destiny. It doesn’t have a chance at the No. 1 spot with undefeated No. 1 Georgia taking seemingly a permanent spot at the top.
There is something to be said about style points.
It’s what’s keeping Ohio State behind Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings, with the committee relying on the head-to-head matchup between the Buckeyes and the Ducks to determine which team is ranked higher.
Ohio State was still looking for that game where the committee could refer to it like it did comparing Michigan to Michigan State. Despite the Wolverines losing the head-to-head matchup with the Spartans, the Wolverines were the “more complete team,” leading to a place one spot higher than the Spartans.
Did Ohio State do enough to jump Oregon? Well, 59 points is nothing to scoff at. The 31 points allowed is alarming, but it’s something that’s remained consistent throughout the season.
Does it matter? Not really. But it really is Ohio State’s first statement against a team that the College Football Playoff committee deems as worthy as a top-25 team.
It’s a good place to be with games against Michigan State and Michigan on the horizon.
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