No. 2 Ohio State Dominates, Shuts Out Purdue 45-0

© Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes coasted to a 45-0 win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Nov. 9 in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten Conference) dominated the full 60 minutes of play and were able to easily handle Purdue (1-8, 0-6 B1G). The victory marked the second shutout of the season for the Buckeyes.

Game Summary

Ohio State was in complete command all afternoon. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, did whatever they wanted on offense, moving the ball through the air and on the ground. They finished with 173 rushing yards total on the day, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Running back TreyVeon Henderson had 85 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on just 6 carries. He also had 43 receiving yards on just 3 receptions as the Buckeyes used their running backs much more in the passing game this week.

The Ohio State defense also dominated nearly every snap. They did this while heavily rotating each position constantly throughout the game. They went to their second-string defensive linemen on just the second drive of the game. Freshman DL Eddrick Houston also made his first career start in place of injured Tyleik Williams. The defensive line got constant pressure on Purdue quarterback Hudson Card on nearly every dropback. The Buckeyes finished the day with 4 sacks and DL Jack Sawyer scored on an 11-yard fumble return.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles also seemed to experiment much more with the structure of his defense. Knowles ran a three-down defensive line front at Oklahoma State prior to coming to Ohio State. The Buckeyes have used that for a small handful of snaps in the previous two weeks.

This week, they went to this look very early and mixed it into the game heavily. They did struggle to stop the run with the look, but it does add a new wrinkle for the unit. Purdue found its only success of the afternoon against this package. They drove down the field early against it before being forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal attempt that they missed. They would get into scoring range just one other time, where they missed yet another field goal attempt.

Turning Point for Ohio State

The Buckeyes were firing on all cylinders on offense all afternoon. With just 34 seconds left in the first half, QB Will Howard connected with freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith for a 17-yard TD to give them a 21-0 lead. This gave them a huge burst of momentum heading into the locker room over an already struggling Purdue team.

That score made Smith the sole leader of the freshman season receiving TDs record at Ohio State as well. That gave him his ninth for the year, passing Cris Carter's previous record of 8. Smith also broke Carter's freshman season receptions record of 41 as he pushed his total to 45 catches against the Boilermakers.

What it Means for Ohio State

The Buckeyes did exactly what they needed to against the Boilermakers. They controlled the game from the very start and finished injury-free despite an early scare with left guard Carson Hinzman going down. He returned to the game quickly and Ohio State continued their dominance up front.

The Buckeyes will have another favorable matchup next week on Nov. 16 against Northwestern (4-5, 2-4 B1G). The Wildcats will be coming off of a bye week after their 26-20 overtime win against Purdue on Nov. 2. An interesting wrinkle added into the game is that it will be played at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Head coach Ryan Day has yet to lose to an unranked opponent as Ohio State's leader. The expectation is that will continue against the Wildcats.

What it Means for Purdue

The Boilermakers have now lost each of their six conference games this season. The offense showed a slight ability to move the ball against Ohio State at times. However, they had major red zone struggles and were still often stopped around the midfield. Things will not get much easier for them on Nov. 16 when they take on No. 6 Penn State (7-1, 4-1 B1G). Head coach Ryan Walters is quite possibly coaching for his job in the last three games this year. His team will need to show improvement down the stretch to finish the season.