THE ROSS-ADE BLUES? Purdue has beaten a ranked Ohio State team eight times, with four of those coming when the Buckeyes ranked in the top five. That includes the infamous 49-20 blowout in 2018 and the 31-27 defeat in 2000, which propelled Drew Brees and the Boilermakers to a Big Ten title.
Speaking of which, Purdue will welcome back Donald Winston, a wide receiver on the Boilermakers’ 2000 team, to Ross-Ade Stadium to be the team’s honorary captain on Saturday. Bad vibes!
On Tuesday, Ryan Day shared his respect for Barry Odom and the Purdue football program. Odom said the respect is mutual — but made it clear that his team isn’t interested in moral victories or Ohio State’s résumé.
“Well, I think, you know, I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Day. I think they have great players. They’ve got a great scheme,” Odom said. “But the more time you would spend on they’re 8-0, they’re undefeated, they’ve got all the different things, the numbers by their school, rankings and all those things. To me, respectfully, that’s wasted time. I think you try to look for advantages for your team. Again, I’ll say it, I have a lot for how they play the game, the players they have and the coaches they have, but it’s about how good we can get this week to try to execute the game plan. If we worry about the color of the uniform or the ranking, then that’s wasted energy in my opinion.”
My advice to Day and the Buckeyes? Don’t look past Odom and the Boilermakers — even if they’re 2-7. Crazy things tend to happen at Ross-Ade Stadium.
REMEMBER WHEN…? I learned this week that Barry Odom faced Ohio State twice while he played linebacker at Missouri from 1996-99. The Buckeyes beat the Tigers in both matchups — a 31-10 win in Columbia in 1997, and a 35-14 win in Columbus in 1998.
“I remember both of them well,” Odom said this week.
I’m not sure what Odom remembers about the Tigers’ losses, but I bet he can recall watching Andy Katzenmoyer send his quarterback, Corby Jones, to the Aether.
While Katzenmoyer’s six tackles trailed Antoine Winfield (13) and Kevin Johnson (nine) for the team lead vs. Missouri in 1997, Odom led the Tigers with 11 tackles, including one for loss and one forced fumble. The following year, Katzenmoyer paced the Buckeyes with 12 takedowns, while Odom’s 10 ranked third on the Tigers behind Carlos Posey (13) and Marquis Gibson (13). Odom also led Missouri with six solo stops.
Ryan Day says "fun is kicking ass," Ohio State must be on high alert at Ross-Ade Stadium and Barry Odom has a history competing against the Buckeyes.
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