Game Thread Ohio State 23, Purdue 7 (final)

[Fungo Squiggly]

Painter may have a good TD:INT ratio right now but that was the biggest knock against him all year last year. Just like the overall team in general the question becomes, is he that much better or is it because they have played no one? Probably somewhere in the middle.

As far as their WR's go I would agree except for Dorian Bryant(?), I forget his name but they have one very athletic skill position player.

I have a feeling the step up in talent they are about to face will be the biggest issue for Purdue. That and the old fashioned good offense vs good defense thing. We all know how that usually turns out.

Dorien Bryant is a shifty little bastard. They'll run reverses, swing passes, WR screens, etc to put the ball in his hands. He's an outstanding returner, too. Selwyn Lymon and Greg Orton are also solid receivers, as well as Dustin Keller at TE. Kory Sheets is a good running back, too. Definitely the most skilled offense OSU will have seen all season.

 

[MajesticTurkey]

I think Purdue is a solid team. I think they're good, and they're a test for Ohio State. But I agree that going from the Toledos and Notre Dames to the best defense in the Big Ten with a capable offense is going to give them fits. Fortunately we've had Washington on the road, and Minnesota at night to prepare us. I still would like to see how our defense does against a spread passing game.

 

[sandgk]

Jax - consider these statistics.

Against a less than stellar ND Defense Painter gave up 2 Interceptions and was sacked twice. His pass totals 252 yards on 22 of 37.

Prior to that point - through the other four games - 1 INTs and 2 Sacks given up. Yards per game just under 324.

If he took that big of a statistical hit against the hapless Irish, think what Gholston, Heyward, Laurinaitis, Jenkins and the rest are going to bring in the way of pain.

 

[MajesticTurkey]

Dorien Bryant is a shifty little bastard. They'll run reverses, swing passes, WR screens, etc to put the ball in his hands. He's an outstanding returner, too. Selwyn Lymon and Greg Orton are also solid receivers, as well as Dustin Keller at TE. Kory Sheets is a good running back, too. Definitely the most skilled offense OSU will have seen all season.

I hope they run swing passes and reverses and end-arounds to Bryant. I love the way our defense stays in position and handles these types of plays.

The WR screen though, Chekwa and Washington sometimes have problems getting off blocks.

 

[osugrad21]

Angles, angles, angles...

Pursuit angles need to be solid this week.

Quick throws to beat/discourage the blitz, get into space, replace the run...all of these require the defense to stay disciplined while also not losing a step.

Going to be a challenge and a telling game.

 

[Thump]

Going to be a challenge and a telling game.

Agree

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Solid tackling on the outside by the DB's will be big. Jenkins and Russell are superior tacklers and Washington has been very good, too. Not suggesting they haven't been good thus far, but Coleman and Chekwa really need to continue to make the plays when they are in position to make them.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Jax - consider these statistics.

Against a less than stellar ND Defense Painter gave up 3 Interceptions and was sacked twice. His pass totals 252 yards on 22 of 37.

Prior to that point - through the other four games - 0 INTs and 1 Sack given up. Yards per game just under 324.

If he took that big of a statistical hit against the hapless Irish, think what Gholston, Heyward, Laurinaitis, Jenkins and the rest are going to bring in the way of pain.

Good stats to back up what I personally think is going to happen.

Our D is going to impact their O a lot more than their D is going to impact our O.

 

[martinss01]

Did I miss 2004?

no, but he did apparently.

Who can ever forget Craig Krenzel and what he did in 2002 against Purdue. I hope Todd Boeckman can reach a plateau of that nature next saturday night.

i for one hope he doesn't have to.

 

[kippy1040]

no, but he did apparently.



i for one hope he doesn't have to.

When I was talking about Boeckman reaching the same Plateau as Krenzel, that may have been stretching it a bit. But if this buckeye team can beat
Purdue this week, I think it will give them alot more confidence for Todd Boeckman and becoming a leader for this team for the future

 

[Cicero]

We need to get up early and not let Purdue hang around. We all saw what almost happened to Appy State when they let scUM hang around. :)

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

We need sacks, Painter can't really run. NUM NUM NUM

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I know it's been discussed in the BTN thread, but it needs to be said in this thread as a reminder. This is an ABC regional telecast, so if you live outside the state of Ohio and you want to watch the game, you will probably have to purchase ESPN Gameplan to watch it.

I am so glad I kept GamePlan for this season....

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

We need to get up early and not let Purdue hang around. We all saw what almost happened to Appy State when they let scUM hang around. :)

Purdue has struggled in the second half while our defense has excelled. If we're up at halftime (like we should be) then the game's over.

 

[PogueMahone]

I haven't done a prediction of any kind since the Washington game, and I guess with good reason: both games would have been shocking if they were anything but blowouts.

I'm a little uneasy about this game. I think this offense will give us fits, no matter how much the defense is flying around. They've got 3-4 deadly receivers and a capable tight end to go to when we lock their wideouts up. Kory Sheets is as solid of a runner as Purdue has had in years, and in their offense he's a real weapon. I don't think he'll get much started on the ground against the Buckeyes, but he may annoy coming out of the backfield. Purdue is going to have some serious drives on us, an it may look bleak early on. Dorien Bryant is just plain shifty, and he's going to make some of our guys miss and get a few key first downs.

In the end though, I think the difference in this game will be the two team's defenses. Purdue's has looked like crap all year long while the offensive unit has been stellar. Our defense has looked very solid while our offense is making huge strides each week. Purdue will probably keep this game into the second quarter, but our ability to pound it out on the ground and keep their offense off the field in the second half will allow us time to pull away. Their defense will be very tired late in the game, allowing a tandem of Beanie and Mo to gain sizable chunks of yards inside and out.

I'm going to say 34-24 Buckeyes. Like someone said earlier, we can't help them win. Their offense, given a short field and ample time, can carve us up if we put the ball on the turf to many times. Either way, I think Purdue's lack of defense will be their downfall. Their giving up 19 to the Irish made me a lot more confident about this game.