CLOSER | FEAR AND LOATHING IN WEST LAFAYETTE
Davon Hamilton's attempted punt block in 2018 did not go the way he intended it to.
The List is real. This List is no fluke. The List does not discriminate. The threat is real.
When we last saw Ross Ade Stadium, the eventual Rose Bowl victors were 13.5-point favorites and
lost by 29. In 2011, the visitors were favored by a touchdown and
lost in overtime. And the 2009 Boilermakers were on a five-game slide when they put the eventual conference champions and Rose Bowl winners
in a trash can.
Championship aspirations, rebuilding years and everything in-between is susceptible to Purdue students storming the field when Ohio State visits Purdue. That's the trend.
The Buckeyes are just 3-5 at Purdue since 1999, favored every time. This record would be 2-6
if this play didn't exist - no other B1G opponent comes close to what the Boilermakers have consistently done to the Buckeyes.
IF TROY SMITH, TERRELLE PRYOR, BRAXTON MILLER AND DWAYNE HASKINS CAN LOSE TO PURDUE, SO CAN KYLE MCCORD.
The List has no rationale. West Lafayette swallows the best and worst Columbus has to offer.
If Troy Smith, Terrelle Pryor, Braxton Miller and Dwayne Haskins can end up on the losing end against wobbly Purdue teams, you had better believe Kyle McCord can join them in the pantheon of infinite sadness. This should be a high alert game, and it doesn't seem to be getting that treatment.
I get Purdue is broken and bad. That has never mattered. It's the air up there.
The Buckeyes don't need everything to go wrong to lose on Saturday, but giving opponents unwarranted confidence seems to be their bad habit. Purdue is young and has a new coach - this is rancid upset brew, especially with Penn State up next week and a trip to Madison after that.
Purdue's inexperience and mediocrity matter far less than Ohio State's history in that building. This is the toughest three-game stretch of the regular season schedule, and while the OSU defense has been excellent its offense seems to spend a half toiling in the danger zone. This would be a nice opportunity to break that trend.
This matchup always stinks. The List is real. The List is merciless. The List must be destroyed.
Thanks for getting Situational today. Go Bucks. Beat Purdue.
Ohio State is absolutely determined to have a balanced offense, spending equal energy and resources toward Plays That Work and Plays That Do Not Work.
www.elevenwarriors.com
