EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, October 20^th, the (7-0) Ohio State Buckeyes will be on the road to take on the (3-3) Purdue Boilermakers.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Ohio State 38.3 – Purdue 24.6 with an over/under of 62.9.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Ohio State 41 –Purdue 31.

Mark is predicting a final score of Ohio State 39 – Purdue 24.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Ohio State 371.4 YPG > Purdue 330.8 YPG

Rushing offense: Ohio State 185.4 YPG > Purdue 179.3 YPG

Scoring offense: Ohio State 46.3 PPG > Purdue 33.5 PPG

Scoring defense: Ohio State 19.1 PPG > Purdue 23.2 PPG

Passing defense: Ohio State 221.6 YPG > Purdue 267.5 YPG

Rushing defense: Purdue 146.8 YPG > Ohio State 148.0 YPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Ohio State +1.0 > Purdue -0.2

Summary:

Ohio State is (7-0) to start the season with wins over Oregon State, Rutgers, #15 TCU, Tulane #9 Penn State, Indiana, and Minnesota.  The Buckeyes rank 6^th in points per game (46.3) and 24^th in scoring defense (19.1 PPG).  Dwayne Haskins became the first Ohio State quarterback to pass for 400 yards in back to back games in the win over Minnesota.  Haskins has completed 72% of his passes for 2,331 yards with 28 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.  Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber Jr. have combined to rush for 968 yards and 7 touchdowns.  The Buckeyes have a trio of great receivers in Parris Campbell (557 yards, 7 touchdowns), K.J. Hill (551 yards 4 touchdowns, and Terry McLaurin (332 yards, 7 touchdowns).  The Buckeyes’ defense ranks 59^th against the pass (221.6 YPG) and 55^th against the run (148.0 YPG).  Ohio State certainly will miss All-American defensive end Nick Bosa who will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a serious core muscle injury.  Ohio State ranks 13^th out of 130 teams in turnover margin (+1.0).

Purdue is (3-3) to start the season with victories over #23 Boston College, Nebraska, and Illinois.  They started the season with three straight losses to Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, and Missouri.  The Boilermakers rank 42^nd in points per game (33.5) and 44^th in scoring defense (23.2 PPG).  Quarterback David Blough has completed 68% of his passes for 1,695 yards with 10 touchdowns to 2 interceptions.  D.J. Knox leads the team in rushing with 540 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Purdue does have some playmakers at the wideout position in Rondale Moore (558 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Isaac Zico (399 yards, 2 touchdowns).  The Boilermakers’ defense ranks 109^th against the pass (267.5 YPG) and 53^rd against the run (146.8 YPG).

Bottom Line:

Ohio State is an offensive juggernaut averaging the second most yards per game (557).  Dwayne Haskins should have a field day against a Purdue secondary that is one of the worst in the nation at defending the pass. For as dominant as Ohio State’s defensive line is, there are certainly question marks at linebacker and in the defensive backfield.  Purdue doesn’t have the firepower to compete as the Buckeyes win and cover the (-9.4) spread.

Ohio State wins 35-21

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