10 Observations for Ohio State loss

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Here is what has us talking after Purdue’s 45-0 loss at Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

1 – Purdue entered the day as an historic underdog, with Ohio State favored by a stupefying 38 points. Never before had the Boilermakers been that big of an underdog. And the Buckeyes covered with relative ease.

“I am not into finding silver linings and moral victories,” said Ryan Walters. “I didn’t come here for that. I came here to win games. I came here to compete at the high stage. We will dive into finding out how to do that.”

2 – That’s eight losses in a row for Purdue. The last time the program lost that many in a row was 2013, when it closed the season with 10 defeats in succession. What was the plan on offense today?

“To be able to run the ball, some zone schemes based on the front, motion to try to create some rub routes to push the ball down the field, try to use some tight ends and shift protections to give us some time. Ultimately, just didn’t make enough plays,” said Walters.

3 – Purdue was competitive in the first half, executing some sustained drives and finding running seams. But special teams gaffes were ruinous. (see below) Ohio State led at halftime, 21-0. But it could have been much closer. Some positives in the opening 30 minutes, as Purdue won time of possession: 17:32 to 12:28.

“I thought we were able to move the ball,” said Walters. “But, again, when you play against the number two team in the country, you don’t come away with points when you get in a red area, you have a blocked punt while you’re backed up, fumble return for a touchdown, and 2-of-12 on third downs, you’re not gonna give yourself a chance to win.”

4 – Too often, Devin Mockobee can be a forgotten man. He wasn’t today. Purdue fed him early and often. He has a je ne sais quoi quality about him. Purdue needs more Mockobees with a visit from Penn State looming. Today, Mockobee had 13 carries for 73 yards and caught two passes.

5 – The passing game is an abomination. Harsh? Yes. True? Yes. Hudson Card is under constant duress, back-pedaling and flailing. Or, he is indecisive and holding the ball too long. And the receivers? They rarely are open. We’ve seen this too often in 2024. There seems to be no ability to adjust to blitzes and adjust routes to take advantage or make a defense pay for blitzing. Card hit 9-of-19 passes for 108 yards with an INT in the end zone. And he was sacked three times.

6 – How much has the offense struggled? Purdue has now been shutout in two of the last three games. And it has scored a total of 20 points in those three games since notching 49 at Illinois. So, Purdue has scored 10 point or fewer points in five games in 2024.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” said Walters. “It’s difficult. I am learning how to respond to the moments that you don’t expect or moments that are this difficult. I’m appreciative as hell of the 120 guys we have on the roster, the way that they come to work every day, in spite of sort of the way this season has gone, and that’s what keeps me motivated and keeps me confident, to try to put the best plan together, to give them a chance to have success.”

7 – Staffers said there were packages ready to go to use QB Ryan Browne, but we didn’t see him until Purdue trailed, 45-0, halfway through the fourth quarter. Could he have provided any spark? Was there a plan to play him sooner?

“I just felt Hudson has practiced really well and threw the ball well last week, just wish we could have pushed the ball down field,” said Walters.

8 – It was gonna be difficult enough to hang with Ohio State without gift-wrapping the Buckeyes TDs. But, Purdue did just that in the first quarter when Keelan Crimmins had a punt blocked in the shadow of his own end zone. The Buckeyes cashed that gift in for a thank-you-very-much TD and a 7-0 lead.

“I think Coach (Chris) Petrilli has done a great job all season of putting the plan together,” said Walters. “Just sometimes there’s a play or two here and there … “

9 – Spencer Porath got in on the special teams malaprops, just flat-out missing a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter that would have cut the Buckeye lead to 7-3. It was dispiriting to see after a nice Purdue drive of 11 plays and 72 yards. Should Purdue have gone for the TD on 4th down from the 3-yard line instead of trying the field goal?

“We wanted to get points on the board, come away with some momentum, thought it was gonna be a chip shot to guarantee some points,” said Walters.

Porath was sent out to attempt a 38-yard field goal with Purdue trailing 45-0 in the fourth quarter … and missed.

It was not a red-letter day for special teams, as Andrew Sowinski inexplicably dove to cover a punt in the first quarter which could have resulted in disaster.

10 – One thing is consistent: Purdue’s inability to score in the first quarter, which it lost 7-0 today. For the year, the Boilermakers have been outscored 76-10 in the first 15 minutes. And only three of those points have come in the last eight games. The lone TD came vs. FCS Indiana State in the opener.

PDF: Purdue-Ohio State box score