First and 10: Purdue at Ohio State

As we start the week, 10 items of interest as the Boilermakers travel to No. 3 Ohio State (noon ET, Fox) on Saturday:

• Did playing two quarterbacks end with Hudson Card receiving most of the snaps during the loss to Northwestern? Card and Ryan Browne were each given two series, and Card played the second half and performed well enough to earn the start this week. If Ryan Walters wants to use Browne in certain situations – red zone, short yardage, etc. – that’s one thing. For now, Card should hold the No. 1 spot.

• The difficulty of the schedule comes to the forefront once again. The last four opponents are a combined 27-7. Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana are positioning themselves for the College Football Playoff, and Michigan State, which is 4-5, is fighting for bowl eligibility. The Spartans face Illinois, the Boilermakers, and Rutgers.

• As the Boilermakers play out the season in the final four games, should receiver Jaron Tibbs get a more extended look? He had four catches against the Wildcats and totaled nine against Nebraska and Illinois. He’s had success every other week, and more consistency is needed, but in a lost season, maybe the Cathedral graduate will work toward a bigger role in the future. Just a thought. He caught a pass from receiver Shamar Rigby, setting up Devin Mockobee’s 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. It’s probably the most creative play of the season by the offense.

MORE: First Look: Ohio State | Data Driven: Purdue’s loss to Northwestern | Purdue recruits: Weekend Roundup

• What a difference a year makes. Last season, Ohio State was a 17-point favorite at Purdue. This year, the Buckeyes are favored by 38.5 points, depending on the sportsbook. Will the line surpass 40 points throughout the week?

• Purdue has been a double-digit underdog in this series 23 of the last 33 meetings since 1976.

• Despite the one-point loss to Oregon, Ohio State remains positioned to reach the Big Ten championship game. If the Buckeyes win out, they’ll play in Lucas Oil Stadium unless a weird multi-team tiebreaker knocks them out of the top two. The stretch would include a victory over Indiana, one of two unbeaten teams in the conference. A rematch between the Buckeyes and the Ducks in the title game is this week’s most likely championship scenario.

• Unless there’s a complete turnaround, Purdue’s defense is on pace to allow an average of more than 400 total yards against conference teams for the first time since 2019. League opponents are currently averaging 481.6 yards through five games. Even Northwestern collected more than 400 total yards when it was averaging around 220 in Big Ten games. The Boilermakers kept that figure under 400 total yards in four straight seasons starting in 2000. That’s about to change since Indiana, Ohio State, and Penn State are among the top offenses in the conference.

• Thought this might be the season Mockobee rushed for at least 1,000 yards. It hasn’t happened since 2008 when Kory Sheets gained 1,131 yards. But the Boilermakers have fallen behind early in about every game, negating the rushing attack. Mockobee has 91 carries, well short of his 2022 season of 195, and had 172 last year, but four games remain. He’s also sharing snaps with Reggie Love III.

• It’s been documented, but the Boilermakers have just 10 points in the first quarter this season. Seven against Indiana State. Three against Northwestern. They’ve been outscored by 59 points in the first quarter. According to TeamRankings.com, Purdue ranks last in the country in first-quarter scoring against FBS teams (0.4).

• Purdue is on pace to average more than 60,000 at Ross-Ade Stadium. It would be the first time since 2005 the program has hit that mark. The first five home games have averaged 60,195, with Penn State coming to town on Nov. 16.