Uncovering the Hidden Flaws Behind Ohio State’s Dominant Win at Purdue: What the Scoreboard Didn’t Reveal

Ohio State kept rolling on Saturday with another comfortable win over a Big Ten opponent. The Buckeyes defeated the Purdue Boilermakers 34-10, and it shouldn’t have been that close.

The win keeps Ohio State undefeated and keeps all of the team’s goals in play. Still, it was far from a perfect performance, and it’s time to nitpick it a bit.

Here’s what made my blood boil (the things that served as boilermakers, as it were) when Ohio State visited Purdue.

Early, Costly, and Unnecessary Penalty

Of all the players to make a mistake to deprive the Buckeyes of a touchdown, Jeremiah Smith is the least likely suspect. But it was Smith that cost Bo Jackson a 70-yard touchdown run on Ohio State’s first offensive snap.

Smith was nailed for an illegal block in the back that helped spring the touchdown, but it wasn’t even necessary. The defender was going to have to cut back from the direction he was running to have a play on Jackson. Smith needed only to stand in the way and act as a shield as Jackson cut right to reach the sideline.

Instead, Smith gave his defender a push and the flag flew. Ohio State did not score on the drive. That was due partly because…

West’s Whiff

Isaiah West was inserted into the game uncharacteristically early on Saturday, including on Ohio State’s first drive. His inexperience showed on a costly play that helped derail the opening drive.

On a second-and-7 play, West completely whiffed on his block, allowing Mani Powell to sack Julian Sayin for a 6-yard loss. Jackson is Ohio State’s best back. C.J. Donaldson is the most experienced. Neither was on the field for this critical pass play, and the guy who was out there allowed Purdue to blow it up.

Tate’s Absence Felt

With Carnell Tate held out due to experiencing tightness in pregame warmups, other receivers had a chance to step up. One of those was Mylan Graham.

Sayin tried to pick up the third-and-13 after West’s whiff on the next play, finding Graham for what would have been a first down. It wasn’t an easy catch in traffic, but it hit Graham in the hands. It’s a pass one would normally expect Tate to catch, so it was a reminder of how special Ohio State’s starter opposite Smith really is.

The only people that seemed to not notice Tate’s absence were those on the Big Ten Network broadcast, who never got around to reporting on it (in fact, his lack of snaps was barely mentioned) until the second quarter was halfway over.

Third-Down Defense

Purdue scored the first points of the game on its second drive — a possession the defense had multiple chances to stop.

After holding the Boilermakers to 5 yards on the first two snaps of the drive, Ohio State’s defense allowed a 30-yard pass with a light rush on third-and-5. Matt Patricia has tried to get home with fewer rushers in the last two games, and it hasn’t worked well.

That first down gave Purdue confidence, with the Boilermakers also converting a third-and-1 and a third-and-2 later in the drive. The Buckeyes finally held firm when the Boilermakers called an obvious quarterback run on third-and-2 and Arvell Reese blew it up.

Iggy Strikes Again

The most maddening player on the OSU roster is Davison Igbinosun, who continues to cover well but then do the wrong thing before or as the ball arrives.

In the second quarter, Igbinosun committed pass interference while in the perfect position to turn and locate the ball and intercept it. That foul came on the first play after Smith’s touchdown catch made it 14-3. Luckily for Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews Jr. bailed him out with an interception a few plays later.

However, after an improved start to the season, Igbinosun is starting to draw more flags for his play in the secondary. It’s time to start practicing with oven mitts on again.

Start True, Not False

Ohio State received the opening kickoff of the second half and looked to put the game away with a long, time-consuming drive. That drive was nearly derailed by a false start from Ian Moore, who started at right tackle in place of the injured Phillip Daniels.

It appeared Brandon Inniss had left early, but he was apparently influenced by Moore’s movement. It was aggravating, but it wasn’t ultimately what killed the drive.

Never Throw Late Across the Middle

It’s so easy to forget Sayin has started fewer than 10 college games because of how well he’s performed this season. Even in this game he was carving up the defense and threw only two incomplete passes in the first half. But he made a freshman mistake to end Ohio State’s first possession of the third quarter when he threw late across his body back into the middle of the field.

CJ Nunnally had dropped just inside the end zone and easily picked off the pass before wisely falling to the turf to get a touchback. The replay showed no Buckeye open in the back of the end zone behind Nunnally, so the wise play would have been to throw high on that third down and take the field goal if his receiver couldn’t go up and get it.

Hopefully, it will provide a learning experience for the young quarterback.

Those are the things that blackened my heart on Saturday. What stood out to you? Let me know in the comments section below.

I could have thrown in a few more things, like the backups giving up an easy late touchdown, Beau Atkinson getting called for a pretty iffy roughing the passer against a guy who was jumping and throwing as he was hit, and a lot of ignored holding calls by Purdue.

I could also simply complain about the overall lack of quality of the second half — seriously, that was a boring 30 minutes of football! — but let’s get out of here.

Of course, there were good things aplenty, as usual, with Smith having a big day catching the ball, West and Jackson running well, Donaldson converting at the goal line, and a takeaway by the defense to set up a score.

Next up for the Buckeyes is a home game against UCLA for the first time as Big Ten opponents.