Purdue Football Look Ahead: Week 7

Ohio State: Week 7 Opponent

Schedule Information

Game Day: Saturday, October 14th

Location: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

TV: Fox

Kick Time: Noon EST

University Facts

Legal Name: The Ohio State University

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Type of School: Public Land-Grant Research University

Founded: 180

Enrollment: 62K

Historical Football Facts

Inaugural Season: 1890

Overall Win/Loss/Tie Record: 953-331-53

Conference Affiliations:

Independent

Ohio Athletic Conference

Big10

Conference Championships: 41 (OAC,2 Big10 39)

Bowl Record: 27-28

Seasons Ranked in Final AP Poll: 62

AP National Championships: 5

Most Recent Appearance in Final AP Poll: 2022 (4th)

Mascot: Brutus Buckeye

Notable Football Alum

2022 Season Facts

Head Coach: Ryan Day

Overall Record: 11-2

Conference Record: 8-1

Points Per Game: 44.2 (2nd)

Points Against Per Game: 21 (24th)

Highest AP Ranking: 2nd

Best Win: @ Penn State (44-31)

Worst Loss: Michigan (23-45)

Post Season: L Georgia (41-42)

Head Coaching Information

Head Coaching Experience: Ryan Day

Career Record: 45-6

Bowl Record: 2-3

Teams: Ohio State

Best Finish: 2020 (7-1)

2023 Preview

Key Losses From 2022

Offense

C.J. Stroud - QB

Ohio State may have a history of reloading when they lose a stud quarterback, but the loss of Heisman finalist and eventual second-overall pick (Houston) C.J. Stroud is certainly a big one. The two-year starter for the Buckeyes posted a record of 21-4, including a CFP appearance last season. How efficient was he in his tenure in Columbus? Well first, his 85 career passing touchdowns in just two seasons landed him at second all-time on Ohio State’s list of career passing touchdown leaders. His 8,123 yards also put him at second all-time in school history. Again, he had zero (0) pass attempts in his first year, so all of this was accomplished IN TWO YEARS. Those are big shoes to fill for any incoming quarterback, no matter how highly-touted.

The logical next step is to just hope and pray Ohio State doesn’t continue stringing together an insanely good line of succession in the QB room that’s been a whole thing for a decade, but don’t hold your breath.

Paris Johnson - OT

In 2022, Consensus All-American Paris Johnson was about as dominant of a tackle as a college team could have. He was the first offensive lineman selected in this year’s NFL draft at sixth overall by Arizona, where his father played as a defensive back. As someone who covered his recruitment in high school, he’s always looked like a man among boys. He switched to left tackle from right guard and in one season already looked NFL-ready in terms of protecting a right-handed quarterback. A new left tackle along with a new right-handed pocket passer (whether that be Devin Brown or Kyle McCord) has the potential to cause some early season growing pains for the Buckeyes.

Defense

Zach Harrison - DE

Harrison was another early pick from Ohio State in the 2023 NFL draft, selected 75th overall by Atlanta. One of the most prolific pass rushers of 2022, he gave Big 10 opponents fits coming off the edge, racking up 30 tackles (18 solo) with three sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception in his final season in Columbus. In college, he was the type of dude who put fear into the eyes of pro style QB’s and was fast enough to chase more mobile QB’s to the sideline; both his forward and sideline-to-sideline speed were quite impressive and will be hard to replace. Harrison was also one of the lengthier defensive ends in the conference at 6’6” with 36” arms, making him a huge threat in breaking up passes.

Ronnie Hickman - S

Hickman, who signed with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent, was a menace in his final two seasons at Ohio State. He started his final 26 games for the Buckeyes, recording 152 tackles alongside three interceptions en route to earning second-team all-conference honors in 2021 and third-team honors in 2022. A player with that sort of production is hard to replace and a potential place to attack for a Purdue team that seems to be retooling toward a pretty pass-heavy offense.

Key Additions For 2023

Offense

Carnell Tate - WR

Coming out of the football factory that is IMG Academy, Tate was ranked as a five-star receiver and, scarily enough, was able to enroll early at Ohio State. Having a jump on things from spring practices, he’s expected to be a big contributor within the Buckeyes’ offense as a true freshman. He’s the rare do-it-all kind of receiver, and while there were concerns about his slender frame at 6’2”, he’s since gone from 178 to 190 lbs. in Columbus. The kid is going to be a huge threat whether lined up at X, Y, or Z down the road even if he doesn’t make an immediate impact (though I’m guessing he will). Precise footwork in route-running, great body control, one of the taller receivers, elite speed...Tate is going to be a problem.

Josh Simmons - OT

This is actually a wild story line. Josh Simmons is a transfer offensive tackle from San Diego State who did not join the Buckeyes until after the team had already started spring practice. According to reports, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was not satisfied with offensive line play within the first two days of practice and looked in the transfer portal. Simmons, who started at right tackle for the Aztecs as a redshirt freshman in 2022, is now the presupposed starting left tackle for the Buckeyes, replacing the aforementioned Paris Johnson. That’s a big learning curve, but all news coming out of Columbus seems to indicate Simmons has learned quickly and is fit to start for his new team in their season opener.

The 6’6” 310 lb. Simmons was a former four-star recruit at Helix Charter School in La Mesa, California (ten miles outside San Diego), where he was a top 20 prospect at guard.

Defense

Davison Igbinosun - DB

One of the most sought-after transfer portal players this cycle, former Ole Miss Rebel Davison Igbinosun had a heck of a start to his career in Oxford, Mississippi. Eventually named a freshman All-American, he appeared in all 13 games, starting 10, recording 37 tackles (21 solo) and five pass breakups.

The former top high school prospect in the state of New Jersey started at corner for Ole Miss but has been mentioned as a potential safety. That said, he’s still listed as a cornerback on Ohio State’s official roster. Starting experience for a secondary making some changes is a welcome addition if you’re into Buckeye-related things.

I am not.

Lorenzo Styles Jr. - DB (position switch from WR at Notre Dame)

Styles has an interesting career arc. He played on both sides of the ball in high school to great success and signed with Notre Dame as a high four-star prospe in the class of 2021. He committed as a wide receiver appeared in each of his first 26 games for the Fighting Irish as a receiver, starting in eight games last year. In both of his seasons in South Bend, he was the team’s second-leading receiver. He recorded 24 receptions for 344 yards in 2021 and 30 receptions for another 344 yards in 2022.

So now he’s back on the other end of the ball at his father’s alma mater. The younger Styles did play very physically as a defensive back in high school, as was evident by his physical blocking as a receiver at Notre Dame. He’ll be an interesting player to watch when it comes to how he’s utilized; can he be a starting corner? Is he a Mecole Hardman type player who occasionally plays at defensive back in college but is too fast, skillful and sure-handed to avoid giving him the ball on offense? This case study has the layers of an onion, but he’s certainly got the athleticism to come in and play meaningful snaps in the secondary.

Overall

I refuse to say nice things about Ohio State, but I’ll concede that they’re pretty good at college football. Not elite like Purdue, but somewhat respectable. This team may be the their most pretty good team in recent history if the quarterback situation works out. C.J. Stroud is playing for the Texans now, leaving junior Kyle McCord in charge. In terms of Ohio State quarterbacks, McCord a high 4*, top 50 member of the 2021 recruiting class, is a step down in on paper talent (vomits in the bucket next to his computer). He’s not the “once in a generation quarterback” that took the money for a year and then returned to Texas but he’s no slouch. It’s hard to imagine him struggling with the obscene amount of talent at wide receiver but you never know until he feels the game pressure.

The defense fell off a bit last year, but once again, they’ll have more on paper talent in their two deep than Purdue has mustered in the history of the program. Then again, it’s the same insanely talented defense everyone saw Georgia eviscerate in the second half of the Peach Bowl in the CFP. They have more talent than they know what to do with, but last season they played 3 legit teams and gave up 31 to Penn State, 45 to Michigan, and 42 to Georgia. Which brings me to the big question for Ohio State.

What happens when they get punched in the nose?

We saw it them fold like a cheap suit against Michigan and again in the second half against Georgia. Ryan Day’s face can turn beat red and his upper lip can quiver with rage in the post game presser while he cries about the refs, but Ohio State under Day has shown a willingness to lay down and die on the field when things don’t go their way (see Clemson in 2019, Michigan and Ohio State in 2022). Some people (certainly not me) are wondering if they’re ever going to beat Michigan again after losing two straight to their hated rivals. Say what you want about that weirdo in Ann Arbor, he’s built a squad Ohio State struggles with because they’re tougher than the Buckeyes.

Will Purdue beat Ohio State? I’d put the odds at 100 to 1 and that 1 game involves the apocalypse. Will they win the National Championship? Not unless they get tougher, and that starts at the top. As crazy as it sounds, Ryan Day might find himself coaching an NFL team sooner, rather than later, if he can’t get the Buckeye’s back on track in big games this season.