How did Ohio State football grade out vs Purdue?

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How did Ohio State football grade out vs Purdue?

Fresh off receiving the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings, Ohio State football beat Purdue 34-10 on Nov. 8 in unsurprisingly dominant fashion to improve to 9-0.

By the end of the first half, Jeremiah Smith had six receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown. He thrived, as usual, but without the presence of his receiver partner Carnell Tate, who did not play due to an undisclosed injury. Quarterback Julian Sayin instead used nine receivers while Ohio State had eight different rushers, spreading the wealth and keeping a safe lead.

Though allowing an opening field goal and a score on the last drive, Ohio State’s defense held Purdue to 186 yards of offense and allowed only three third-down conversions.

How did the Buckeyes grade out in the win?

Ohio State offense (4 leaves)

Bo Jackson 70-yard touchdown run was called back on the Buckeyes’ opening play, a promising yet unfortunate play for the run game early on.

Then Smith took over and absorbed Tate’s absent production. After a 16-yard catch, Sayin threw to Smith near the corner of the end zone in tight coverage as Smith temporarily morphed into Randy Moss for a 31-yard grab to get to the 1-yard line. CJ Donaldson scored two plays later.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws during the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 8, 2025.

On the next drive, Sayin showed off his accuracy and threw a perfect over-the-shoulder pass to Smith for 35 yards. Smith had 137 receiving yards and a touchdown and tied Purdue in offensive yards through the first half with 109. Sayin had his third straight game with over 300 passing yards and completed 82% of his throws.

Ohio State running backs had their most efficient game in Big Ten play this season. Jackson and Isaiah West averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 23 attempts. Eight Buckeyes had carries, including backup Lincoln Kienholz, who scored on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Sayin threw an interception in the third quarter, his first of Big Ten play and fourth of the season. It felt forced. Sayin, rolling out of the pocket to the right, was picked off by linebacker CJ Nunnally in the front of the end zone. Sayin said the throw was “reckless.”

Ohio State defense (4 leaves)

Matt Patricia’s unit had a shaky second drive, as the Boilermakers charged downfield with scrambling quarterback Ryan Browne and a flurry of short passes. Purdue pushed all the way to the Ohio State 23-yard line and kicked a field goal.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs (2) high fives defensive coordinator Matt Patricia prior to the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 8, 2025.

Purdue wouldn’t touch inside the 25-yard line until the fourth quarter in garbage time, getting a touchdown drive that made up 75 of the 86 second-half yards. Safety Caleb Downs’ pass breakup leading to a Jermaine Mathews Jr. interception was the icing on the cake for a solid defensive performance.

Ohio State special Teams (5 leaves)

With seconds remaining in the first half, Jayden Fielding made a career-high 49-yard field. Fielding later made a 45-yard kick in the fourth quarter.

Punter Joe McGuire’s one 44-yard punt landed inside the 20-yard line. Brandon Inniss returned two punts for 24 yards. Overall, the special teams played a clean game and was never a liability.

Ohio State coaching (4 leaves)

As in games against Minnesota and Washington, Ohio State gave up a score before putting up a brick wall.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia leads warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 8, 2025.

Ohio State commanded the pace, momentum and line of scrimmage after the first Purdue scoring drive. In fact, the Buckeyes controlled possession a little over 20 minutes longer than the Boilermakers.

Fun Factor (1 leaf)

Showing Steve Buscemi from the Adam Sandler classic “Mr. Deeds” on the scoreboard did not work in preventing field goals. Fielding buried his career-best kick through the uprights.

Steve Buscemi from 'Mr. Deeds' on the Purdue video board during the Ohio State-Purdue football game on Nov. 8

Despite the enormous Ohio State fan presence, plenty of Boilermaker faithful made their way to the south end zone … shirtless. Even Purdue Pete joined in.

Purdue Boilermakers (2 leaves)

Purdue’s offense showed up in the first drive, stringing together a drive with short passing plays and a 30-yard pass up the seam from Browne to Rico Walker, the best Boilermaker offensive play.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) tackles Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 8, 2025.

But overall, Purdue fell flat and lacked fight with 86 offensive yards in the second half

Officials (4 leaves)

Smith was involved in the first two penalties: one against him and one against a defensive back guarding him.

On Ohio State’s opening play, Jackson broke a couple of tackles and found a gap to the end zone, but at the 45-yard line Smith was justly called for a block in the back. On Ohio State’s first drive of the second quarter, Smith was tackled early by his legs from an opposing defender but secured the catch on a pass interference call Ohio State accepted.

Davison Igbinosun got away with a missed pass interference call early in the second quarter but was called for a less-obvious interference call a few minutes later.

The officials were not a big factor in the second half, which means they did their job.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State football grades in Big Ten matchup against Purdue

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