Up to week eight of the 2018 Ohio State football season, and the Buckeyes get to travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a nationally-televised night game on ABC against the Purdue Boilermakers.
The last time Ohio State played Purdue was in 2013, so there are no players on the roster who have any previous playing history with the Boilermakers.
For long-time fans of Ohio State football, Purdue represents a nuisance or pest that is hopefully dealt with quickly and decisively.
While the 2013 win was a 56-0 rout by Ohio State over Purdue, the Buckeyes have actually come out on the losing end of this series in West Lafayette more frequently than not.
Of the last five trips to Ross-Ade Stadium, Ohio State lost three (2004, 2009, 2011).
Here were a few nuggets I found while researching for my article…
Ohio State is only 13-8 in West Lafayette. That's stunning when you consider the history of both programs.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) October 16, 2018
At No. 2, Ohio State will be the highest-ranked opponent to visit Ross-Ade Stadium since No. 2 Penn State on Oct. 23, 1999. The Buckeyes have played here as the No. 2 team three times previously: 1954, 1984 and 1996. Undefeated Purdue upset Ohio State 28-23 on Oct. 6, 1984.
— Tom Schott ? ⚾️ ?? (@schottts) October 14, 2018
Ohio State comes to Purdue this Saturday in the biggest game Ross-Ade Stadium has seen in years. An interesting note: Purdue is 4-3 in its last seven games vs. Ohio State in West Lafayette. Boilers came oh-so-close to ruining OSU’s national title run in a 10-6 home loss in 2002.
— Tom Dienhart (@TomDienhart1) October 15, 2018
As stated up above, none of the players were on the roster when Ohio State last played Purdue. Here is another positive – the last time Ohio State lost at Purdue was in 2011, one season before Urban Meyer’s first in Columbus.
While the history of the series looms over this game, here are three things I will be keeping an eye on when the game kicks off on ABC at 7:30pm EST on Saturday night.
“At my signal…unleash Rondale Moore”
Admit it – you heard that in Maximus’ voice from Gladiator. Anyway, Moore is the dynamic freshman all-purpose player for Purdue who has 45 receptions for 558 yards (12.4 yards per reception average) and 5 touchdowns, along with another 139 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. Moore also returns kickoffs and punts, but it seems likely that Ohio State won’t kick it to him…will they? It escaped my attention, but Moore had an Ohio State scholarship offer, actually going back on his previous commitment to Texas to flip to Purdue. Which Ohio State defender gets the task of trying to contain Moore on Saturday night? Or will it be a group effort?
Isaac Zico
The reason I ask if it will be a group effort to stop Rondale Moore is because Purdue has another wide receiver capable of inflicting damage upon the Ohio State secondary. Isaac Zico is a junior college transfer, listed at 6’1″, 210 pounds, who is coming off a big game against Illinois (5 receptions for 127 yards, a 25.4 yards per reception average, and 2 touchdowns). Rondale Moore is the leading receiver with receptions, but Isaac Zico is averaging 20 yards per reception to Moore’s 12.4.
A Name To Remember – Cornel Jones
Purdue linebacker Cornel Jones is listed at 6’2″, 240 pounds, and is presently leading the B1G in tackles for loss with 11. Considering how much trouble Ohio State’s offensive line had last week against Minnesota’s Carter Coughlin, look for Purdue to be creative with deploying Jones as a pass rusher against Dwayne Haskins. Jones had a sack and was credited with a quarterback hurry in the Boilermakers’ 46-7 win over Illinois.