OHIO STATE @ PURDUE

ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 6TH, THE FOURTH RANKED OHIO STATE BUCKEYES TRAVELLED TO PURDUE TO TAKE ON THE 23RD RANKED BOILERMAKERS IN A MUCH ANTICIPATED BIG TEN MATCH UP. BOTH TEAMS CAME IN TO THE GAME UNDEFEATED, BUT PEOPLE HAD QUESTIONED WHETHER EITHER TEAM HAD TRULY BEEN TESTED. BOTH TEAMS HAD AT LEAST BEEN BEATING WHO THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO, WHICH MANY TEAMS SO FAR THIS SEASON HAVE NOT. OHIO STATE WENT ON TO PLAY TERRIFIC DEFENSE ONCE AGAIN TO OUTLAST THE PURDUE BLACKOUT BY A SCORE OF 23-7. THIS GAME WAS NEVER REALLY CLOSE AS THE BUCKEYES STRUCK FOR 2 QUICK TD'S EARLY, AND THE DEFENSE DID THE JOB LIKE THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO DO. CURRENTLY OHIO STATE HAS THE 2ND BEST DEFENSE IN THE NATION BEHIND #1 LSU. CURTIS PAINTER CAME INTO THIS GAME WITH SOME TERRIFIC NUMBERS, BUT HE HADNT SEEN A DEFENSE LIKE THIS ONE YET. HE ENDED UP COMPLETING ON 31 OF HIS 60 PASS ATTEMPTS FOR 268 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN. HE DID NOT THROW AND INTERCEPTION, BUT HE WAS SACKED 3 TIMES, ONCE BY LARRY GRANT AND TWICE BY ANDERSON RUSSELL. HIS 2 MAIN TARGETS WERE GREG ORTON WHO HAD 10 CATCHES FOR 91 YARDS AND DUSTIN KELLER WHO CAUGHT 7 BALLS FOR 101 YARDS. PURDUE COACH JOE TILLER KNEW THAT HE HAD NO CHANCE OF RUNNING AGAINST THIS DEFENSE. THEY ONLY WERE ABLE TO MUSTER 4 TOTAL RUSHING YARDS IN THIS GAME. PURDUE HAD BEEN AVERAGING OVER 450 YARDS OF OFFENSE THROUGH THE FIRST 5 GAMES, BUT THEY COULD ONLY MANAGE 272 AGAINST THIS STOUT BUCKEYE DEFENSE. CHIMDI CHEKWA HAD HIS BEST DAY AS A BUCKEYE LEADING THE SQUAD WITH 10 TOTAL TACKLES. MALCOM JENKINS ADDED 9 TACKLES, AND MARCUS FREEMAN HAD ANOTHER BIG DAY WITH 7. MARCUS HAS BEEN PLAYING OUT OF HIS MIND LATELY. ADDING HIS GREAT PLAY TO THAT OF JAMES LAURINAITIS CAN ONLY HELP THIS DEFENSE EVEN MORE. THIS DEFENSE IS GOING TO ALLOW THE BUCKEYES TO STAY IN EVERY GAME THIS SEASON, AND POSSIBLY GIVE THEM ANOTHER CHANCE TO PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE. THE WAY THIS SEASON HAS GONE SO FAR, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. NOT BAD FOR A TEAM THAT MOST THOUGHT WOULD FINISH 4TH IN THE BIG TEN. MOST EXPERTS NEED TO REALIZE THAT WITH A COACH LIKE JIMMY T AND THE TALENT THAT THEY HAVE, THEY ARE GONNA CONTEND EVERY YEAR.

THE OFFENSE WAS ABLE TO BUST OUT AND SCORE QUICKLY TO GIVE THEM A QUICK LEAD AND ALLOW THE DEFENSE TO PUT IT AWAY. THAT WAS HUGE FOR THEM TO DO IT EARLY AND TRY TO TAKE THE CROWD OUT OF THE GAME. PURDUE IS NOT USED TO THAT KIND OF BIG STAGE, SO IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR OHIO STATE TO MAKE A STATEMENT EARLY. TODD BOECKMAN LOOKED PRETTY GOOD AS HE WAS 17 OF 29 FOR 200 YARDS AND 2 TD PASSES. HE DID THROW 3 PICKS, BUT AT LEAST 2 OF THEM, THE PURDUE SECONDARY MADE OUTSTANDING PLAYS TO COME UP WITH THEM. ALSO 2 OF THOSE INT'S RESULTED IN PURDUE BEING INSIDE THEIR OWN 5 YARD LINE. YOU SHOULDNT EVER TURN IT OVER, BUT IF YOU DO, THAT IS THE WAY TO GO. THE RUSHING ATTACK WAS A LITTLE QUIET, BUT IT WAS EFFICIENT ENOUGH TO KEEP THE PURDUE DEFENSE OFF BALANCE. BEANIE WELLS LED THE WAY AGAIN WITH 18 CARRIES FOR 88 YARDS. HE SPENT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME ON THE SIDELINES TENDING TO HIS ANKLE. MAURICE WELLS HAD HIS BEST PERFORMANCE AS A BUCKEYE AS HE ADDED 15 CARRIES FOR 78 YARDS. YES THAT IS NOT A MISPRINT. HE RAN PRETTY WELL, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE ARE ALL NOT USED TO SEEING. TODD BOECKMAN WAS ABLE TO FINALLY GET RAY SMALL MORE INVOLVED IN THIS OFFENSE, WHICH BUCKEYE FANS HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING TO SEE. THIS KID IS SPECIAL ONCE YOU GET THE FOOTBALL IN HIS HANDS. HE CAUGHT 6 BALLS FOR 70 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN. BRIAN ROBISKIE HAD ANOTHER SOLID GAME AS HE HAD 64 YARDS ON 6 CATCHES, AND HARTLINE ADDED 4 CATCHES FOR 61 YARDS AND A TOUCHDOWN. THE KICKING GAME WAS ALSO SOLID AS RYAN PRETORIOUS WAS 3 OF 3, AS HE HIT FROM 44, 39, AND 23 YARDS.

ALL IN ALL IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD ROAD PERFORMANCE. THEY BUCKEYES IMPROVE TO 6-0 AND ARE NOW RANKED THIRD IN THE NATION BEHIND LSU AND CALIFORNIA. BOTH OF THOSE TEAMS HAVE SOME TOUGH GAMES LEFT AS DO THE BUCKS. ONE THING I CAN NOTICE IS THAT THIS TEAM KEEPS IMPROVING EVERY WEEK. THEY ARE BEATING WHO THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BEAT AND THEY ARE DOING IT RATHER HANDILY. OUR OFFENSE CONTINUES TO IMPROVE AND BE EFFECIENT. WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST DEFENSES IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW AND HAVING A GOOD DEFENSE IS WHAT IS IMPARITIVE IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A CHANCE AT A CHAMPIONSHIP. NEXT WEEK OHIO STATE RETURNS TO THE SHOE TO TAKE ON KENT STATE. I KNOW I KNOW, IT IS A CUPCAKE, OR MAYBE A CREAMPUFF. CORSO SAYS A CREAMPUFF IS WORSE THAN A CUPCAKE. OHIO STATE GETS IT DONE TO IMPROVE TO 7-0, BY A BEATDOWN OF 48-0.

THIS WEEKS OFFENSIVE GAMEBALL- RAY SMALL

DEFENSIVE GAMEBALL- ANDERSON RUSSELL