No. 4 Ohio State Beats No. 19 Purdue 59-31 Behind Garrett Wilson's 4 Total TDs
Ohio State did not fall victim to the Purdue curse thanks to an easy 59-31 victory on Saturday at the Horseshoe.
After previously knocking Iowa and Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Boilermakers faced their biggest test of the season this week.
Ohio State came into this matchup with a blemish on its resume, but head coach Ryan Day's squad had been averaging 47.3 points in seven games since losing to Oregon on Sept. 11.
It's been three years since these two Big Ten programs last met. Purdue stunned the Buckeyes, who were undefeated, 49-20 in that game to keep them out of the College Football Playoff.
There was no doubt about the outcome of this game. Ohio State was up by 14 at the end of the first quarter and scored 45 points in the first half.
Neither offense had any trouble moving the ball in this game. Both teams combined for 1,105 total yards. Quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Aidan O'Connell each threw for more than 350 yards.
Garrett Wilson, who entered the game with six touchdowns all season, found the end zone four times. He finished with a season-high 126 yards on 10 receptions.
Notable Game Stats
- C.J. Stroud (OSU): 31-of-38, 361 yards, 5 TD
- Miyan Williams (OSU): 14 carries, 117 yards
- TreVeyon Henderson (OSU): 13 carries, 98 yards, 2 TD
- Garrett Wilson (OSU): 10 receptions, 126 yards, 3 TD; 1 carry, 51 yards, TD
- Aidan O'Connell (PUR): 40-of-52, 390 yards, 4 TD
- David Bell (PUR): 11 receptions, 103 yards
- Milton Wright (PUR): 7 receptions, 98 yards, TD
Stroud Strengthens Heisman Resume
Coming into this week, Matt Fortuna of The Athletic conducted a straw poll featuring writers from the website to vote for the Heisman. Not surprisingly, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III was the runaway winner with 69 first-place votes and 88 total points.
Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis was second with 15 first-place votes and 36 points. A quick scan of the entire list shows that Stroud didn't receive any support.
For a quarterback of one of the best teams in the nation who entered this week completing 67 percent of his attempts for 2,675 yards and 25 touchdowns not to be at least in the conversation seemed odd.
To be fair, Stroud was coming off his worst game against Nebraska with two interceptions. The talking point coming out of that was why he wasn't running the ball:
Stroud did acknowledge recently that he suffered a separated AC joint in his right shoulder during the season opener against Minnesota. It's plausible he may not want to take any additional hits to protect the injury.
After Saturday's dominant performance, Stroud deserves to be talked about in the same breath as Walker, Davis and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The freshman sensation has thrown for at least 300 yards in five of the past six games. He has thrown at least four touchdowns four times during that span.
Stroud could be dinged in a similar way that Mac Jones was last season.
Jones had a brilliant 2020 for Alabama, but he played on arguably the best roster Nick Saban has ever assembled. DeVonta Smith was certainly a deserving Heisman winner with 1,856 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns catching passes from Jones.
Stroud absolutely benefits from playing on a team that has TreVeyon Henderson at running back and the trio of wide receivers Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Chris Olave.
It's telling about how deep the Buckeyes are that Olave is the third-leading receiver in a game but still manages 85 yards on nine receptions.
There are plenty of accolades to go around on this offense. Ohio State's dominant performance this week should quiet any concerns after a close call against Nebraska.
It's a good thing the Buckeyes appear to have hit their stride because things don't get any easier. They have to play Michigan State and Michigan to wrap up the regular season.
O'Connell Shines, but Boilermakers Defense Falters
Saturday's game, while not a complete embarrassment for the program, was certainly a step back. O'Connell's performance is one of the positives to take away. The senior followed up his 536-yard showing against the Spartans with 390 yards and four touchdowns.
O'Connell's last three games have seen him make a dramatic turn. The Illinois native has thrown nine touchdowns with zero interceptions and is completing 75.5 percent of his passes.
For comparison, in his first six games, O'Connell threw one more interception (eight) than touchdowns (seven).
As good as he was, though, the Boilermakers defense wasn't able to do anything against Ohio State. The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on seven of their first eight possessions. The one non-touchdown drive ended with a field goal.
Ohio State's only non-scoring drive was a three-and-out midway through the third quarter. Purdue got back in the game on its ensuing offensive possession thanks to an 87-yard drive capped off by a touchdown pass to Jackson Anthrop that made the score 52-31.
Already boasting wins over then-No. 2 Iowa and then-No. 5 Michigan State, the Boilermakers are certainly in the midst of their best season under head coach Jeff Brohm.
They have already won as many games in 2021 as they did in the previous two years combined (six).
The victory over Michigan State last week was enough to get the College Football Playoff selection committee to put Purdue at No. 19 in this week's rankings.
Even with Saturday's slip-up against a team that is just better across the board, though, the Boilermakers have had a successful year no matter what happens the rest of the way. They are already bowl eligible for the first time since 2018, with two games left on the schedule.
What's Next?
Ohio State plays Michigan State at the Horseshoe in a game that could determine the Big Ten East champion next Saturday. Purdue will take on Northwestern at Wrigley Field in Chicago the same day.