Keys To The Game: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Purdue Boilermakers have different paths to victory when they take the field Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes and Purdue Boilermakers square off on Saturday, October 11 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Buckeyes and Boilermakers have different identities, which means they each have different paths to victory this weekend.

Here are the keys to the game for Saturday's contest between Ohio State and Purdue:

Ohio State wins if...

...they treat the Boilermakers with respect.

The Buckeyes do not have the best history with the Boilermakers, at least like they do with some of the other opponents in the Big Ten. Ohio State is 40-15-2 against Purdue, but just 6-4 in their last ten meetings.

Ohio State will need to make sure they treat Purdue as an opponent whom can get the best of them (despite the 2-4 record) if they don't play a good game. If the Buckeyes have a strong performance against the Boilermakers, it would also settle any doubts fans have ahead of next weekend against Penn State.

Purdue wins if...

...they do their homework against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes are a strong team, but they have a handful of areas that Purdue can take advantage of if they know how to identify them.

Between the uncertain performances last weekend from the running game and offensive line and the big plays allowed from the defensive backs against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky, the Boilermakers have plenty of Kryptonite they can use to bring down Superman.

If Purdue knows what to look for, they can make a real dent in the Buckeyes.

Ohio State and Purdue kick off at noon on Saturday, October 11. The game will air on Peacock (NBC's streaming service), from Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.