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Offensive Observations From The Buckeyes 59-31 Throttling of Purdue

Ohio State racks up a season-high 624 yards of total offense to cruise past the Boilermakers

Spencer German

Fresh off a stunning upset over Michigan State last weekend, Purdue came into the Horseshoe, Saturday looking to live up to their "Spoilermaker" nickname against the fourth-ranked Buckeyes. 

Ohio State had other plans.

For the first time in several weeks, the Scarlet and Gray saw its offense live up to its full potential in a 59-31 drubbing of Purdue. It was a statement win in every sense of the phrase, and a great start to a three-game gauntlet that remained on the Buckeyes regular season's schedule.

On a day where the offense exploded, here are my offensive observations from OSU's win. Meanwhile, during a pretty tough defensive day, here's what I thought of the Silver Bullets.

Boom Goes The Dynamite

There's been a lot of talk about the offensive potential of the Buckeyes, and after a blowout win over No. 19 Purdue, consider it reached. Don't get it twisted, this Boilermaker defense is no joke. They entered Saturday ranked No. 15 in the nation in rushing yards allowed and interceptions. Their 18.4 points allowed per game ranked 16th. 

So much for that.

Purdue just hasn't played a buzz saw quite like Ohio State's and Ryan Day concocted a tremendous game plan to make those numbers look like a fluke. After a Boilermakers three-and-out to open up the game, the Buckeyes' offense wasted no time flexing its dominance with a five-play, 39-yard, touchdown drive that took just over two minutes. 

An avalanche followed as OSU went on to score points on every single one of their seven first-half possessions, the first six of which each ended in touchdowns. At the break, the Buckeyes had piled up 386 total yards of offense, 212 through the air, 174 on the ground on their way to an insurmountable 45-17 lead.

It only continued in the second half as the Scarlet and Gray made it eight consecutive scoring drives and finished with 624 total yards (easily the most allowed by Purdue this season). Another sign of just how unstoppable the offense was, the unit's first punt came with just over six minutes to go in the third quarter. It was easily the best performance of the season for the Bucks and the fact that it came against that defense at this point in the season is an encouraging sign.

Welcome Back Garrett Wilson

It didn't take long for Garrett Wilson to make his presence felt in the offense after sitting out the Nebraska game. C.J. Stroud went to his top target this season on the first play from scrimmage for a gain of six, then found him again four plays later for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the Buckeyes an early lead. 

That was just the beginning, as the Buckeyes leading receiver picked up right where he left off against Penn State and continued to be Stroud's go-to weapon. Wilson scored three times on receptions of 21, 12 and 24 yards, all while compiling another 10 receptions and 126 yards to add to his resume. He also ran for a fourth touchdown from 51 yards out. Is there anything this guy can't do?

JSN

Speaking of picking up where he left off, Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to become a household name, right up there with Wilson and Chris Olave. A week removed from racking up 240 yards receiving on a school-record 15 receptions, the sophomore put together another respectable performance, hauling in nine catches for a team-high 139 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown in the first half. His finesse was once again on full display in this one. The Buckeyes depth at receiver is obviously well documented, and when Wilson and Olave inevitably declare for the NFL this winter, fans will already have the letters JSN at the forefront of their mind.

O-line Bounceback

Ohio State was coming off what was easily their worst rushing performance of the season in Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers held Ohio State under 100 yards for the first time all season. 

As one would expect, it was also the worst performance by the offensive line all season. 

That group must have taken last week's dud to heart because one week later the Buckeyes dominated the trenches against Purdue. OSU amassed 263 yards on the ground in the win, including 98 from TreVeyon Henderson and 117 from Miyan Williams. They also did a terrific job keeping one of the better pass rushers in college football, George Karlaftis out of the backfield, and kept Stroud clean the entire game.

This offense does a lot of things well, but they've been at their best when they can run the ball effectively. This week, they got back to their zone running ground attack and it paid dividends. 

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Spencer German
SPENCER GERMAN

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