Ohio State has four games left this season. In three of them, the Buckeyes will be heavy favorites. Finding reasons the Buckeyes might be prone to an upset or a poor performance will not be easy. And the fourth? Well, we’ll get to that when it comes to it. But for now, it’s one of the easier games. Which, of course, makes it harder to write this article. The Buckeyes travel to Purdue this Saturday. Will they struggle? Almost certainly not. But if they do–what will be the cause? Why or how can Purdue bother the Buckeyes?
1. Purdue plays everyone tough
This Purdue team isn’t great. But it has great fight. Even in the blowout loss to Notre Dame, Purdue made the Irish uncomfortable. Games have gotten out of hand relatively quickly, but the Boilermakers have kept opponents from being fully comfortable in every loss.
Advertisement
2. Strong passing game
Don’t let the stats fool you. Ryan Browne was impressive in the loss to Notre Dame. The passing attack hasn’t been consistent, and the offensive line has been porous all season. But if Browne can get even a little bit of time then the Boilermakers can move the ball. This Buckeye defense has been otherworldly good all year, but just one bad day from the defensive line can create troubles.
3. Julian Sayin can’t stay perfect, can he?
At some point, the law of averages has to kick in, right? Sayin can’t keep up this accurate passing forever, can he? He’s throws fewer incompletions than touchdowns more than once this season. If you take away throw-aways and drops, Sayin basically never misses. It’s unreal. And he just does it game after game. But everyone has to have an off game sometime, don’t they?
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass in the first half of the college football game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
4. Players like their coach
Look, Barry Odom isn’t getting fired in his first season. But he’s 2-7, and it’s a rough time to be a struggling college football coach. Curt Cignetti did significantly better in his first season at Indiana, albeit with more talent. Purdue’s players do seem to appreciate Odom as a coach, though––and what better way to protect your coach’s job than by impressing against the No. 1 team in the country?
Advertisement
5. Purdue is getting better
I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel here, but the Boilermakers did play well in their last few losses. They probably should have beaten Rutgers, but they also could have beaten Michigan last week. Now, Michigan won’t come close to Ohio State with how the Wolverines played last week, but the fact is that this Purdue team can be a tough out for anyone. Maybe Ohio State won’t be that different?
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 5 reasons Purdue can trouble Ohio State on Saturday
