Biggest Takeaways From Ohio State's Annihilation of Purdue

The Buckeyes were so dominant that many fans had already left the game early in the third quarter.

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Nov 13, 2021 7:15 PM EST

101,009 fans paid to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes host Purdue this afternoon for the first time since 2012. The Scarlet and Gray prevailed in overtime that day as Kenny Guiton came on in an emergency at quarterback and saved the season.

Today, no such drama existed.

After forcing a 3-and-out defensively to start the game, Ohio State scored its first of eight touchdowns and they absolutely eviscerated the Boilermakers all game.

Here are my biggest takeaways from Ohio State's performance.

Garrett Wilson, WR1

It's probably a bit more popular to say that Chris Olave is Ohio State's top wide receiver. But Garrett Wilson's body of work is awfully impressive and after he scored four touchdowns on Saturday, I believe he's not just the best receiver on the roster, but also the best in the country. the athleticism he regularly showcases in cutting around would-be tacklers, or in making jaw-dropping touchdown catches is truly remarkable.

He's the first Ohio State Buckeye in school history to have three receiving scores and a rushing touchdown in one game.

I'm running out of adjectives to describe how impressive this guy really is. He didn't play against Nebraska last week and I thought Ohio State really missed him. Clearly, he's a major difference maker for C.J. Stroud.

TreVeyon Henderson Exceeding Astronomical Expectations

After a couple consecutive weeks during which Ohio State's terrific freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson had to work extremely hard for reasonably little yardage, Henderson had another explosive day today. Saturday's game featured a great passing attack from C.J. Stroud, so Henderson didn't have a ton of touches. But 13 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns made for an awfully fun day as he approaches the freshman single season touchdown record. He's just one score shy of tying Maurice Clarett's record.

For the season, Henderson now has 1,028 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his first 10 college games.

For as well as he ran, Miyan Williams was actually Ohio State's leading rusher tonight (117 yards). The depth that Tony Alford has in the backfield is really impressive.

Ohio State's Offense Is Completely Fearless

For a little while, it looked like the Buckeyes were intent on hanging 100 on Purdue. Seriously, they were very close to scoring 50 in the first half. Ryan Day's play-calling was absolutely terrific and it felt like everything the Buckeyes dialed up turned into positive yardage. Purdue's best defense was keeping their offense on the field to sustain long drives in the second half, which limited Ohio State's possessions.

C.J. Stroud carved up the Purdue defense for another 5-touchdown effort, finishing the game 31-for-38, 361 yards and zero interceptions.

Defense Still Needs Some Work

Purdue is a really good team. All week, I said I thought a 3-touchdown spread felt pretty rich. I didn't expect Ohio State's offense to erupt quite to the level that it did, but the reality is the Boilermakers can really move the football. Aidan O'Connell and David Bell are quite the combination and Ohio State allowed 481 yards of offense tonight.

The reality is they've been able to outscore their mistakes or missteps on defense all season long. That unit is significantly improved, but there is still progress to be made before the Buckeyes can start thinking about winning a national championship.

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