Film Review: Ohio State Offense Dismantles Purdue

Here are some of our favorite highlight plays from the Buckeyes big win on Saturday.

Author:
Pat Cavanaugh
Nov 16, 2021 4:27 PM EST

Throughout the season, we will break down game film to spotlight certain plays that went well for the Buckeyes and others that did not. This week’s film breakdown highlights the plays that were successful for the Buckeyes.

Buckeye Offense Shreds Purdue

The first half of this game was pure dominance by the Buckeye offense, scoring touchdowns on their first six possessions. The offensive line was superb in their pass protection all day and kept the Purdue defense from getting any sacks. The run blocking by the offensive line and receivers on the perimeter was was also marvelous as evidenced by the first half rushing stat of 151 of the 174 yards before contact.

C.J. Stroud was extremely accurate (31-of-38) and showed great rhythm in the variety of throws he made. He also did a terrific job of making the correct reads both pre-snap and post-snap while going through his progressions. One other key stat from Stroud: zero INT's.

If there was ever an argument of which team has the best receiver trio in the country, Saturday’s performances from Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba should end the discussion. They had 28 receptions for 350 yards and 5 scores against the Boilermaker pass defense that was ranked 15^th in the nation in passing yards allowed (185 per game).

Garrett Wilson did not look rusty at all after being out last week against Nebraska. In the clip below, Purdue's cornerback is playing man on Smith-Njigba, while the safety is dropping in zone coverage. This is great read by Stroud to throw the out route. One key point to watch is how Wilson gets his hips and shoulders turned to the end zone just prior to him catching the ball to accelerate his path to the end zone. This precise footwork is the difference between a touchdown and him being tackled at the 2-or 3-yard line.

The perimeter blocking by the Buckeyes paid great dividends on Saturday. The clip below shows the outstanding blocking by TE Jeremy Ruckert and WR Chris Olave and the breakaway speed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Following a key fumble by the Boilermakers as they were matching down the field, the Buckeyes responded on the next play with a 57-yard TD run by RB TreVeyon Henderson. There were a few causes of this long scamper. Purdue DE George Karlaftis (No. 5) tries to swim inside to the b-gap, which creates a wide hole in the c-gap. Also, MLB Kieren Douglas (No. 43) is expecting to play the b-gap and he can't get over top to the c-gap in time. Lastly, the FS Cam Allen (No. 10) takes a bag angle toward the line of scrimmage (instead of the alley) and he can cut off Henderson in time.

Trips-bunch to the field is a very difficult formation, especially when the three best are in that bunch. Prior to the snap, CB Dedrick Mackey (No. 1) is communicating with the other CB Jamari Brown (No. 7). As you will see from the clip below, Brown plays the bubble screen and no one covers over the top. C.J. Stroud makes a nice read and completes an easy pitch and catch to Smith-Njigba.

Stroud makes a great pre-snap read with Wilson to the field against inside man, off coverage and delivers a perfect strike to the outside. Wilson does a fantastic job of boxing out the CB Mackey so only he can catch the pass. In addition to the clip below, the screen capture shows how well Wilson gets big and wide to shield off the defender.

The combo of Stroud to Wilson continued into the 2^nd half with this great 4^th and 1 conversion for a score. The key to this play is when Wilson gives a head and shoulder fake to get CB Jamari Brown’s (No. 7) shoulders and hips turned to the outside which allows for more separation on his break inside. Following the catch, Wilson shows his tremendous ability of making others miss and finish for another score.

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