Another week, another highly-ranked team stands in Purdue's path.
This Saturday, it's Ohio State, which is 8-1 overall, 6-0 in the Big Ten and ranks No. 6 in the nation in the AP poll. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
"I just think they're very talented," said Jeff Brohm at his Monday press conference. "In order to beat a team like that, you've got to maybe good do some things that they haven't seen before, and you've got to really apply some pressure, and you've got to take them out of their comfort zone. There's risks with that. You can get beat bad and fast or you can make some headway."
The Boilermakers have already made plenty of headaway in 2021 in forging a 6-3 overall record and 4-2 Big Ten mark. Along the way, Purdue has earned a "giant killers" label, taking down No. 2 Iowa (24-7) in Iowa City on Oct. 16 and No. 5 Michigan State (40-29) last Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium. But the Buckeyes will be Purdue's biggest challenge yet.
Purdue hasn't won in Columbus since 1988, when Fred Akers' was in his second season and took a 31-26 decision. The Buckeyes were led by first-year coach John Cooper, who would finish 4-6-1 in his debut. Since that win 33 years ago, Purdue has lost nine in a row in the Horseshoe.
But the Boilermakers have had as much success vs. Ohio State as any Big Team school in the last 18 seasons. Purdue is 4-5 in its last nine meetings with the Buckeyes dating to a 24-17 win in 2004 in West Lafayette. The Boilers also beat Ohio State in 2009 (26-18) and 2011 (26-23 OT) in Ross-Ade.
The Boilermakers have had several other near misses vs. Ohio State since Drew Brees orchestrated the memorable 31-27 win vs. OSU in 2000. Purdue lost, 10-6, in 2002 in West Lafayette and, 16-13, in overtime in 2003 in Columbus. The Boilers also dropped an overtime game, 29-22, in Columbus on their last visit to the Horseshoe in 2012 with Danny Hope as coach.
Brohm has one of those triumphs since 2004 vs. Ohio State, slaying the Buckeyes in 2018 in one of the most memorable games in Ross-Ade Stadium history. Before a national TV audience, Purdue beat the No. 2 Buckeyes and Urban Meyer, 49-20, with super fan Tyler Trent serving as inspiration in the press box.
Ohio State hasn't lost a Big Ten game since, ripping off 24 conference victories in succession since that October night in West Lafayette. Ryan Day has led the way the last three seasons for the Buckeyes. He's 21-0 in the Big Ten and 31-3 overall. The lone loss this season was at home to Oregon.
Does Brohm know why he has had success knocking off these highly ranked teams?
"No, I probably can't put my finger on it," said Brohm. "I do think that we have an aggressive approach, an aggressive style that can sometimes look really good and sometimes not.
"I think we're willing to take some chances against really good opponents that maybe others aren't. I think this year we've been better in all three segments of our team than we have in the past, which is really meaningful to me to see that happen."
We will see if it all pays off in another big upset for Purdue on Saturday. A win would make Purdue a serious contender in the Big Ten West, where it's currently tied with Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin. No doubt, Brohm likes how his team has come together this season.
"It helps your team compete against really good teams when maybe one side isn't doing quite as good as the other but you have solid units across the board," said Brohm. "I think that has helped us, and when we get in a rhythm and we're aggressive, we can do some good things. So I do think that we're not afraid of the challenge, and we look forward to really tough opponents and seeing how we match up."
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