Purdue-Ohio State 2018--the last meeting.

Ohio State's improbable comeback in 2012, the last time Purdue played in Columbus.

Here's an early look at Purdue's 10th opponent of 2021, the Ohio State Buckeyes:

Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 13, 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Ohio Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 102,780 Ticket info (Game is expected to be a sellout)

Records: Ohio State 8-1 overall, 6-0 Big Ten; Purdue 6-3, 4-2

Series notes: Ohio State has a 40-15-2 advantage in a series which dates back to 1919. Purdue is just 5-27-2 in games played in Columbus and hasn't won at the 'Shoe since 1988 when coach Fred Akers' Boilermakers beat OSU 31-26 thanks in part to the play of a 17-year old freshman quarterback Brian Fox and a Canadian fullback Ernie Schramayr. The two teams haven't played in Columbus since 2012, when coach Urban Meyer's first OSU team needed a touchdown and two-point conversion with three seconds left in regulation to send it to overtime. OSU prevailed in the extra period, 29-22.

TV: ABC

Early line: Ohio State -19. Purdue is 1-24 overall, 15-8-2 ATS (against the spread), and 11-12 Over/Under in games where it has been a 19 (or more) point underdog dating back to 1995. The lone victory was a 28-17 win over No.12 Notre Dame in Ross-Ade Stadium in coach Joe Tiller's first season in 1997. Coach Jeff Brohm's Purdue teams are 3-0 against the spread when a 19 or more point 'dog. Purdue was +24.5 in a 45-24 loss at Wisconsin in 2019, +28.5 in a 35-7 loss at Penn State earlier in the same season and +28.5 in a 35-28 loss to Louisville (at Lucas Oil in Indianapolis) in Brohm's first game as head coach at Purdue. In case you were wondering, Purdue was +12.5 when it last played Ohio State in a 49-20 victory on Oct. 20, 2018, in Ross-Ade Stadium.

Purdue has become the giant killers of college football, winning two games in the past three weeks against top-five foes. While Ohio State is just outside the top-five, Purdue will be looking to post three victories against the top half-dozen teams in the same season for the first time in school annals.

Quarterback Aidan O'Connell produced one of the greatest single-game performances in Purdue history with 40 completions in 54 attempts and no interceptions and 536 yards.

One would think Purdue can afford to play loose in this one, with few expectations despite its recent elite wins. Sure, Purdue can improve its bowl positioning, and with an upset stay in the running for the West Division title. But Ohio State, on the other hand, has no margin for error if it wants to make a return to the College Football Playoffs.

Ohio State gave up 86 points in its first three games but has relinquished just 85 points in the last six games. Nebraska did manage a couple of 50-plus yard plays. But other than that, Ohio State gave up very little in the 26-17 win.

OSU could get caught looking ahead to its next two opponents: Michigan State and Michigan. But a stout defense can serve the purpose of keeping the home team grounded.

Ohio State is second in the nation in scoring, averaging 44.2 per game. Ohio State scored over 50 in four straight games but totaled averaged 29.5 in the last two. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has the pick of two outstanding receivers, All-American Chris Olave and Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who was the star of the day for an otherwise shaky offense against the Cornhuskers. He posted a school-record 15 receptions for 240 yards, the most by a Buckeyes receiver in 26 years. Smith-Njigba leads the Buckeyes in receiving yards in 2021.

Freshman running back Treveyon Henderson was slowed somewhat to 92 yards against Nebraska, but he is averaging a gaudy 7.3 yards per carry with 12 touchdowns and 937 yards on the ground. He had 152 yards in a hard-fought win over Penn State the week before. Stroud has 25 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He's the Big Ten's leading passer 335 yards per contest.

Purdue's defense has been good with takeaways of late with two more against the Spartans, giving the Boilermakers 12 in the last four games. The Buckeyes have committed just eight turnovers, the second-fewest among league teams.

"They have a lot of playmakers on both sides of the ball. When they bring in new guys they are just as fast, just as good. They are good enough to run the ball on every play, but the like to spread the wealth to their playmakers.

"You have to try to do some things that they haven't seen and execute those things very well. They are well coached and we need to play error free to have a chance.

"This will be our biggest challenge to date."

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