Ohio at Purdue
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOXSports 1 (Tim Brando, play-by-play; Spencer Tillman, analyst; Holly Sonders, sideline)
Radio (Purdue): Sirius 84 / XM 84 / Tunein.com (Tim Newton, play-by-play; Pete Quinn, analyst; Kelly Kitchel, sideline)
Pregame: Gold and Black Radio at 11 a.m. Thursday | Gold and Black LIVE at 2 p.m. Friday
Purdue roster | Purdue Schedule/Results | Purdue Game Notes
Ohio roster | Ohio schedule/Results | Ohio Game Notes
More: Coordinator's Corner: Nick Holt ($) | Freshman Focus: Derrick Barnes ($) | Expect more freshmen to play Friday | Mailbag: Impressions of Purdue defense ($)
Purdue running game vs. Ohio against the run
It was virtually impossible to draw many conclusions based on Ohio's performance against Hampton, an FCS opponent. Ohio held the Pirates to just 68 yards rushing, but the Boilermakers' ground game struggled against a good Louisville defense, too. Can D.J. Knox or Tario Fuller break out? We shall see. But the Ohio rush defense is good, and until the Boilermakers prove otherwise ...
Purdue passing game vs. Ohio against the pass
If this isn't an advantage for Purdue, it will be a long night. The two-quarterback hot-hand strategy by Coach Jeff Brohm will be on display in Week 2. The Bobcats had a banner year in their defensive front, setting a Ohio school record with 44 team sacks in 2016. They also set the school record with 104 tackles for loss. But there are some new faces up front. Like Purdue, the linebackers are the Bobcats' strength on defense, and it will be key for the Boilermakers to mitigate that unit.
Ohio running game vs. Purdue against the run
Running the football is what Ohio does, and Purdue, for much of the past decade, has been pretty porous against the run. The Boilermakers did a nice job slowing Louisville's running backs but didn't stop Lamar Jackson's ground game, though he didn't reel off any big runs.
This one is one of the matchups that until Purdue shows it can do it, and it is facing a capable opponent, it hard not to give said capable opponent (Ohio) the advantage.
Ohio passing game vs. Purdue against the pass
If the Boilermakers are to win this game, they need to force the Bobcats into passing situations. Ohio has yet to fully settle on a quarterback between redshirt junior starter Quinton Maxwell and Nathan Rourke (who was MAC East offensive player-of-the-week last week) and expect them both to play. The Boilermakers also need to keep their eye on Papi White, who is a threat in the passing game. If Purdue can get pressure, and it should be able to get some, the Boilermakers may have a slight advantage.
Special teams
Easy to love the effort of Boilermaker punter Joe Schopper and loathe just about everything else in the season opener from Purdue's special teams. The Bobcats have experience and sophomore kicker Louie Zervos, who had 26 field goals in 2016, a NCAA record for a freshman kicker. Still, expect the Boilermakers to improve in this area this week and allow it to pull even.
Intangibles
Coach Jeff Brohm has said all week that it will be hard for his team to give greater effort than what he sees out of Ohio. Still, hard to minimize the importance of this game as the Boilermakers look down the road. Purdue gave great effort against Louisville, and there likely will be a relatively large and energetic crowd for the season opener in Ross-Ade. Who knows? Maybe the chrome helmets will be the difference.
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