5 reasons Ohio State will route Purdue as Haskins’ Heisman case grows

The Ohio State Buckeyes enter prime time once more as they go on the road to face the Purdue Boilermakers

Through inconsistency, the No. 2 Buckeyes have produced the same consistent result. The Buckeyes have extended their win streak to seven as they finished the job against the Minnesota Golden Gophers last weekend. It wasn’t an easy win as the Bucks once again made a mountain out of a lesser opponent.

The slow starts continued for the Bucks as they led by just three points to end the first half. It could have been more but the Bucks failed to reach the end zone after picking off Gophers’ quarterback Zack Annexstad on the fourth play of the game. The stalled red zone drive was disappointing as it led to a Gophers touchdown in the following possession. The Gophers drove straight down the field on the Bucks’ defense on a methodical eleven play drive.

Everything was pretty average for the Bucks during this game offensively and defensively. The Buckeyes would score a touchdown but then the Gophers would come right back down and score a touchdown of their own. The lack of defensive stops and the lackluster running game of the Buckeyes put a big damper on their performance.

The Buckeyes had a few explosive plays on offense where Dwayne Haskins would hit a receiver for a long touchdown. However, it would be followed up by a Gophers touchdown in the following possession to give away the momentum. Speaking of Haskins, he was one of the few bright spots for the Buckeyes.

Haskins was his usual efficient self last weekend as he completed 33/44 pass attempts. He also tossed three touchdowns in the process and cut down on his mistakes significantly. This was his first game in three weeks that he did not throw an interception. The passing offense was rolling the whole game and there was nothing the Gophers could do about it.

Onto the next opponent, the Buckeyes will prepare to face the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday night. The game will take place in the Boilermakers’ house where they’ve played some of their best ball. The Boilermakers started out the season 0-3 but they had the inconvenience of having their first three games on the road.

This unfortunate circumstance set them back but they’ve came back up in a big way in the last few weeks. The Boilermakers have now won three straight games with two of their last three wins coming at home. In those two home victories, the Boilermakers have won by 24 points or more. Their most recent victory was by 39 last weekend against Illinois.

The Boilermakers are coached by head coach Jeff Brohm. He is in his second season and has led the charge for an improving Purdue program. The team went 7-6 last season including a victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the Foster Farms Bowl. The Boilermakers won their last three games to end last season.

The Buckeyes will once again step in as a road favorite as they travel to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers. This won’t be the first or last time the Buckeyes are faced with this circumstance as they’ve already conquered a few solid teams on the road. After spending the last few weeks in a slump, expect the Buckeyes to be fired up for this game as they compete in prime time.