5 reasons Ohio State will route Purdue as Haskins’ Heisman case grows
By Alec Hartman
3. Dwayne Haskins rolls over Purdue’s soft defense
It’s time for the greatest part of each week where the greatness of the Buckeyes’ quarterback can be glorified. Dwayne Haskins has brought new hope to a Buckeye passing offense that hasn’t been all that relevant. The new sheriff in town has brought the gift of incredible production along with good temperament.
Haskins continues to break records for the Buckeyes in his short time as the starter. He’s now thrown for over 400 yards in two straight games with nine touchdowns between those. He tied the school record for passing completions in a game against Indiana two weeks ago when he connected on 33 of his pass attempts. He also completed 33 passes this past week against Minnesota. Haskins is now one of the favorites to win the Heisman trophy and that is more than well merited. He is playing better than any quarterback in the country.
The uptick in passing success for the Buckeyes has been a major problem for many opponents thus far in this season. Opposing teams have not been able to slow Haskins down and this is in good reason given the arsenal he has around him as well. The Buckeyes have a total of ten viable passing targets to choose from at any given time. With all of these receivers capable of making plays, it’s no wonder nobody can stop them.
The Buckeyes are top five in the nation in scoring offense and second in total offense. The only thing that has slowed down the offense so far has been turnovers. Haskins has thrown four interceptions thus far. Most of these have come from miscues with the offensive line, receivers, or players deflecting passes into the defense’s hands though. Haskins has been much better with ball security as of recent.
The Boilermakers’ defense will have some problems defending the Buckeyes’ roaring passing offense. In their last loss, Purdue allowed 375 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air to Missouri. The Missouri Tigers are ranked back at 34th in the nation in passing offense.
The Boilermakers may have improved since then but that won’t be enough to slow down the Buckeyes who are ranked second in the nation in passing yards per game. Expect the Buckeyes to stay aggressive in the passing game as Haskins has another big day.