No. 2 Ohio State cruised to a 45-0 win over Purdue Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium to pick up their second shutout of the year and improve to 8-1 on the season and 5-1 in the Big Ten.
Here are Buckeye Sports Bulletin’s picks for who deserves Buckeye Leaves after the win.
Patrick Engels:
Ohio State had one of its best defensive outings of the season Saturday afternoon against Purdue, and leading that charge for the Buckeyes was senior nickel cornerback Jordan Hancock. Hancock has been somewhat overlooked on the Ohio State secondary this season with Caleb Downs showing out and Denzel Burke struggling at times, but he certainly made people notice him against the Boilermakers with a number of impact plays.
Hancock seemed to be all over the field for Ohio State, running sideline-to-sideline for a pair of tackles near the line of scrimmage and then also getting into the backfield to combine for a sack with Jack Sawyer in the second quarter that turned the Boilermakers on downs.
The Georgia native also was impactful in the secondary, breaking up a Hudson Card pass intended for tight end Max Klare in the third quarter that nearly forced another turnover on downs if it had not been for a Davison Igbinosun pass interference call.
Hancock finished with three tackles (two solo), a ½ sack and a pass breakup on the day, another strong performance in what has been a very solid Ohio State career for the senior.
Bobby Gorbett:
It seems impossible for someone as talented and accomplished as TreVeyon Henderson to be overlooked at any point of the season, but in some ways it feels as though Ohio State’s senior running back has been just that over the past few weeks.
Henderson made sure to remind Buckeye fans exactly what he was capable of in Ohio State’s 45-0 win over Purdue on Saturday.
Henderson made the most of only six carries, as he totaled 85 yards while rushing for his first touchdown since the Buckeyes’ 49-14 win over Marshall.
Henderson also produced as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, and finished the game as the Buckeyes’ third-leading receiver for 43 yards.
Henderson had four carries that went for at least 10 yards, including his 19-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that extinguished any last hope for the Boilermakers to put the Buckeyes up 31-0.
Greg Wilson:
Jeremiah Smith broke Cris Carter’s record for receiving yards in a freshman season against Penn State last week, and it took him just one more week to top Carter in receptions and touchdowns.
With his third catch of the day – a 16-yard reception in the second quarter – Smith broke Carter’s record for total catches in a freshman season. His 42nd catch of his young career wasn’t his last of the game, though, or even his last record-breaking catch.
Later in the second quarter, Will Howard found Smith on a slant that he caught at the Purdue 15-yard line, and he got the edge on the Boilermaker corner to trot into the end zone for another touchdown.
That score broke Carter’s record for most receiving touchdowns in a season by a freshman, giving him nine through nine games.
He finished the game with a team-high six catches for 85 yards and a score.
