The Purdue Boilermakers have lost five in a row, and most of them have just been ugly -- they have yet to score over 24 points in a game this year, only remaining close to FBS competition once in a 31-24 loss to Notre Dame. They’ll be looking to change that against Ohio State.
How to watch Ohio State vs. Purdue 2013: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Ohio State travels to Ross-Ade Stadium looking to leave unbeaten.
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As for those in the scarlet and gray, the story has been largely the same all season. They have won, and won often, with Penn State being the latest victim, courtesy of a 63-14 beatdown. This could be another one of those games.
The numbers
Rankings and records: No. 4 Ohio State is 39-14-2 against Purdue all-time.
Vegas: The Buckeyes opened as 31-point favorites. The over/under opened at 56.5.
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 48 and a 10% chance of rain.
Three names to know
Carlos Hyde (Ohio State running back) - After serving a three-game suspension, Hyde has been fantastic for the Buckeyes. He's rushed for over 140 yards in each of the last three games, with seven touchdowns in that span.
Dontre Wilson (Ohio State running back/wide receiver) - Blocked by several players ahead of him on the depth chart, Wilson only makes occasional appearances in Ohio State's offense, but man are those appearances worth watching. He's averaging almost nine yards a carry and takes kickoff returns, as well.
Danny Etling (Purdue quarterback) - The true freshman Etling has started the last two games for the Boilermakers but has been only a slight improvement over Rob Henry. He has a 3:4 TD:INT ratio and is completing 47.5 percent of his passes.
Two things at stake
The Buckeyes must keep winning if they want to keep their BCS Championship hopes alive, although that may not be enough with Alabama, Florida State and Oregon still ahead of them in the rankings. Ohio State has a one-game lead in the Leaders Division, but also holds the tiebreaker over Wisconsin by virtue of a 31-24 win last month.
Purdue is attempting to stave off elimination from bowl contention.
How to witness
TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Online streaming: BTN2Go. XFINITY subscribers can watch the game here.
Further reading
Visit Land-Grant Holy Land if you want more Buckeyes coverage. Hammer and Rails will nail down the Purdue perspective. Big Ten football blog Off Tackle Empire with also have coverage.
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