3 Things We Learned About Ohio State in Week 7

The Purdue Boilermakers have caused the Ohio State Buckeyes trouble in the past, and Saturday was a wet day with a noon start in West Lafayette. Despite missing several key pieces, the Buckeyes easily handled Purdue in a 41-7 romp that sets up a titanic clash versus Penn State on October 21.

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What did we learn about the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday?

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Buckeyes Flex Depth

The Ohio State Buckeyes were without wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams. Most teams without three offensive stars would be in significant trouble, particularly while playing on the road in a conference game. The Ohio State Buckeyes flexed their depth and coasted to the win. Dallan Hayden stepped in and averaged 6.9 yards per carry while scoring a touchdown. Cade Stover had his best game of the season, catching two touchdowns. Freshman Carnell Tate flashed as a future star with three catches for 79 yards. The Buckeyes recruit at an elite level, and it showed on Saturday as second and third-string players filled in and produced to help lead the way to an easy win.

The Defense is Ready for a PSU Showdown

The Ohio State offense has not clicked on all cylinders yet in 2023. This Ohio State team is now 6-0 because of the defense. The Buckeyes have been consistently outstanding on that side of the ball, and Saturday, against a solid Purdue offense, was no different. The Boilermakers were held to 3.7 yards per play and only managed 134 yards through the air. Hudson Card was a miserable 13 for 32, and Purdue did not get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter with the score already 34-0. OSU probably does not have any first-round talents at linebacker. Still, the Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers duo are probably as good as you’ll find in college football this season. Big and physical offensive lines could potentially push the Buckeyes around up front, something Penn State will no doubt be trying to do this coming weekend.

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McCord is Finding Rhythm

It has been a learning process for Kyle McCord, but there are signs the Buckeyes quarterback is coming into his own and in time for a Big Ten East showdown. Despite lousy weather at Purdue, McCord completed 16 of his 28 passes for 276 yards with three touchdowns. Of course, his go-t0 target was Marvin Harrison Jr. (six catches for 105 yards), but he had a good connection with Cade Stover and found true freshman Carnell Tate for a long reception of 55 yards. This was the second-straight encouraging performance from McCord, and he looks ready for a massive test against the Nittany Lions.

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