Buckeyes Limp Past
Purdue
In what could have been a blow-out, the Ohio State Buckeyes
played conservative Tressel-ball with several key offensive players unavailable.
Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins took his game to a whole new level against Curtis Painter
and Boilermakers on Saturday as the defense only allowed 70 yards on the ground
and stopped Purdue every time they got near the red-zone.
By Steve Patterson
Injures on Offensive
A number of
players on the offensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes were injured going
into the game on Saturday and the offensive performance was not what anyone
expected. Purdue has one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten this year but Ohio State
could not pass the ball effectively and had trouble opening holes for tailback Chris
‘Beanie’ Wells. Only scoring three field goals on the day, the offense had to
thank the defense and the special teams after the game for the blocked punt
returned for a touchdown and shutting down Purdue all game long.
Starting
left tackle Alex Boone was not 100% going into the game against Purdue and was
seen limping throughout the plays he was available for during the match. Senior
Steve Rehring filled in at left tackle at times but was also hobbled and could not
control the defensive line of Purdue. Finally, true freshman Mike Adams took
his turn at left tackle but also had difficulty.
Coach Jim Tressel described the
offense as unable to be consistent during his post-game press conference due to
line play. “Probably hit and miss. There was a moment where you looked good and
there was a moment where you went backwards and we're not consistent at all and
it will be interesting to watch the film, but from where I was, we certainly
didn't control the line of scrimmage, that's where it starts.”
In addition
to the left tackle position, third starting wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher was
unable to play due to a concussion he had during the Wisconsin Badger game the
prior week. Others unable to perform on the offense due to injury included
second string running-back Daniel ‘Boom’ Herron and starting tight-end Rory
Nicol.
Defensive Looked
Impressive
The defense
of Ohio State was the bright spot for the
Buckeyes as captains Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker James Laurinaitis led the
team to an impressive game against one of the best passing offenses in the
country. Laurinaitis led Ohio
State with 10 tackles and
two pass breakups on the day. Jenkins blocked the punt in the first quarter for
the touchdown return and intercepted Painter on Purdue’s last drive of the
first quarter.
Starting
linebacker Marcus Freeman had 9 tackles against Purdue on Saturday while
defensive end Thaddeus Gibson forced a fumble in the first quarter which
started a drive that ended in one of the three field goals for Ohio State
on the day. Gibson is a converted linebacker that has taken over the defensive
end position and given tackles trouble in a number of important games this
season.
Coach
Tressel praised the defense for their preparation and ability to take the ball
away. “I thought the defense did a great job with their plan.” He told
reporters after the game. “I think our defensive guys prepared very well. You
could tell that they diagnosed things and broke on the ball, anticipated, knew
the formations, the way that Purdue does things, and just kept coming, just
kept coming and coming and coming and Purdue made some plays, but I think our
defense never got flustered. They tried a couple over-50 field goals, was as
close as they got, which that's pretty good, plus we came up with takeaways.”