Purdue Will Be Buckeyes' Biggest Test of 2007

My Ohio State Buckeyes have played extremely well in this rebuilding season. They may be too highly ranked at the fourth in the country right now. But they'll hold that spot if they pass what promises to be their biggest test so far this season as they travel to Purdue. The Boilermakers are ranked twenty-third in the country and feature an extremely effective spread offense.

The Buckeyes will be using the nickel defense, about which a Columbus Dispatch article has this to say:

The Boilermakers brought the "basketball on grass" spread offense to the Big Ten in the late 1990s under coach Joe Tiller. It was a pass-first approach that dizzied conventional defenses and gave rise to the nickel.

This year, though, like many spread teams, Purdue has added a power running game with back Kory Sheets. It makes defenders think twice about putting pressure on quarterback Curtis Painter, and it puts pressure on a nickel defense to provide run support as well as pass coverage. The Boilermakers usually have at least three receivers on the field, including one of the nation's best in Dorian Bryant.

Ohio State's nickel, smelted by Florida's spread Jan. 8 in the national championship game, "has been pretty solid" this season, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "But it's going to have its most difficult challenge."

Bottom line: This game will say a lot about both the Buckeyes. If Ohio State wins, it will signal to me that they are for real. From that point forward, should any of the top three nationally-ranked teams falter as the season progresses as Ohio State progresses, the Buckeyes, will have a shot at a national championship.

That prospect would have been unimaginable to me as the footbal year began!

But Purdue will be tough to beat.

Go, Buckeyes!

[Picture of Ohio State-Northwestern game from Yahoo.com.]