The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (-14) are set to take on their in-conference foe Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. ABC has the TV rights and the game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Ohio State Buckeyes at Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview
Purdue enters this Big 10 matchup as a big underdog and is currently being given 14 points. The Buckeyes are also receiving -735 moneyline odds while the Boilermakers are +500. If one school can find paydirt in the early stages it’ll result in a worthy betting opportunity in-game. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 65 points.
Early action has leaned to both the Buckeyes and the over. The opening line was originally 12 and the O/U was set initially at just 63.5.
The Buckeyes have gained 2.0 units this season and are 3-3-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-4. The hapless Boilermakers have lost 6.7 units in 2018. The team is 4-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Buckeyes are 7-0 straight up (SU), including 4-0 SU against conference opponents. The Boilermakers are 3-3 SU overall and 2-1 SU in conference play.
The Buckeyes are looking to remain undefeated following a 30-14 win over Minnesota last week. Dwayne Haskins completed 33 passes on 44 attempts for 412 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Weber (51 yards on 13 rush attempts) and J.K. Dobbins (35 yards on 10 carries) provided the running attack in the win while K.J. Hill (nine receptions, 187 yards, two TDs) and Parris Campbell (eight catches, 56 yards) shared the receiving duties.
The Purdue Boilermakers take the field on Saturday after just earning a lopsided 46-7 win over Illinois. The defense held its territory in the victory, keeping the Fighting Illini to just 181 passing yards and 69 rushing yards. Reggie Corbin had a good showing in the loss, posting 52 yards on one catch for Illinois. For Purdue, David Blough completed 25-of-36 passes for 377 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. D.J. Knox (150 yards on 17 rush attempts) and Markell Jones (56 yards on seven carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground game in the win as Isaac Zico (five receptions, 127 yards, two TDs) and Rondale Moore (four catches, 101 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Ohio State has run the ball on 51.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Purdue has a rush percentage of 46.9 percent. The Buckeyes have run for 185 yards per game (including 148 per game against Big Ten opponents) and have 12 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Boilermakers are totaling 179 rush yards per game (206 in conference) and have 11 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Boilermakers should have an advantage in terms of effectiveness in the ground game, as their backfield has logged 5.2 yards per carry while the defense has allowed a YPC of 4.0 to opponents. The Buckeyes have tallied 4.5 yards per carry while allowing 4.2 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Buckeyes offensive scheme has averaged a stout 371 yards through the air overall (373 per game against conference opposition) and has 29 passing TDs so far. The Boilermakers have produced 331 pass yards per contest (327.3 against Big 10 foes) and have 13 total pass scores.
Defensively, Ohio State should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 148 yards and pass for 222 yards per game. The Purdue defense has given up 267.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 146.8 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Buckeyes have given up an ANY/A of 5.39 to opposing QBs, while the Boilermakers are allowing an ANY/A of 5.49.
Offensively, Haskins is up to 1,876 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 72 percent of his 198 attempts with 22 passing scores and only two interceptions. Haskins has a sparkling 10.71 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 10.11 over the last two games.
In the other locker room, David Blough has managed to complete 103-of-145 passes for 1,367 yards, nine TDs and two INTs. Blough’s ANY/A sits at 9.04 for the year and 8.91 over his last two outings.
These two Big 10 foes did not get a chance to face each other a year ago.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Tip: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Purdue Boilermakers
SU Winner – Purdue, ATS Winner – Purdue, O/U – Over
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Ohio State D has 24 sacks on the year while Purdue has just 17.
Purdue has lost four fumbles in 2018 while the Ohio State offense has lost two.
The Buckeyes offense has created 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Boilermakers have accounted for 11 such plays.
Both teams have allowed five pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Ohio State defense has given up 14 pass plays of 30+ yards while Purdue has yielded nine such plays.
The Ohio State offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Purdue has created 12 such runs.
The Buckeyes defense has allowed 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Boilermakers have given up seven such runs.
As a team, Ohio State has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its last three contests and 3.1 over its last two.
Purdue has averaged 4.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.1 over its last two.
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