The Ohio Bobcats travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to play the Purdue Boilermakers in the second game of the season for both squads. In this contest, the Bobcats will face a much better offensive squad than in their previous match-up against the Hampton Pirates.
Kick-off is scheduled for Friday, September 8th at 8:00 p.m. EST and can be seen the ESPN2 Network. As of now, odds makers have set the line with Purdue as a -4.5 point favorite. They also have placed the contest’s total at 57.
In week one, the Ohio Bobcats defense completely stifled the Pirates for all four quarters. As a result, they won via a shut-out 59-0, in a contest that was over by half time. Now, Ohio hopes to prove to the country that their defense can perform just as well against a Purdue offense that scored 28 points in their opener to Louisville.
The Boilermakers performed admirably in their defeat to the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. Not only did they hold their own on the national stage against Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals, but stayed competitive right to the end. Unfortunately, Louisville had just enough talent to hand the Boilermakers a 35-28 loss. Even in defeat, Purdue easily covered the 25.5 point spread for underdog bettors.
Ohio Bobcats (1-0)
The Bobcats really weren’t challenged in their home opener against the Hampton Pirates on Saturday. Ohio had the top ranked defense in the conference last season, allowing just 339 total yards and 22.6 points a game. Six starters returned and held Hampton to six straight punts in the first half.
With the Defense doing it’s part, the Bobcat offense had the freedom to mix things up. As a result, both quarterbacks got sufficient playing time in the game. Surprisingly, it was the production from second string quarterback Nathan Rourke that impressed his coaches.
Splitting time under center, Nathan Rourke and Quintin Maxwell combined for 171 passing yards with one touchdown and one pick. The difference was Rourke’s ability to move the ball with his feet. The dual-threat dashed his way for 50 yards on six carries and three more scores. Obviously, coach Frank Solich will utilize both of his gunslingers against the Boilermakers.
Like in the passing game, the Bobcats gave plenty of runners a chance to prove their merit. Five different backs split carries for Ohio out of the back field. Combined, they rushed the ball 45 times for 205 yards and four trips to pay-dirt. Remember, quarterback Nathan Rourke pitched-in three more while he was leading the offense.
The Bobcats didn’t have to do much with the passing game, being that most of their drives began well into Hampton territory. Even so, wide outs Papi White and Cameron Odom contributed when called upon.
White, who caught 41 passes for 672 yards six touchdowns last season, finished second on the team with 35 yards on three catches. Redshirt freshman Cameron Odom, had four catches for 75 yards.
The Hampton Pirates literally ran into a brick wall against the Ohio Bobcat’s defense. The Pirates tried to run the ball, but could only muster 47 net yards on 32 carries. The Pirates’ passing attack didn’t find it any easier against the Bobcats’ secondary.
Their quarterbacks completed only six balls in 24 tries for a measly 61 yards. In fact, Hampton only recorded 108 yards of total offense in the match. They will be tested by a much more physical and talented group when the face-off against Purdue for their week two match-up.
Purdue Boilermakers (0-1)
The Purdue Boilermakers looked like a gritty club against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. Every time the Cardinals scored, they seemed to bounce back and return the favor. Finally, they submitted to Louisville’s speed and strength late in the final quarter.
The quarterback spot could be the spot to thank for the Boilermakers, or the one to blame. It was feast or famine, as David Blough and Elijah Sindelar combined for four touchdown tosses and three interceptions. Overall, the two combined for almost 300 yards passing on the evening. As with the Bobcats, I expect head coach Jeff Brohm to use both quarterbacks once again.
Purdue better find ways to move the football on the ground against Ohio. The Boilermakers couldn’t get anything going against Louisville, recording only 54 yards on 21 carries. Running back Markell Jones left with an apparent knee injury and that was that. Tario fuller has to step it up because his eight carries for 29 yards won’t cut it in week two against a stout Bobcat front seven.
Purdue’s defense played an opportunistic style, creating three forced fumbles in which they recovered all three. The Boilermakers needed those momentum swings because they also surrendered over 540 yards of total offense to the Cardinals.
Keep in mind, it was last year’s Heisman Trophy winner who touched the ball 61 times. In the end, Lamar Jackson’s 378 passing yards and 107 rushing yards and two scores were just too much to overcome.
Prediction
The Ohio Bobcats will be in for a much tougher test against a more talented Boilermaker offense this Saturday. That being said, Purdue better find more ways to balance their offense through their running game. That may be easier said than done against a stout Ohio front seven.
Frank Solich’s offense will also be challenged quite a bit more than what the Hampton Pirates brought to the table. Apparently, the Boilermakers are finding ways to create turnovers to compensate for their yardage totals. Add to the fact that they will probably not face a quarterback as talented as Lamar Jackson again, and things might get a little easier against Ohio.
Las Vegas is giving the Bobcats plenty of respect on the road in this game. The opening line of +3.5 is a testament to that. I believe it’s because of their defensive front seven. Ohio may not have put up impressive offensive numbers against Hampton, but they didn’t have too. Furthermore, most of the game was played in the Pirate’s side of the field. That won’t be the case against Purdue.
With the line now at 4.5 in favor of the home team, the half point hook could come into play. Still, the betting public might keep pushing this line upward as the Boilermakers performed so well on national television, so keep that in mind if it gets close to seven. Ohio has played well on the road over the last few years and also has done well against the BIG-10.
Instead, I suggest focusing on the total in this one. The 57 points means that both teams are at least expected to score in the mid to high 20’s in this one. I think that is too risky of a play considering the Boilermakers are without their tail back and will once again be one dimensional. Take the under 57 and watch a entertaining match-up versus the MAC Conference and the BIG-10.
Trends
The Bobcats are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 road games.
The Bobcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. Big Ten.
The Under is 5-1-1 in Bobcats last 7 road games.
The Under is 35-17-2 in Bobcats last 54 games overall.
The Boilermakers are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 vs. MAC.
The Boilermakers are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 home games.
The Over is 4-1 in Boilermakers last 5 games overall.
The Over is 30-12-1 in Boilermakers last 43 home games.
Join the Rainmaker and myself for our fourth addition of our College Football Throwdown podcast. We are going to review all the results from the previous Saturday’s action, including all the dogs that covered and the out right upsets. We also will be debuting our new session of “Who’s the dummy”, where we will discuss some of the ridiculous coaching decisions and player performances.
