Rob Oller: A better than 50% chance of rain is forecast for Saturday’s game in West Lafayette. If the heavens open on the Buckeyes, it’s possible Ohio State will lean into trying to improve its running game, which is about the only facet of the team that has come under question. Then again, I’m not sure even a slippery, wet football would be enough to squelch a passing attack that licks its chops knowing Purdue’s pass defense ranks 16th in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed.

Dan Aulbach: Ohio State has scored a touchdown on its opening drive the past two games. Not only have the Buckeyes started quickly on offense, but Julian Sayin continues to air the ball downfield with precision to get the offense to the red zone quickly. I’m interested to see how aggressively Ohio State wants to get a big lead on the road against Purdue, and if they grab an early lead, will the leading Heisman candidate continue to take deep shots for the entire contest?

Julian Sayin has a 400-yard game

Joey Kaufman: After he was just 7 yards shy of throwing for 400 yards at Wisconsin three weeks ago, Sayin will have the opportunity to reach that mark against another Big Ten cellar dweller as Purdue remains prone to giving up big plays through the air. Even if the Boilermakers are in prevent mode after Penn State was beaten over the top, Sayin has too many weapons not to carve them up. He’ll be the first Buckeyes quarterback since C.J. Stroud to have a 400-yard passing game.

Buckeyes’ rushing yards surpass passing yards

Rob Oller: Conventional wisdom says Ohio State will go pass-happy against the Boilermakers to pad the stats of Heisman candidates Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, but from a team preparation standpoint the Buckeyes need to get their ground game up and running, so the final stats will show more run yards than passing yards, which has not happened since Nov. 12, 2022 against Indiana (340 run, 322 pass), which also was the last time OSU topped 300 yards rushing.

Jeremiah Smith scores 3 touchdowns

Dan Aulbach: It’s Heisman candidacy season, and while Sayin leads the betting odds for the trophy, expect Jeremiah Smith to start running up the stat sheet. Look for the Buckeyes to get creative on offense to get No. 4 to the end zone multiple times. A three-touchdown game would certainly turn some heads in the Heisman race.ual improvement in his maturity as Ohio State’s quarterback. Though on the road against a weaker opponent, the redshirt freshman showed once more his accuracy is irreplicable and I fully expect his completion percentage to remain atop the FBS.