No. 7/7 Buckeyes Battle Boilermakers on Big Ten Network – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Buckeyes looking for record-tying 17th consecutive Big Ten road victory
FIRST AND 10
• This will be the 52nd meeting between these Big Ten conference opponents
• Ohio State leads the all-time series with Purdue, 37-12-2
• Sophomore Terrelle Pryor needs 36 yards rushing to become the fifth Ohio State QB to rush for 1,000 career yards
• Coach Jim Tressel is 88-20 in 9 seasons at Ohio State; 223-77-2 in his 24th season overall
• The Illinois win was the 500th for the Tressel family as head coaches, second only to the Bowdens
• Ohio State’s defense has allowed just four TDs in its last 19 quarters of play
• Ross Homan was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week (career-high 15 tackles)
• Ohio State is trying for a Big Ten record-tying 17th consecutive conference road win
• Ohio State has won 4 Big Ten titles in a row, won at least 10 games in each of the last four years, played in the national championship game twice and two other BCS bowls
• Forty former Buckeyes were on 2009 NFL opening-day rosters
PURDUE AT A GLANCE
Since a season-opening win over Toledo (52-31), Purdue (1-5, 0-2) has lost five straight, with four by an average of 4.5 points. The Boilers lost by two at Oregon, by a touchdown to NIU before two fourth-quarter, heartbreaking defeats to Notre Dame and Northwestern at home.
Despite their record the Boilermakers pose one of the top passing attacks in the Big Ten. Senior quarterback Joey Elliot leads the Big Ten in passing and total offense with 262.5 yards per game through the air and 283.7 yards per game overall. Running back Ralph Bolden is second in the conference in rushing with 99.8 ypg while receiver Keith Smith is second in the Big Ten in both receptions (7.0) and yards per game (97.5). Meanwhile, senior receiver/return man Aaron Valentine ranks first with 145.2 all-purpose yards per game.
Purdue is led by first-year head coach Danny Hope, who spent 2003-07 as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky, his alma mater, where he went 32-8 in OVC play. In 2008 Hope served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Purdue under former coach Joe Tiller.
SERIES RECORD
The Buckeyes and Boilermakers have met 51 times previously on the football field, with Ohio State holding a 37-12-2 advantage in the series. Ohio State leads 12-6 in all games at Purdue. Ohio State leads 24-5-2 in all games played at Columbus; the Buckeyes were 23-7 winners last season at Purdue.
Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1913, Ohio State is 453-189-28 all-time in Big Ten games, and 257-112-18 in conference home games. The Buckeyes’ all-time conference win percentage of 69.7% is the best of any Big Ten school.
BIG TEN ROAD TRIPS
The Buckeyes currently hold a 16-game win streak in Big Ten road games. That’s the longest such string ever by an Ohio State football team. The conference record is 17 games, set by Michigan between 1988-92.
17 – Michigan (Oct. 29, 1988-Nov. 7, 1992)
16 – Ohio State (Oct. 22, 2005-current)
11 – Ohio State (Nov. 16, 1974-Nov. 5, 1977)
10 – Michigan (Oct. 6, 1945-Nov. 6, 1948)
Ohio State is 196-77-10 (.709) all-time in Big Ten road games. By decades on the road in the Big Ten: 7-4 (1913-19); 12-6-1 (1920-29); 17-6-1 (1930-39); 8-9-2 (1940-49); 17-8-1 (1950-59); 24-6 (1960-69); 30-5-1 (1970-79); 26-14-1 (1980-89); 26-11-3 (1990-99); 29-8 (2000-09). Under Coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 26-7 (.787) in Big Ten road games overall.
HOMAN NAMED BIG TEN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior linebacker Ross Homan racked up a career-high 15 tackles while adding two sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble to help the Ohio State defense hold the Badgers’ offense to a pair of field goals and remain atop the Big Ten standings. Homan’s two sacks pushed Wisconsin back 13 yards and nine of his 15 defensive stops were solo tackles.
Homan spearheaded a defensive attack that held the Big Ten’s top-ranked scoring and rushing offense to a pair of field goals and 118 yards on the ground. The Badgers entered the game averaging 35.0 points and 217.2 rushing yards per contest. Homan collects weekly laurels for the first time in his career, marking Ohio State’s first defensive honoree since Vernon Gholston was named player of the week on Nov. 19, 2007.
FORCING TURNOVERS
The Buckeyes have forced 14 opponent turnovers through the first six games, an average of 2.3 per contest. Ohio State has forced 10 interceptions and recovered four opponent fumbles; the Buckeyes also scored a defensive two-point PAT on a Brian Rolle pass interception and runback versus Navy.
Kurt Coleman (89 yards) and Jermale Hines (32 yards) each returned interceptions for touchdowns against Wisconsin. That was the first time since Sept. 23, 2006 vs. Penn State, when Malcolm Jenkins (61) and Antonio Smith (55) each returned picks for TDs, that Ohio State had two interception returns for a score in a single game. Coleman’s return was the fifth longest in Ohio State history.
Three defenders – Brian Rolle, Lawrence Wilson and Hines – had interceptions against Illinois. The last time the Buckeyes had three interceptions in a game was Sept. 6, 2008, against Ohio.
Kurt Coleman: INT (Navy, Wisc/TD); FF (Navy, Tol, Illi)
Todd Denlinger: INT (Ind)
Thaddeus Gibson: FF (Navy, Illi)
Cameron Heyward: FR (Navy)
Jermale Hines: INT (Illi, Wisc/TD)
Ross Homan: INT (USC); FF (Wisc); FR (Tol)
Brian Rolle: PAT INT (Navy); INT (Illi)
Anderson Russell: INT (Ind), FR (Ind)
Andrew Sweat: INT (Tol); FF (Ind)
Devon Torrence: FF (Ind)
Lawrence Wilson: INT (Illi)
Doug Worthington: FR (Navy)
SCORE BY QUARTERS
This season in the first quarter, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 51-14. In the second quarter, the Buckeyes are ahead 54-20, and Ohio State holds a 38-10 advantage in third-quarter scoring. Ohio State has outscored its 2009 opponents 35-28 in fourth-quarter play.
Ohio State has held the opposition scoreless in 14 quarters this year (58%).
The Buckeyes are outscoring opponents by 17.7 points per game (29.7-12.0) this season.
OHIO STATE CAPTAINS
Seniors Kurt Coleman, Austin Spitler and Doug Worthington were elected as 2009 captains of the Ohio State football team. An offensive game captain will be selected each week.
Jim Cordle served as captain against Navy and Jake Ballard for the USC and Wisconsin contests. Bryant Browning was offensive captain for Toledo, and Dane Sanzenbacher was captain for Illinois. Brandon Saine and Dexter Larimore served as game captains at Indiana.
The last time Ohio State had only defensive players as permanent captains was in 2002, when Mike Doss and Donnie Nickey were captains of the national championship squad.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Ohio State is 128-104-12 all-time when facing a ranked opponent, and 39-41-7 on the road against ranked teams. Under Coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 34-13 overall and 12-6 on the road against ranked teams.
DOWN THE STRETCH
During the Jim Tressel era, the Buckeyes are 76-6 (.926) when winning or tied at the half. Ohio State is 81-6 (.931) when winning or tied going into the fourth quarter of a game under Tressel.
| W/T at Half | W/T into 4th | |
| 2001 | 6-2 | 7-3 |
| 2002 | 9-0 | 11-0 |
| 2003 | 10-0 | 10-0 |
| 2004 | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| 2005 | 9-1 | 8-1 |
| 2006 | 11-0 | 12-0 |
| 2007 | 10-0 | 11-0 |
| 2008 | 8-2 | 9-1 |
| 2009 | 5-1 | 5-1 |
| Total | 76-6 | 81-6 |
DIALED IN
Senior kicker Aaron Pettrey is leading the Big Ten in field goals, converting on 11-of-14 attempts, and is leading the Big Ten in scoring with 8.7 ppg. He is a perfect 5-for-5 from 40-plus yards, including two from 50 or more. He has six FGs of 50 yards or more in his career, including a career-long 54-yarder last season against Youngstown State and a 52-yarder this year against Navy.
BUCKS WIN 77 PERCENT OF OHIO STADIUM GAMES
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 388-107-20 (.773) in Ohio Stadium since that facility opened in 1922.
The crowd of 106,033 against Southern California was the largest ever to watch a game at Ohio Stadium, besting last year’s crowd of 105,711 against Penn State. The attendance of 105,092 against Navy was an opening day record for Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State has hosted 52 consecutive crowds of 100,000 or larger at Ohio Stadium; three of last year’s crowds ranked among the top 10 all-time. Ohio State’s all-time record in Columbus is 531-154-35 in 720 games.
TOTAL OFFENSE
Just midway through his sophomore season, Terrelle Pryor has eclipsed 3,000 total offense yards for his career. He is now in 17th place on Ohio State’s all-time list with 3,216 yards; his Wisconsin performance moved him past Pepe Pearson (3,142), Todd Boeckman (3,170), Michael Wiley (3,176), and Stanley Jackson (3,193). Next on the list are Keith Byars (3,235) and Chris Wells (3,382).
Pryor’s 372 yards of total offense against Toledo marked a career high for the sophomore signalcaller, and the best total offense game of his career. His previous high was 232 against Penn State last season. The Toledo win was the first time an Ohio State player had 300+ yards of total offense since Troy Smith had 328 against Michigan in 2006. Pryor’s performance was the fifth best total offense game in OSU history.
412 – Art Schlichter (Florida State, 1981)
408 – Troy Smith (Notre Dame, 2005)
388 – Joe Germaine (Penn State, 1997)
386 – Troy Smith (Michigan, 2004)
372 – Terrelle Pryor (Toledo, 2009)
Against Toledo, Pryor recorded career highs with 17 completions, 27 attempts and 262 yards. He also rushed 12 times for 110 yards, including a career-long 43-yarder in the third quarter. It was the second 100-yard rushing game of his career; he rushed for 110 yards at Illinois last season.
Tp’s 200-Yard Total Offense Games
| Tot | (Run/Pass) | Opp |
| 372 | (110/262) | vs. Toledo, 2009 |
| 232 | (6/226) | Penn State, 2008 |
| 230 | (33/197) | @ Northwestern, 2008 |
| 222 | (63/159) | @ Indiana, 2009 |
| 213 | (36/177) | USC, 2009 |
| 205 | (66/139) | Troy, 2008 |
| 204 | (30/174) | Navy, 2009 |
PRYOR ON THE RUN
Sophomore Terrelle Pryor needs just 36 rushing yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for his career. With 964 rushing yards to date (averaging 4.7 yards per carry during his career), Pryor would become just the fifth Buckeye quarterback ever to rush for more than 1,000 career yards:
Cornelius Greene: 2,066 from 1972-75
Rex Kern: 1,714 from 1968-70
Art Schlichter: 1,303 from 1978-81
Troy Smith: 1,168 from 2003-06
Terrelle Pryor: 964 from 2008-present
FOR STARTERS
When the Ohio State-Purdue game kicks off, the Buckeyes will have a total of 36 players with at least one game of starting experience.
Those are: Anderson Russell (33); Kurt Coleman (29); Doug Worthington (28); Jim Cordle (27); Cameron Heyward (26); Bryant Browning, Chimdi Chekwa (19); Jake Ballard, Mike Brewster, Thaddeus Gibson, Terrelle Pryor (16); Ross Homan, Jermale Hines (12); Lawrence Wilson, Todd Denlinger (9); Dexter Larimore, Dane Sanzenbacher (8); Justin Boren, Brian Rolle, DeVier Posey (6); Dan Herron (6); Austin Spitler, Zach Boren (5); Rob Rose, Ray Small, J.B. Shugarts, Devon Torrence (4); Andrew Miller, Brandon Saine, Mike Adams (3); Andre Amos, Tyler Moeller, Jake Stoneburner (2); Aaron Gant, Duron Carter (1).
Getting their first Ohio State start against Navy were six players: Andre Amos, Justin Boren, Zach Boren, Andrew Miller, DeVier Posey and Brian Rolle. Jake Stoneburner made his first start against USC. Devon Torrence, Duron Carter and J.B. Shugarts were first time starters vs. Toledo. Mike Adams was a first-time starter against Illinois.
The Boren brothers – Justin and Zach – products of Pickerington, Ohio, are the first siblings to start in the same game for the Buckeyes since John (LB) and Mike (NG) Sullivan from Mentor, Ohio, started nine games together during the 1988 season.
IN OCTOBER
The Buckeyes boast an all-time record of 358-125-28 in October games. Ohio State is 245-63-20 in October home games and 114-62-8 on the road that month.
Eleven members of the Buckeye roster have birthdays during October: Jordan Whiting, Joe Bauserman, Orhian Johnson, Grant Dziak, Dane Sanzenbacher, John Simon, Connor Smith, Nathan Williams, Thaddeus Gibson, Austin Spitler and J.B. Shugarts.
OHIO STATE W/L RECORDS
Seasons: 120th
All-Time Record: 813-308-53
Big Ten: 453-189-28
Ohio Stadium: 388-107-20
Bowl Games: 18-22
AVERAGE PER DOWN
Here’s a breakdown of how the 2009 Ohio State offense is operating on first, second, third and fourth down.
On first down, the Buckeyes have run a total of 160 plays, gaining 992 yards for an average of 6.2 yards per play. On second down, OSU has tried 120 plays for 636 yards, a 5.3 average. On third down, the Buckeyes have run 73 plays, gaining 509 yards for a 6.9 average. Ohio State has tried only four fourth-down attempts, gaining 8 yards.
Ohio State’s touchdowns this season have come three times on first down (two rushing and one passing TD), nine times on second down (three passing and six rushing), four times on third down (all passes) and once on a fourth-down pass.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Ten true freshmen have seen action for the Buckeyes in 2009. Seven Ohio State true freshmen made their first collegiate appearance in the opener against Navy: DB C.J. Barnett, FB Zach Boren, WR Duron Carter, TE Reid Fragel, FB Adam Homan, LB Storm Klein and DT John Simon. Tailback Jordan Hall, another true freshman, saw his first action against Toledo, and LB Jonathan Newsome played for the first time against Illinois. OL Marcus Hall played for the first time at Indiana.
ON SCHOLARSHIP
Three Ohio State seniors received scholarship aid for the 2009 autumn quarter that began Sept. 23: Marcus Williams, who is in physical therapy school; Andrew Moses, who is working toward a second bachelor’s degree after earning his first in political science; and Jon Thoma, who is completing his degree in communication. Three additional seniors – Ryan Schuck, Joe Gantz and Tom Ingham – will receive scholarship aid for the winter quarter.
THE GRADUATES
Six members of the 2009 Buckeye squad have already earned their bachelor’s degrees: Andrew Moses (political science), Aaron Pettrey (social and behavioral sciences), Anderson Russell (communication), Austin Spitler (communication), Marcus Williams (health sciences), Lawrence Wilson (communication). Nine more members of the team are expected to graduate following the autumn quarter.
HONOR ROLL
In 2008, 27 Buckeyes were named to the Big Ten’s all-academic team; the Buckeyes have led the conference over the past seven years. Additionally, 46 Ohio State football players qualified for the annual OSU Scholar-Athlete Dinner in May, which requires a grade-point average of 3.00 or better for the past academic year.
CHRIS SPIELMAN TO ENTER COLLEGE FB HALL
Two-time Ohio State All-American linebacker Chris Spielman, the 28th Buckeye inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, was recognized at halftime of the Navy game. The four-year letterwinner (1984-87) and the winner of the 1987 Lombardi Award will be inducted at a ceremony in South Bend, Ind. in the summer of 2010.
Spielman, hailing from Massillon Washington High School, ranks third all-time in tackles (546) at Ohio State and first in solo stops (283). Perhaps the most notable performance by Spielman was his 29-tackle day against Michigan in 1986.
Tenacious and hard-hitting on the field, the linebacker is just as strong away from the field, as is his wife, Stefanie. In 1998, the couple learned that Stefanie had breast cancer. Despite the physical and emotional strain of dealing with such a disease, and the unthinkable worries, the couple has been tireless advocates for cancer research and they have helped to raise millions to fight the disease.
After his playing days in Columbus, Spielman was drafted in the second round by Detroit in 1988 and went on to play for the Lions and Buffalo Bills before finishing up his career with the Cleveland Browns. The 12-year NFL veteran and four-time Pro Bowler then made the move to the broadcast booth where he is a college football analyst for ESPN and co-hosts The Big Show on WBNS radio in Columbus. He and Stefanie are the parents of four children.
OHIO STATE REPRESENTED AT JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Buckeye freshmen Storm Klein (LB, Newark, Ohio) and Jack Mewhort (OL, Toledo, Ohio) spent three weeks this summer as part of USA Football’s Junior National Team in the inaugural IFAF Junior World Championships held in Canton, Ohio. Team USA won the gold medal with wins over France (78-0), Mexico (55-0) and Canada (41-3) in the championship game. Klein (who was also a team captain) and Mewhort were both named to the all-tournament team.
IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
Under Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 24-2 at Ohio Stadium versus non-conference teams, the only loss coming to USC this season and 25-22 to No. 2 Texas in 2005. The Buckeyes are 29-4 overall in regular season non-conference games since 2001.
NOT SINCE 1922-24
Ohio State ranks second among all NCAA Div. I programs with 84 consecutive seasons since last posting back-to-back losing records. The Buckeyes have not been under .500 for two or more consecutive seasons since 1922-24, which trails only Tennessee; the Vols have not had back-to-back losing seasons since 1909-11, a span of 97 consecutive seasons.
| School | Years | Last |
| Tennessee | 97 | 1909-11 |
| Ohio State | 84 | 1922-24 |
| Southern Miss | 74 | 1933-34 |
| Arizona State | 61 | 1946-47 |
| Alabama | 51 | 1854-57 |
BOUNCING BACK
During the Jim Tressel era at Ohio State, in the games following the Buckeyes’ 17 losses, OSU has an 18-2 record. Twelve of those games were at Ohio Stadium, where the Buckeyes under Tressel are 11-1 in the game following a loss. Only once during the Tressel era has Ohio State recorded back-to-back losses, a three-game stretch with losses at Northwestern, to Wisconsin and at Iowa in October, 2004.
IN NIGHT GAMES
Ohio State is now 6-3 at home (27-13 away from home) in night games (games starting 5 p.m. or later local time) since 1959 and 33-16 in night games all-time. Under Coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes are 15-10 in night games and 8-3 in Big Ten night games away from Ohio Stadium. Tressel’s teams are 2-3 at home in night games.
WHERE THEY GO NEXT
Ohio State hosts Minnesota in a Homecoming contest Saturday, Oct. 24, in a noon Big Ten game at Ohio Stadium; television for that game has not yet been set. Purdue hosts Illinois in a Big Ten matchup that day.
