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Purdue-Ohio St. Preview

Oct 19, 2010 - 6:02 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Senior Writer

Purdue (4-2) at No. 10 Ohio State (6-1), 12:00 p.m. EDT

Ohio State's stay at No. 1 didn't last long, with a loss that all but ruined its chances of playing in its third BCS championship game in five years.

The Buckeyes' half-decade stay atop the Big Ten might be in just as much jeopardy.

The 11th-ranked Buckeyes need some help to claim at least a share of a sixth straight conference title, and they'll look to bounce back Saturday against visiting Purdue as they try to avoid their first back-to-back losses in six years.

Ohio State (6-1, 2-1) ascended to the top spot in the poll after Alabama lost Oct. 9, but Jim Tressel's team failed its first test as the new No. 1 in Madison. Wisconsin returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter en route to a 31-18 victory.

"We just blew it as a team," said quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was 14 of 28 for 156 yards and an interception.

Ohio State is 10th in the initial BCS rankings, meaning it needs lots of teams above it to fall to even have a chance at sneaking back into the national championship picture.

The Buckeyes aren't even guaranteed a piece of the Big Ten crown if they win out. They host Purdue (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday and visit No. 13 Iowa on Nov. 20, but the third team with a perfect conference record - eighth-ranked Michigan State - isn't on the schedule.

Ohio State has won three of the past five Big Ten titles outright and shared the others. Tressel, though, is simply concerned about his squad avoiding its first losing streak since a three-game slide in October 2004.

"We didn't talk anything about what remains and what's still out there," Tressel said. "Again, that's way further down the road than we typically talk about."

Of immediate concern is shoring up the special teams, among the shakiest in the nation. The Buckeyes are 111th in the country in punt return average against (15.8 yards) and 92nd in kickoffs (23.4). Wisconsin's return TD was the third punt or kickoff brought back for a score against them this season.

Getting Pryor to rebound is also critical, but he'll be facing a Boilermakers team that gave him plenty of problems last Oct. 17 in West Lafayette. Pryor threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles as 1-5 Purdue stunned the then-No. 7 Buckeyes 26-18.

That loss is Ohio State's only one in its past 22 games against unranked opponents.

One of the 21 victories in that span came against Purdue in Columbus on Oct. 11, 2008. A blocked punt returned for a touchdown was all the Buckeyes needed in a 16-3 win that was their seventh straight at home in the series.

The Boilermakers wrapped up their non-conference slate with a 31-20 home defeat to Toledo, but they've bounced back nicely even after junior quarterback Robert Marve went down in that game with a season-ending knee injury.

Redshirt freshman Rob Henry took over during the loss to the Rockets, then had a week off to prepare for the team's conference opener at Northwestern. He ran for 132 yards and a touchdown in sparking a 20-17 upset Oct. 9, then totaled four TDs - three on the ground - in a 28-17 win over visiting Minnesota last Saturday.

Senior tailback Dan Dierking had a career-high 126 yards as Purdue ran for 230, marking the first time since 1973 it's rushed for 200 or more yards in five consecutive games.

"I have to give credit to the offensive coaches," Dierking said. "They've come up with some great game plans. We have a lot of great personnel and talent on this team. They've done a great job utilizing all that."

The Buckeyes gave up 184 yards rushing against Wisconsin - their most allowed in 20 games - but they've held Purdue to 51.3 yards per game on the ground in the last three meetings.

Purdue has lost 10 consecutive road games to ranked opponents.