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Miller throws 4 TDs in one half as Buckeyes roll

Nov 2, 2013 - 7:39 PM West Lafayette, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Doran Grant returned an interception for an Ohio State touchdown on the second play from scrimmage and Braxton Miller threw three touchdown passes over the remainder of the first quarter, as the fourth-ranked Buckeyes rolled to a 56-0 victory over Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Miller finished the contest 19-of-23 passing for 233 yards with four scores and an interception in just one half of play, while Carlos Hyde ran for 111 yards in the victory. Jeff Heuerman caught five passes for 116 yards and a score for the Buckeyes, while backup quarterback Kenny Guiton threw for a touchdown and ran for a pair of scores.

Ohio State (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) ran its winning streak to 21 straight games under Urban Meyer, one shy of the school record of 22 set between 1967-69. The Buckeyes will take next week off before a visit to Illinois and a home game against Indiana, two likely wins that would set the stage for a highly anticipated matchup with Michigan at the Big House on the final Saturday in November.

Purdue (1-7, 0-4) has lost six straight since an early September win over FCS foe Indiana State. The Boilermakers were also blanked by Michigan State in their last game two weeks ago and became the first Big Ten team with consecutive shutout conference losses since Northwestern in 1981.

Danny Etling threw for just 89 yards on 13-of-29 passing for Purdue, which mustered just 116 yards of total offense and surrendered a whopping 640 to Ohio State.

It didn't take long for Ohio State to assert its dominance, as Grant stepped in front of an Etling pass and returned the interception 33 yards for a touchdown just 57 seconds into the contest.

The Ohio State offense took the field for the first time at the Purdue 49 shortly after a three-and-out by the Boilermakers and a 15-yard punt. Two plays later, Miller found a wide open Heuerman for a 40-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

Miller had the Buckeyes in position for another score in the first quarter, but was picked off by Ricardo Allen at the Purdue 15, but Ohio State got the ball right back after another Purdue punt and drove 62 yards on six plays for another touchdown. Miller and Heuerman hooked up for 34 yards to key the set and an 8-yard toss to Nick Vannett made it 21-0.

The Boilermakers' struggles continued on the first play after the kickoff as Brandon Cottom fumbled at his own 21. Miller quickly cashed in with a 19-yard pass to Evan Spencer and a backhanded flip to Corey Brown for the score from the two for a 28-0 cushion with 2:10 left in the opening period.

Guiton threw a 1-yard TD pass to Chris Fields midway through the second quarter to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive and Miller returned late in the period to cap his impressive opening half with a 10-yard scoring strike to Ezekiel Elliott for a 42-0 advantage.

Miller remained on the bench in the second half and Guiton accounted for both Ohio State touchdowns over the final 30 minutes with runs of four yards and one yard. Third-string quarterback Cardale Jones played the final eight minutes.

Game Notes

Guiton finished with 98 yards rushing on nine carries and completed 8-of-11 throws for 59 yards ... The Buckeyes rushed for 345 yards overall ... Purdue has been outscored 155-17 in its four conference losses this season ... The Boilermakers had won the past two meetings in West Lafayette ... Ohio State owns a 40-14-2 mark overall against Purdue.