Purdue-Oregon State analysis and discussion with Tom Dienhart, followed by special guests Mike Berghoff, chairman of the Purdue Board of Trustees, and football legend Bart Burrell.

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More about the matchup

Purdue vs. Oregon State, from a game perspective.

Date/Time: Saturday, September 21, 8:30 ET

Location: Reserve Stadium

Surface: FieldGrass

Capacity: 35,548 (cards)

Schedules/records 2024: Purdue 1-1 (0-0 Big Ten), Oregon is 2-1

Series Notes: The return leg of a home-and-away schedule matchup, Saturday will be just the third meeting between the Boilermakers and Beavers. Oregon State took a 22-14 decision in West Lafayette in 1967 in a huge Homecoming upset when the Boilermakers were ranked No. 2 in the country, while Purdue opened the 2021 season with a 30-21 victory under the lights at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue’s only other game at Oregon State came in 2009 when the Boilermakers suffered a heartbreaking loss to Oregon in Eugene.

TV: The CW (PxP Ted Robinson, analyst Ryan Leaf, sidelines Nigel Burton)

Radio: Purdue Sports Properties (PxP Tim Newton, Analyst Mark Herrmann, Sidelines Derek Schultz)

Line: Oregon State -5.5, O/U 50

Weather: High 73/Low 49, partly cloudy skies

Purdue-OSU: An Important Game

The running game

Oregon State likes to run the ball early and often. The Beavers’ run plays (141) nearly double their pass plays (76) through three games. The duo of Anthony Hankerson and Jam Griffin will split the carries in the backfield, as each back averaged more than 90 yards per game Saturday. Those stats may be a bit misleading, however, as each back ran for more than 150 yards in the season-opening win over FCS Idaho State.

Purdue will see another running quarterback, as it will have to keep an eye on Gevani McCoy. While he has only run the ball nine times this year, he has done so at a rate of over six yards per carry. Until Purdue proves it can contain mobile quarterbacks, opponents will want to test the Boilermakers on read plays.

Missed tackles plagued Purdue’s run defense and were a major factor in how the game got out of hand against the Fighting Irish. Pro Football Focus called out Purdue’s defense for 15 missed tackles, several of which came from prominent defenders. Purdue’s back half defense consistently failed to get the right angles and did a poor job of closing out tackles, leading to explosive plays from Notre Dame.

After only one tackle for loss on a run play, Purdue will look to create more disruption in the run game. Mobile quarterbacks continue to haunt the Boilermaker defense, though most of Riley Leonard’s damage came on designed runs or option plays. The lateral run game also hurt Purdue, exposing a lack of speed. Expect Purdue to look to push more runs into the middle of the defense instead of the perimeter to limit explosive plays.

Before the match:First Look: Purdue-Oregon State | First and 10: Purdue at Oregon State | Purdue’s Ryan Walters: ‘Expect us to respond appropriately’ | Crunching the numbers: Purdue-Oregon State week |
The 3-2-1: How Will Purdue Respond to This Historic Loss? | West Coast Trip: Sun, Surf, Mountains, Losses for Purdue | In the Huddle: Jeffrey M’Ba | Opponent: Oregon State |