Ohio State had plenty of frustration to take out on Saturday.
Last year, Ohio State lost to Purdue, 26-18. Last week, OSU lost its No. 1 ranking after falling at Wisconsin, 31-18.
On Saturday, the No. 10 Buckeyes (7-1, 3-1) piled up 415 yards of total offense in the first half en route to a 49-0 victory over the Boilermakers (4-3, 2-1) at Ohio Stadium.
OSU outgained Purdue by 371 yards before halftime, racking up a 42-0 lead at the break. In all, the Buckeyes gained 489 total yards, while holding Purdue to 118.
“We didn’t make some of the errors that we made a week ago and our opponent didn’t make some of the plays that our opponent did a week ago,” coach Jim Tressel said.
Running back Dan “Boom” Herron continued to prove his worth as the starting running back, carrying the ball 16 times for 75 yards. He scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns.
On OSU’s opening drive, Herron toted the ball on all five plays, gaining 45 yards and punching in the game’s first score from 11 yards out.
One week after allowing 184 rushing yards to the Badgers, OSU limited Purdue to 28 yards on the ground.
Purdue’s passing attack wasn’t much better. Redshirt freshman quarterback Rob Henry completed just nine of 18 passes for 59 yards and an interception before leaving in the third quarter with an injury. His replacement, true freshman Sean Robinson, completed six of 10 pass attempts for 30 yards and an interception.
Sophomore Jordan Hall capped a 91-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 21-0 advantage in the first quarter. Hall gained 13 yards on eight carries.
As a team, OSU rushed 48 times for 185 yards. Nine different players carried the ball for the Buckeyes.
The Boilermakers held OSU to 66 rushing yards on 28 carries a year ago, with only quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Brandon Saine carrying the ball.
Purdue forced Pryor into four turnovers in last year’s upset in West Lafayette, Ind. On Saturday, the junior threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns before halftime
In the last five minutes of the first half, OSU doubled its lead from 21-0 to 42-0. Pryor found receiver DeVier Posey for a 22-yard score, then minutes later connected with senior Dane Sanzenbacher on a 7-yard touchdown.
Sanzenbacher finished with four catches for 86 yards. Posey caught four passes for 84 yards.
Following an interception by safety Orhian Johnson, freshman receiver Corey Brown hauled in the first touchdown reception of his career, making a leaping grab above a pair of defenders.
“That was nice seeing him go up in the air,” Tressel said. “That’s the kind of thing you have to have at the goal line. You have to have people that can go up in the air and make plays.”
Pryor was far from perfect, however.
He threw a first-half interception when attempting to force a pass into double coverage inside the Purdue red zone.
The signal-caller played two series in the third quarter, throwing just one pass, for an interception. Pryor has now thrown 18 touchdowns and six interceptions this season.
OSU added its final touchdown in the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Joe Bauserman found Spencer Smith for a 23-yard touchdown.
Tressel hinted that the loss to Wisconsin provided OSU with more motivation than last year’s defeat at Purdue.
“Most recent misery probably trumps past misery,” he said. “But I don’t have any empirical data for that.”
The Buckeyes head to the Twin Cities for a meeting with Big Ten bottom-feeder Minnesota on Oct. 30.