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The Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0) are nearing the midpoint of their schedule as they prepare to go to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in their sixth game of the season.
The Buckeyes are not expecting to get much resistance from Purdue, a team that comes into the game with a 2-4 record. However, this is an important game for the No. 3 team in the nation. The Buckeyes face several major tests in the second half of the regular season, and this game against the Boilermakers is their last chance to fine tune their game and their lineup before the gauntlet begins.
A week after the Purdue game, an excellent Penn State team will descend upon Columbus for the second big test of the season. Ohio State survived their encounter at Notre Dame earlier this year, but it was far closer than Ryan Day would have liked.
The Buckeyes should be able to handle the Boilermakers by a fairly significant margin, and more importantly, they would like to sharpen their passing game and make sure the defense is prepared for teams like Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan in the decisive second half of the season.
3. Look for the continued growth of Kyle McCord at quarterback for the Buckeyes
There was little to like about Ohio State's play at the quarterback position at the start of the season. Day really wasn't sure who would man the quarterback slot in the weeks before the start of the season. The head coach eventually went with Kyle McCord over Devin Brown, but it seemed just a bit more than a coin flip helped the head coach make his decision.
The early-season results were not great, as McCord completed 20 of 33 passes in the season opener against Indiana for 239 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception. His results were slightly better in Games 2 and 3 against Youngstown State and Western Kentucky when he had a 6-0 TD-interception ratio.
The test against Notre Dame followed, and while McCord did not throw a TD pass in the game, he did keep it clean from an interception percentage. He made several key throws and the Buckeyes were victorious.
McCord was excellent in Ohio State's win over Maryland, throwing for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, and giving indication that he could perform in a dynamic manner.
He needs to continue to grow against Purdue with another 300-yard game and at least 3 TD passes.
2. Linebacker Steele Chambers must step up against Purdue
A year ago, Chambers was a dynamic leader on the Buckeyes defense. Through the first five games of the 2023 season, Chambers looks a lot more like a passenger than a driver.
Perhaps that assessment is a bit tough because he is second to Tommy Eichenberg in tackles, but he has not been the playmaker he was last year.
Chambers has 32 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception, but he does not have a forced fumble or a fumble recovery.
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If the Buckeyes are going to assert a hard-hitting physical presence for Penn State and the other tough opponents that will follow, they need Chambers to show that he is a relentless player who can take the heart right out of the opposing offense.
It needs to start against Purdue, where he could assert himself with at least 10 tackles and a hit that separates a Boilermaker ball carrier from the ball.
1. Marvin Harrison impresses as a potential Heisman candidate for Ohio State
If you look at most of the Heisman rankings to this point in the season, you will see that the list is dominated by quarterbacks — West Coast quarterbacks at that.
Caleb Williams of USC won the award a year ago and is the front runner. However, Michael Penix of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon are right behind Williams. All three are quarterbacks with notable numbers.
Harrison is the best receiver in the country and is likely to be the first wideout drafted into the NFL next spring.
He is a brilliant target who has an outstanding ability to make plays that other solid receivers are not prepared to make. Harrison, 6-3 and 202 pounds, has caught 25 passes for 499 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Those are good numbers, but Harrison can do much better. Look for him to show his capabilities against the Boilermakers.
Harrison has excellent speed, a huge catch radius and the ability to set up defensive backs with his outstanding route running. A 10-catch game could be at hand after catching 8-163-1 against Maryland.
