Scouting the Boilermakers

Offense
The Boilermakers like to throw the ball, averaging 309 yards in the air, ranking as the NCAA's 14th passing offense and 10th overall in total offense. Leading the team at quarterback is junior Curtis Painter, who has 1542 yards this season with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. Junior Korey Sheets runs the ball for the team, and he has 515 yards this season. Receiving is split between Dorien Bryant and Dustin Keller.

Season
Purdue enters the game as the country's lowest ranked undefeated team at #23. This season they have beat Toledo, Eastern Illinois, Central Michigan, Minnesota and Notre Dame. The Boilermakers average 45 points/game and 309 passing yards/game.

Scouting Report
Purdue has a potent offense, but they have not been tested yet by a decent team. That being said, their defense has allowed quite a few yards. They rank 44th in the NCAA in rush defense and 92nd in pass defense. Compare that to OSU, who ranks in the top-ten in all defensive categories, including second in total defense. Look for OSU to run a balanced offense. Minnesota scored 25 points on Purdue, compared to seven points allowed by OSU last week. Notre Dame scored a season high 19 points at Purdue last week. If OSU can score early and limit turnovers, they should come away with the win. Although if OSU struggles, things could be interesting considering it is a night road game.

Coach
Joe Tiller is in his 11th season at Purdue. He has an 80-49 record at the school. He has had nine teams that have played in a bowl game. Tiller is known for his spread offense, which has been called "basketball on grass." He started his head coaching career at Wyoming. His best season was in 2000, when his team tied for first in the conference. That team was led by Drew Brees, who currently plays for the Saints.