WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Julian Sayin threw for 303 yards and one touchdown Saturday and No. 1 Ohio State used four straight scoring drives in the second quarter to pull away from Purdue 34-10.
Jeremiah Smith finished with a season-high 10 catches for 137 yards and caught a 35-yard TD pass to break open the game. It was his 10th scoring catch of the season and the 25th of his career, tying him with Santonio Holmes for sixth on the Buckeyes all-time list.
Sayin was 27 of 33 with one interception, and C.J. Donaldson Jr. scored the first and final touchdowns of the game for Ohio State — both on 1-yard plunges,
“They’re business-like, they’re growing up every day,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said when asked how he would describe his team. “I think they’re edgy, they’re competitive, they know what they want to get done. They’ve seen it and they have some perspective on it.”
The defending national champion Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 13 and remained on pace for a possible Big Ten championship game showdown against No. 2 Indiana. The Hoosiers kept their unbeaten record intact by rallying in the final to earn their first-ever win at Penn State.
Ryan Browne was 10 of 19 for 76 yards and one interception for Purdue (2-7, 0-7), which had only 186 total yards on a day Ohio State more than 40 minutes. The Boilermakers have lost seven straight overall and a school record 16 straight against Big Ten foes.
Still, they took a 3-0 lead with a 40-yard field goal late in the first quarter but couldn’t respond to Ohio State’s second-quarter onslaught.
“The second quarter got away from us a bit, the long drive, the takeaway, it’s hard to overcome those things against a team like this,” coach Barry Odom said. “But I saw some things there. I’m going to keep believing that we’re going to get back to those winning ways.”
Donaldson’s first scoring run made it 7-3 less than a minute into the second quarter. Smith’s TD catch gave the Buckeyes a 14-3 lead. Ohio State then closed the half with a 3-yard touchdown run from Lincoln Kienholz and a career-long 49-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding in the final 72 seconds of the half to make it 24-3.
Bo Jackson finished with 75 yards rushing on 14 carries as the Buckeyes ran for 170 yards.
Tate out
Ohio State played without starting receiver Carnell Tate.
At halftime, Day acknowledged Tate felt something during pregame warmups without providing details of the injury, and the Buckeyes opted to hold him out for precautionary reasons. Afterward, Day said he’s hopeful Tate can return next week.
“We didn’t feel comfortable putting him out there,” Day said.
Back home again
Max Klare looked right at home in his return to Ross-Ade Stadium. He matched a season high with five catches and fell just short of a season high in yards with 59. Klare spent the previous three seasons playing for Purdue and it was his younger brother, Luke, who played Max Klare on Purdue’s scout team this week.
“I know it meant a lot for him to play in this game and get a win — and play well,” Day said. “I thought he played well.”
Up next
Ohio State: Heads home to take on UCLA next Saturday.
Purdue: Visits No. 24 Washington next Saturday.
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