It’s been three years since Purdue and Ohio State played one-another in a game Buckeyes fans would much rather forget. But one ESPN analyst believes that Purdue has the potential to replicate the magic of that fateful 2018 win.
On Friday’s edition of Get Up, NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich (a Purdue alum) asserted that the Boilermakers have the opportunity to score the upset. He believes that Ohio State is vulnerable and that Purdue can win if they play great defense.
“You know the Boilermakers are going to win this game,” Ninkovich joked at first before getting serious. “I think that they have the opportunity to upset Ohio State. I watched the Ohio State game against Nebraska and there are some kinks in the armor there. The Boilermakers can get it done if they get after the quarterback and they play great defense.”
The sports books don’t seem share Ninkovich’s confidence though. Ohio State are favored by three scores heading into Saturday’s game.
Purdue have recorded some huge upsets already this season. They boast wins over Iowa and Michigan State, both of whom were ranked in the top 3 at the time of the win.
But the Boilermakers offense has been stagnant at times too. They scored just 13 points in losses to Notre Dame, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
By contrast, the Buckeyes have yet to be held under 26 points in a game this season.
We’ll find out for sure if Purdue has what it takes to repeat the magic of 2018 in just over 24 hours. The game will be played on ABC.