After a 59-0 drubbing of Hampton, coach Frank Solich addressed the media on Monday afternoon at Peden Stadium.
He gave thoughts on Purdue's first game under head coach Jeff Brohm, as well as the upcoming offense and defense of the Boilermakers.
The Bobcats will face the Boilermakers on Friday night in West Lafayette at Ross-Ade Stadium at 8 p.m.
Powering through
Purdue will be the first of two Power 5 schools that Ohio will face in the 2017 season. Ohio last faced a Power 5 school last season against Tennessee. The Bobcats lost 28-19.
"This one will be a challenge for us," Solich said. "You look at the Louisville game and Purdue played well. They have strong, physical football players. They have depth and a lot of things it takes to be successful. I’m sure they are coming off of the game disappointed, but with encouragement because they did have a chance to win that game."
Purdue narrowly fell to No. 16 Louisville 35-28 on Saturday night. The Boilermakers also led late in the third quarter over Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals.
For the Bobcats to come away victorious, Solich said that Ohio will have to be ready for what promises to be a "wild" game.
Scouting Purdue
Like Ohio, Purdue also utilized a two-quarterback system against Louisville. Both quarterbacks, David Blough and Elijah Sindelar, combined for 57 passes for 293 yards. They also threw for four touchdowns and three interceptions.
"There is a lot of imagination in the offense," Solich said. "Jeff has done a great job and will continue to do a great job. He is a great football coach. They are playing two quarterbacks right now, but one of the challenges is that Jeff recruited very well. The athletes on the field are great, they have a diversified offense that can hurt you in multiple ways."
The Boilermakers couldn't run the ball with any success, as they gained just 51 yards on 21 carries. But in the air, they're much more deadly.
The leading receiver was slot receiver Jackson Anthrop, who caught seven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Sindelar said after the game that Antrhop was "small, shifty and fast."
"You have to be smart on how you handle him," Solich said. "He is out of the slot a lot and you are looking at a guy that has quickness, hands and runs great routes. You have to mix things up and not only because of him, but because of the quarterbacks and the system."
Field position
The field position battle was one of the first things that Solich emphasized at the press conference.
Ohio played nearly the entire game against Hampton on the Hampton side of the field. The Pirates had just two series end on the Bobcats side of the field.
"In 2016 we were 7-0 when we won the field position," Solich said. "Going back four years, we were 21-3 in winning the field position. Basically, we look at field position because it makes up a lot of things. We won the sack battle, the big and explosive play battle, the third-down conversion rate battle and the red zone battle. We were in the red zone seven times and scored seven touchdowns."
That red zone percentage is incredibly unlikely to continue, but for the Bobcats, it's a welcome sign for a team that struggled on that side of the field last year. Especially against a defense that slowed down the last Heisman Trophy winner — at least for a while.
Defending the offense
Purdue blitzes. A lot.
Perhaps that was due to the fact that Jackson is arguably the most dangerous player in college football. But Ohio isn't taking any chances.
"When you do have that situation, you prepare differently when going up against that caliber of a quarterback," Solich said. "I expect them to be physical and move well."
The front seven for the Boilermakers is what Solich said is an incredibly strong part of the Purdue defense.
The stats weren't strong for the defense from the Louisville game, but that can be chalked up to Jackson making plays throughout the game.
"Their upfront guys protect their linebackers," Solich said. "They will give you an odd front as well as an even front. They are doing stemming to help with confusion on the offensive side of it. That is all done to protect the linebackers because they are excellent football players. So you have to get past that first wave and you have to be good on combo blocks."
With no major injuries to report from the Hampton game, Ohio will be fully healthy to take on an aggressive Purdue defense.
