The Bobcats' secondary will be tested Friday night like it hasn't been in a long time.
Purdue, like Ohio, uses a two-quarterback system as well. Quarterbacks David Blough and Elijah Sindelar threw a combined 57 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns last week against Louisville.
It's a difficult offense to describe, too.
"Schwifty," safety Kylan Nelson said when describing the Purdue offense. "A whole bunch of mess going on here and there. Really have to read our keys and really have to pay attention.”
The two Purdue quarterbacks combined for three interceptions, though, so the Bobcats defense will have to be prepared to make plays on the back end.
For the Bobcats to be successful, they'll have to defend the pass incredibly well against a team that is no stranger to airing it out.
Breakdown
Purdue's running game was almost nonexistent against Louisville.
The Boilermakers rushed for just 51 yards on 21 attempts with a game-high 13-yard carry. It's safe to say that the run game isn't Purdue's bread and butter.
Instead, Purdue will rely on its passing game to carry the team through Friday night. A big part of that passing attack will be slot receiver Jackson Anthrop.
Anthrop caught seven passes for 82 yards on the night, in addition to two touchdowns.
“He’s a great athlete," Nelson said. "Every year we play great athletes and every time we go out there when we line up, we have to be aware of where he is on the field and the tendencies they have when he’s in. We respect his game, but we also know we’re great players as well.”
Anthrop is an excellent slot receiver, shifty and quick to supplement the Boilermakers' offense. With him in the slot, he's a nightmare matchup for opposing defenses.
He was by far the most dangerous Boilermaker on the field against the Cardinals, routinely getting open for both Blough and Sindelar.
At the 17:15 mark of this YouTube video, Anthrop was at his most dangerous. He had just gotten thrown a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone, through the broadcast angle didn't show how he got open.
On the replay, his quickness is on full display.
Sindelar lines Purdue up in a traditional spread look with a running back to his left. Louisville lines up in a 4-2-5 look with a cornerback overtop of Anthrop.
At the snap, Anthrop runs straight down the seam, and at about 10 yards, he heads for the back corner of the end zone.
Sindelar was pressured left, but didn't take his eyes off of Anthrop as he broke toward the corner. Sindelar fired an excellent pass to the corner of the end zone. Anthrop scored, and Purdue took a 6-0 lead.
The thing to notice about Anthrop was his quickness — at the outset of the play, he's at the 26 yard line. The cornerback, Trumaine Washington, is at the 20.
But as Anthrop breaks for the corner of the end zone, he's even with Washington. Once he makes his cut, he's got him beat. In just over 15 yards, Anthrop turned a 6-yard deficit into beating a defender downfield.
Judgement
It will likely be up to Nelson, Javon Hagan, Chad Moore and Evan Croutch to slow down Anthrop.
If Anthrop is free to run wild, then the Bobcats could be in trouble.
If he's contained, however, then Ohio could be in line to not only shut the offense down, but also pull off the upset as well.
