Senior wide receiver Corey “Philly” Brown (10) fields a punt during a game against Penn State Oct. 26 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 63-14.
Credit: Ritika Shah / Asst. photo editor
The Ohio State football team looks to reverse the script from its recent shortcomings in West Lafayette, Ind., this weekend when it faces off against Purdue.
The Buckeyes have recorded just one win their last four trips to Ross-Ade Stadium.
OSU senior wide receiver Corey “Philly” Brown said the Buckeyes held a meeting, organized by coach Urban Meyer, Wednesday to address avoiding another hiccup.
“We have the leadership on this team to keep everybody focused, and go there and get the win,” Brown said. “We can play anywhere and be successful.”
Meyer said Purdue (1-6, 0-3) is a better team than its record indicates.
“I see a team that’s kind of searching for an identity, and I think they’ve kind of found it on defense,” Meyer said. “I think they’ve figured out who they are the last few weeks.”
Meyer said his staff has had some difficulties preparing for Purdue because for the last two games, the Boilermakers have run a 3-4 defense instead of the 4-3 they began the season with. The Boilermakers are coming off a 14-0 loss at Michigan State Oct. 19.
Coming off its largest Big Ten victory this season, a 63-14 home defeat of Penn State, OSU is again looking to impress voters. Currently, the Buckeyes rank fourth in the BCS standings and need some help if they hope to make it to the title game.
“We set the bar pretty high with (last week), and now from here on out it should be nothing less than that every game,” Brown said.
Redshirt-junior cornerback Bradley Roby, whose play has been criticized this season, said he finally has the mental side of his game on track.
“I just really had to just focus, and get back to how I approached the game last year. I think (during) the first half of the season, I was worried about too (many) other things than what my job was, and I forgot that doing my job is what got me here in the first place,” Roby said. “At corner, you got to just wait for the plays to come to you. You can’t go to the plays, because when you try to do that too much, that’s when you get beat.”
Brown said being in the hunt for a national championship has driven his squad to a new level.
“This team is much hungrier than any other team I’ve ever been on, and everybody’s so focused right now,” Brown said. “The way everybody’s preparing right now, I can tell that we’re going to finish strong like we expect to.”
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) and Boilermakers are set for a noon kickoff Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.
