Senior tight end Cade Stover (8) goes up and over a Purdue defender to come up with a catchn. No. 3 Ohio State won 41-7.

Ross-Ade Stadium hasn’t evoked many positive memories for Buckeye fans in recent years. 

Their last appearance in 2018 was a double-digit 49-20 loss, spoiling their unblemished record. With head coach Ryan Day now at the helm, the Buckeyes returned the favor. 

Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) won 41-7 against Purdue (2-4, 1-2 Big Ten) Saturday, after a balanced offensive attack, hauling 334 yards in the air and 163 yards on the ground.

Despite missing junior wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, the Buckeyes looked to the air early.

Junior wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. stepped up, catching three passes from junior quarterback Kyle McCord, including a 34-yard long pass up the sideline. 

During the play, Harrison fought with freshman cornerback Derrick Rogers Jr. for the ball and won, moving past Ted Ginn Jr. in career receiving yards.

McCord then fired again to Harrison, who caught the pass in the end zone, solidifying an eight-play drive in just 69 yards. Surprisingly, sophomore kicker Jayden Fielding missed the extra point, marking his first missed kick of the season after making 22 consecutive field goals.

Backed up in their own territory, a low kick settled the Buckeyes at midfield. 

With 4:55 remaining, sophomore quarterback Devin Brown entered the game. The Gilbert, Arizona, native hadn’t made a sighting since week three against Western Kentucky.  

Brown instantly made an impact, running the ball for 8 yards. He would cash in two players later, lowering his shoulder into the end zone on a 2-yard run. 

This time around, Fielding connected on the field goal. In just eight plays, the Buckeyes made their way down the field at ease, running and passing the ball. 

On the other hand, the Boilermakers had a tough time getting their offense going. 

Their situation worsened as they lost one of their offensive linemen, Luke Griffin, who was carted off the field after rolling his ankle.

With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Ohio State suffered its own injury.

Senior running back Chip Trayanum collided with Cam Allen and Dillon Thieneman. Although he managed to get up on his own, he stumbled while running toward the Buckeyes’ bench and had to sit out the remainder of the game. 

This left Ohio State depleted of three of its running backs, including Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson. As a result, Dallan Hayden, a sophomore running back, emerged and played in the second half.

The sophomore player had a great start to the game, busting for a 17-yard run. The drive looked promising until Brown fumbled the ball on second in goal while diving into the end zone. Although Buckeye Hayden was nearby, Kydran Jenkins was able to take the ball from him and gain control of it. 

The Boilermakers had yet another opportunity to score, but they failed to convert due to the Buckeyes’ stifling defense. Senior defensive tackle Ty Hamilton registered the Buckeyes’ first sack of the game.

The Buckeye offense had its chance to score when McCord threw to Harrison for a potential touchdown. However, after review, the catch was ruled no good.

McCord then tried again and found senior tight end Cade Stover in the end zone, successfully scoring for the Buckeyes. 

The Buckeyes had no trouble moving the ball down the field, while Purdue struggled to advance. Despite having less than six minutes left and no points on the scoreboard, Purdue managed to break its streak of three consecutive three-and-outs with a 13-yard scramble from redshirt-junior quarterback Hudson Card and a 21-yard run from redshirt-sophomore running back Devin Mockobee, which was his longest of the season. 

These two successful runs helped the Boilermakers get out of negative yardage in no time. However, a holding penalty pushed them back, and J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer combined for a 10-yard sack.

The second half consisted of long runs and deep pass plays. Hayden carried the ball for 19 yards and scored a touchdown with help from two penalties against senior wide receiver Julian Fleming. 

The Boilermakers managed to make their way back into Ohio State’s territory after a 35-yard gain up the middle by redshirt senior Mershawn Rice. Though they could not score a touchdown, they had another chance with a field goal kick from Julio Macas, their third of the afternoon. 

Unfortunately, he missed again, wide left, and the ball didn’t even inch the goalpost.

Macas’ missed kicks left 9 points off the board for Purdue as the rain continued to pour at Ross-Ade Stadium.

With a 34-point lead, Day inserted wide receiver Carnell Tate. The freshman gained 71 yards in less than 60 seconds, including a 55-yard deep ball, setting up Stover for his second touchdown of the game. 

Eventually, the Boilermakers got on the scoreboard and into the end zone early in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard pass to redshirt sophomore Deion Burke. 

However, it was 14 minutes too late as the Buckeyes added to their lead with a touchdown from freshman wide receiver Brandon Inniss — the first catch of his career.

The Buckeyes will travel home to face No. 6 Penn State in a Big Ten Matchup. 

Kickoff will begin at noon on FOX.