Jeremiah Smith breaks school record with 9th TD catch as No. 3 Ohio State rolls over Purdue 45-0

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Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, left, runs past Purdue defensive back Nyland Green to score a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, left, celebrates his touchdown against Purdue with teammate Carnell Tate during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom, right, forces Purdue quarterback Hudson Card out of bounds during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Purdue quarterback Hudson Card, front, throws a pass as teammate offensive lineman Corey Stewart, right, tries to block Ohio State defensive lineman Kenyatta Jackson during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State quarterback Will Howard throws a pass during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Purdue, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State defensive lineman Jason Moore, left, and defensive back Lathan Ransom, right, tackle Purdue receiver Jahmal Edrine during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins, right, runs past Purdue linebacker Yanni Karlaftis during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State defensive back Sonny Styles, right, tries to tackle Purdue quarterback Hudson Card during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin throws a pass against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State quarterback Will Howard drops back to pass against Purdue during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, right, is forced out of bounds by Purdue linebacker Hudson Miller during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, top, celebrates with teammate offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola after scoring a touchdown against Purdue in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State defensive lineman Jack Sawyer, left, celebrates his fumble recovery and touchdown against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Purdue head coach Ryan Walters looks on during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ohio State head coach Ryan Day signals to his players against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

By MITCH STACY

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score, Jeremiah Smith broke the Ohio State freshman receiving record with his ninth touchdown of the season and the No. 3 Buckeyes rolled over Purdue 45-0 on Saturday.

Smith’s 17-yard TD on a crossing route late in the first half broke the tie with Cris Carter, who had eight in 1984. Smith finished with six catches for 87 yards.

“He’s getting stronger,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “He’s getting more experience. He’s understanding of coverages and different things. Great to see him break a record.”

Smith now also owns the freshman school records for receptions (45) and receiving yards (765).

“I feel like I’ve progressed week in and week out,” he said. “You’ve got to get better each and every week. It’s not only about the physical side, it’s about the mental side, as well. So, I feel like everything has slowed down for me offensively.”

Howard also threw touchdown passes to Gee Scott Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. He was 21 for 26 for 260 yards and ran in a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down to open the scoring for the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2).

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TreVeyon Henderson ran for 85 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 43 yards.

Day said he’d been concerned about a letdown after the taut 20-13 win over then-No. 3 Penn State last week. Instead, the Buckeyes shut out a Big Ten opponent for the first time since 2017 when they blanked Rutgers.

“It wasn’t all clean today, but I thought guys played hard, and it was good to see us respond after coming off an emotional win last week,” he said.

The season of woe continues for Purdue (1-8, 0-6), which lost its eighth game in a row, the longest losing streak since they dropped 10 straight in 2013.

Hudson Card had 108 passing yards and threw an interception for Purdue. Devin Mockobee carried 13 times for 73 yards. It’s the second time in the last three games that Purdue has been shut out. Oregon beat the Boilermakers 35-0 on Oct. 18.

Takeaways

Purdue: Came in with the distinction of being the last unranked team to have beaten Ohio State. That was a 49-20 rout in 2018 that kept the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff. Not this time. Purdue just couldn’t string enough good plays together.

“I just wish we could have pushed the ball downfield a little more,” second-year Purdue coach Ryan Walters said.

Ohio State: The Buckeyes put away Purdue and started looking to next week when they play Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) at Wrigley Field. Then they’ll finish the regular season with critical home games against No. 8 Indiana and Michigan.

Maximum efficiency

Ohio State scored two touchdowns in the space of eight seconds in the third quarter. After Henderson rushed for a 19-yard touchdown with 3:07 left, Purdue took a touchback on the kickoff, starting on its own 25. On the next play, Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau poked the ball loose from running back Reggie Love III, and the other defensive end, Jack Sawyer, scooped it up and scored at the 2:59 mark.

“There’s no chance in hell I was diving on that ball. I was trying to scoop and score no matter what,” Sawyer said. “JT made a big-time play, punching it out.”

Poll Implications

Ohio State took care of business and should stay put.

Up next

Purdue: Hosts No. 6 Penn State next Saturday.

Ohio State: Plays Northwestern at Wrigley Field next Saturday.

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This story has been corrected to show that Purdue lost its eighth, not 10th, game in a row.

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