* 1:30 p.m. -- Greetings from high above the field at Ohio Stadium in the press box. I’ll be filing a commentary-based live blog for today’s Ohio State-Purdue game. Most OSU fans will be able to watch the game on television, but I’ll be checking in a couple times per quarter to give my thoughts on anything that stands out about the game.

It has certainly been an unexpected youth movement for the Buckeyes (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) on offense this season with true freshmen earning the starting jobs at quarterback (Terrelle Pryor) and center (Michael Brewster). Pryor and Brewster were ranked as the top two players in Jim Tressel’s best recruiting class since 2002, but I didn’t anticipate they would start until the 2009 season. Plus, when Beanie Wells was injured earlier in the year, it was a redshirt freshman (Boom Herron) that won the starting spot in his place.

And today against Purdue (2-3, 0-1) a pair of true freshmen receivers are expected to see more playing time. DeVier Posey and Lamaar Thomas might be elevated to the No. 3 and No. 4 receivers this week with Dane Sanzenbacher out (concussion) and Ray Small possibly limited due to a minor knee injury. Posey is one of the most-promising receivers to join the team in quite some time and he might get a chance to show what he can do today. So far this season, Posey has six receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. As for Thomas, he could finally get a look as a kickoff returner today. With Boom Herron out with a concussion after the vicious hit he took last week in the win at Wisconsin, Brandon Saine, Mo Wells and Thomas are expected to share the kickoff return duties. It will be very interesting to see how Thomas looks in that role if he actually gets some opportunities. Ohio State is ranked 99th in the country in kickoff returns, which is actually an improvement over last year when they ranked 117th.

What a nice day in Columbus with a high of 82 degrees and sunny skies. Notice I didn’t say good football weather though. This feels more like a summer day than a football Saturday in autumn.

Defensively, one of the young guys I’ll be keeping a close eye on today is true freshman linebacker Etienne Sabino. With the injury to Austin Spitler, Sabino is listed as the backup middle linebacker. He should get a chance to play a lot more than he did against Wisconsin last week. Also, with Ross Homan possibly limited with a stinger he suffered against Wisconsin (when he toughed it out and was OSU’s defensive player of the week with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery) – and with all the spread formations that Purdue will use today – I think safety Jermale Hines is going to be on the field a ton today. Hines has been one of the standout players on defense and he will only get better with the more experience he gets.

As for the final score today, I am going with 34-14 Ohio State. I think Purdue will hang in there better than some people might think, but a fourth-quarter touchdown will allow OSU to cover the 18-point spread. The Boilermakers are not as bad as they have looked the last couple of weeks. Their 32-26 overtime loss to Oregon – when they had a big lead in West Lafayette – really put a damper on their season and they still haven’t been able to recover. But they will come in here with nothing to lose today and I think they might hang in there a little bit. But Beanie Wells, Pryor and the Buckeyes’ defense will be too much for Purdue to even challenge for the victory.

I’ll be back later with more thoughts. Thanks for checking out the live blog and I hope you enjoy today’s game.

* 3:10 p.m. -- Small is on the field participating in warm-ups and does not seem to be favoring any type of knee injury. It looks like Small will play today as a receiver and as the Buckeyes' primary punt returner. ... Interestingly enough, it looks like Michigan is about to go down to Toledo. The Rockets are leading 13-10 in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, but Michigan might get one more chance. What an embarrassing loss this would be for the Wolverines against a Toledo team that has struggled this season. ... Also, Minnesota looks like it is about to upset Illinois (the score is 27-20 in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter) and Iowa is crushing Indiana 45-9.

* 3:25 p.m. -- Wow! Final from Ann Arbor: Toledo 13, Michigan 10. The Wolverines had never lost to a MAC team prior to today. The Wolverines move to 24-1 all-time against MAC foes. K.C. Lopata missed a 26-yard field goal with under 10 seconds left that would have put the game into overtime. ... Also, Minnesota hung on for a big win at Illinois and Iowa closed out its blowout win over Indiana. ... And it looks like Texas is going to win its showdown with Oklahoma. The Longhorns lead 44-35 with a little over 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. I thought Oklahoma would win the Red River Rivalry, but it does not appear that will happen. ... I just can't get over Michigan losing to a bad Toledo team at home though. Michigan moves to 2-4 on the season and I think the Wolverines can kiss their consecutive bowl streak good-bye and their streak without a losing season. They are headed for 4-8 at best at this point and maybe 3-9. I just don't see any way that Michigan will beat Penn State, Michigan State or Ohio State. Of course, who would have thought UM would beat Wisconsin? But what a huge win for Toledo and Michigan has now suffered two of the most embarrassing losses in school history in back-to-back seasons. ... It's almost time for kickoff here at the Horseshoe. I'll be back in the first quarter with thoughts on the game action. 

* 3:42 p.m. -- Well, Ohio State has found its kick returner, at least in my opinion. Thomas took the opening kickoff 36 yards and showed a very good burst. ... The Buckeyes were almost flagged on the play because of mass confusion. A team can't have two players with the same number on the field at the same time. Jermale Hines -- who wears No. 7 along with Thomas -- is usually on the kickoff return team, but he had to hurry off. In place of him, the Buckeyes tried to get DeVier Posey on the field. However, Aaron Gant was already on the field. Finally, OSU got the right personnel on the field, but they were almost flagged for having 12-men on the field. But Posey got off the field just before the kickoff. ... Ohio State goes three-and-out on its first offensive possession. A costly false start on Ben Person backed them up on what would have been third-and-1. ... Purdue's offense returns the favor with a three-and-out on its first possession. ... Malcolm Jenkins blocks the punt attempt! Sabino picks it up and scores a touchdown on a 19-yard return. With 11:41 left in the first quarter, the score is 7-0 Ohio State.

* 3:53 p.m. -- Hines got the start today as the Buckeyes began the game in a nickel defense. They will likely be in nickel most of the day. Homan is dressed, but has not played yet. They will probably rest him after the stinger last week. ... Also of note, Andrew Miller is playing tight end today and is wearing the No. 83. Miller came to OSU as a TE, but was moved to the offensive line last year. Due to the injury to Rory Nicol and the improving depth on the offensive line, the Buckeyes obviously decided he was needed most at tight end. ... The Buckeyes are about ready to begin their second drive and Steve Rehring has replaced Person. First down OSU at its 18. ... Pryor fakes the handoff to Wells out of the shotgun and runs for 22 yards on first down. Very impressive-looking run there from Pryor. ... Then Pryor makes a man miss in the backfield, buys time and hits Posey for 22 yards to Purdue's 38.

* 3:58 p.m. -- On fourth-and-8 from the 36, OSU was going to try a fake field goal (with holder A.J. Trapasso running the ball) but a delay of game penalty forced the Buckeyes to punt. Trapasso then punted 25 yards to Purdue's 16. With 6:29 left in the opening quarter, OSU still leads 7-0. ... Pryor's last pass was a shot-put style poor pass that short-hopped his target.

* 4:06 p.m. -- Ohio State defensive end Thaddeus Gibson gets good pressure on Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter and forces a fumble which is recovered by Lawrence Wilson. That was the second play on the drive where Gibson beat his man and got in Painter's face. ... First down OSU at its 37. ... Wells goes for 16 yards on first down and uses his classic stiff-arm to toss a Purdue defender to the ground. ... OSU is mixing up its offensive formations. The Buckeyes are using the shotgun some plays and the I-formation in others. ... Wells just broke off a 23-yard run down to PU's 18.

* 4:11 p.m. -- The Buckeyes tried an end-around to Thomas and Purdue was flagged for a facemask. ... At first-and-goal from the 9, OSU operated out of the shotgun and Wells was stuffed for no gain. ... Pryor tries to run on second down, but gains just 2. ... On third-and-goal from the 7, Pryor fires incomplete to Posey on a slant route. Pryor was a little late on the pass, but there was decent coverage. ... Ryan Pretorius makes a 24-yard field goal. With 57 seconds remaining in the first quarter, OSU leads 10-0.

* 4:14 p.m. -- Homan just entered the game for the first time. ... OSU's defense is flying around today and just made a nice play on a screen pass. Purdue will have a third-and-9 from its 21 when play resumes. ... End of the first quarter, 10-0 Buckeyes.

* 4:20 p.m. -- Malcolm Jenkins intercepts Painter! That's Jenkins' third pick of the season. Gibson got good pressure on the play and Painter made the mistake of throwing into coverage. ... The Buckeyes took over at PU's 30, but decided to run Mo Wells on consecutive plays. That set up a third-and-7, where Pryor didn't have a man open and decided to run at the last second. Pryor picked up 5 yards to the 22. On fourth-and-2, Pretorius sails a kick wide left. That was a terrible drive from Ohio State which was put in a great situation by its defense. Awful idea to run Mo Wells on two straight plays. And Pretorius has been average at best this year, especially for a senior that was a returning starter.

* 4:30 p.m. -- Michigan State is taking care of business in its (unexpected) big game at Northwestern. At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans lead 17-0. Next week is shaping up as a very big game between OSU and MSU in East Lansing. ... The other key game in the Big Ten today is Penn State at Wisconsin tonight. I can't imagine the Badgers losing two straight home night games and I think the Nittany Lions might suffer their first defeat of the season. That would leave Ohio State and Michigan State as the only undefeated teams in Big Ten play. ... On third-and-7 from the 49, Painter hits a pass for 6 yards. ... On fourth-and-1 from OSU's 45, Purdue went for it, but Jenkins broke up the pass. Purdue ran that play out of the shotgun. Jenkins nearly had a pick-6 there, but dropped the ball. ... First down Ohio State at its 45 with 9:35 left in the second quarter. ... By the way, Northwestern just scored to make it 17-7 MSU in the second quarter.

* 4:37 p.m. -- Pryor hits tight end (yes, tight end) Jake Ballard for 8 yards and a first down to Purdue's 42. It was a bootleg play where Pryor faked the handoff to Wells and had the option of running or throwing. ... On third-and-5, Pryor hits Brian Robiskie over the middle for 11 yards and another first down. ... Beanie Wells lost 2 yards on first down and then Pryor was sacked. On third-and-16, Brian Hartline dropped a pass that would have gained about 10 yards and set up an easier field goal attempt. ... Aaron Pettrey is on to try a 49-yard field goal... and he nails it! Pettrey is now 2-of-2 on the year with his other one coming from 54 yards. We could have a FG kicker controversy here in Columbus. ... With 4:54 left in the first half, OSU leads 13-0.

* 4:44 p.m. -- Kory Sheets had an impressive 20-yard run for Purdue up the middle, but that's all the Boilermakers could get on that drive. On third-and-16, Painter threw incomplete. ... No return on the punt and OSU will have a first down at its 24 with 3:11 left when play resumes.

* 4:52 p.m. -- Purdue gets back-to-back sacks on Pryor and forces OSU to punt just before the half. ... Trapasso gets off a 42-yard punt with no return. First down Purdue at its 28 with 1:05 left.

* 4:59 p.m. -- Lawrence Wilson just went down with what looked like a knee injury. ... Purdue misses a 52-yard field goal on the final play of the half. At halftime, the score remains 13-0 Ohio State. ... Wilson can't put much weight on his left leg and had to be carted from the sidelines to the locker room. It doesn't look season-ending, but it doesn't look good either. We'll keep you posted, but OSU might not say anything about the injury until after the game.

* 5:12 p.m. -- Here are some halftime stats. Beanie Wells has 10 carries for 58 yards. Pryor is 6-of-9 for 67 yards through the air. Ohio State has 139 total yards (72 rushing, 67 passing) and Purdue has 162 total yards (112 passing, 50 rushing). Painter is 13-of-27 for 112 yards with an interception. ... Also, Michigan State leads Northwestern 24-7 at halftime.

* 5:28 p.m. -- Purdue got the ball to start the second half and on third-and-5 from its 45, Painter throws a 19-yard pass to Greg Orton. Ohio State used a safety blitz on the play, but Kurt Coleman was picked up nicely by Sheets and Painter found the wide-open man. First down Boilermakers at OSU's 36. ... On third-and-10, Painter fires incomplete. Then freshman kicker Carson Wiggs connects on a 53-yard field goal, which is a new school-record for Purdue (the former long was 51). ... With 11:03 left in the third quarter, OSU leads 13-3.

* 5:35 p.m. -- The Buckeyes come out with the power I-formation in their first drive of the second half. Wells only gets 4 yards on two carries, but an offsides penalty makes it third-and-1 and Wells slams ahead fo4 6 yards and a fresh set of downs at the 34. ... Wells then makes four (four!) Purdue defenders miss on his next run which covered 12 yards. Wells was almost tackled for a loss on the play, but made something out of nothing. ... Pryor then goes deep for the first time today, but overfires Robiskie who had a step on the DB. 

* 5:40 p.m. -- Pryor makes a very good 9-yard run on second down, which sets up a third-and-1. Pryor then sneaks ahead for a yard and a first down at Purdue's 44. ... On third-and-12, Pryor hits Posey for 6 yards, which makes it fourth down and forces OSU to punt. Trapasso pins Purdue deep as the ball is downed at the 4. With 5:50 left in the third quarter, the Boilers have the ball back. ... Ohio State is playing with a lack of energy and urgency on offense. And suddenly the Buckeyes find themselves in a struggle. This game should have been put away in the first half by OSU.

* 5:51 p.m. -- On third-and-7 from the 7, Todd Denlinger gets good pressure and forces Painter to throw an incomplete pass. Just a 32-yard punt from Purdue gives OSU the ball at the Boilermakers' 39. ... Pryor hits Hartline for 5 yards on first down. Hartline was not the No. 1 target on the play and Pryor did a good job of going through his progressions. ... Wells for 9 on the next play for a fresh set of downs at the 25. ... Pryor is stopped for no gain on first down and then Wells gets just 1 yard on second down. ... On third-and-9, OSU runs a very-well timed bubble screen to Thomas who makes a nice play for 16 yards. That sets up a first-and-goal from the 8. Thomas is making an impact today. ... Mo Wells then comes in and loses a yard on a pitch play. He's in his fourth year and OSU's coaches still don't get it. ... Pryor then loses 2 more yards. Ohio State's red zone offense is atrocious this season. They have no idea what they are doing when they get inside the 20. ... That is the end of the third quarter with the score 13-3 OSU.

* 5:56 p.m. -- Pryor makes a 6-yard run on third down and avoided several defenders after the pass play broke down. However, it wasn't enough and OSU has to settle for a 22-yard Pretorius field goal. The red zone woes continue in terms of putting touchdowns on the board. ... With 14:30 left in the fourth quarter, the score moves to 16-3 OSU. ... By the way, Wilson is back on the sidelines, but is in street clothes. We probably won't know more until after the game, so stick with Bucknuts.com tonight for our post-game coverage. Wilson is using crutches to get around.

* 6:01 p.m. -- This is by far the most action Denlinger has seen since his ankle injury against Ohio University and he is playing very well. He stopped Sheets for no gain on first down and got excellent penetration on the play. This D-line missed Denlinger. ... On third-and-10, Painter hits Desmond Hardy for 12 yards and a fresh set of downs.

* 6:06 p.m. -- On third-and-1, Cameron Heyward stops Sheets for no gain. Purdue will go for it from its own 42. ... Or maybe it won't. The Boilermakers called a timeout just before Painter snapped the ball. This would be a huge stop for the Buckeyes' defense and might put an end to any comeback hopes for the visitors. It does look like Purdue fully intends to go for it here. And why not. The Boilers have nothing to lose and actually find themselves in the game here in the fourth quarter. OSU's missed opportunities (five times inside Purdue's 35 and OSU has only managed three field goals) has allowed Purdue to hang in there. ... On fourth down, Sheets goes over the top and barely gets enough for the first down. ... Purdue has the ball at its 44 with just over 10 minutes remaining. 

* 6:10 p.m. -- On third-and-10, Nader Abdallah sacks Painter which forces Purdue to punt. ... Ohio State will take over from its 32 with 9:47 left.

* 6:15 p.m. -- The Buckeyes can't even manage one first down. This offense is completely stagnant today. Ohio State is not going to win the Big Ten unless it picks up its intensity offensively. Pryor almost had a first down on a scramble, but was tackled two yards short by linebacker Anthony Heygood. ... Trapasso booms a nice punt which is downed at PU's 17 with 7:32 left.

* 6:22 p.m. -- Rob Rose makes a nice play for OSU as he bats down a Painter pass and almost comes up with the interception. ... Then Nathan Williams and James Laurinaitis combine for a tackle on Sheets for a 1-yard loss. ... On third-and-11, Chekwa almost had an interception, but couldn't quite hang on. ... Purdue is forced to punt and Small calls for a fair catch at OSU's 23 with 5:14 left. ... The Buckeyes are likely going to get out of here with a win today, but what a lackadasical performance from the offense. Tressel and company need to learn that style points are important in college football, like it or not. You can't barely beat a team like Purdue at home and actually expect to get back in the national title race. Even if the Buckeyes win this game, they likely won't move up at all in the polls, and could actually drop a spot. Very shaky performance from an offense that came into play as one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten (10th in total offense and eighth in scoring).

* 6:37 p.m. -- That is all from here at the Horseshoe as Ohio State sleepwalks through a 16-3 victory over Purdue. Stick with Bucknuts.com for our extensive post-game coverage as the Buckeyes can now talk about the showdown next week at Michigan State (which leads Northwestern 34-20 in the fourth quarter).