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).

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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Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press