In the immediate wake of a 34-10 win for Ohio State over Purdue that perhaps was not as close as the final score indicated, Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom spent the first minute of his postgame press conference heaping praise on the Buckeyes.
“Give a Lot of Credit to Ohio State and Coach Day. I think They've got a terrific team. they're built the right way in every area, every level. the defense — they're talented, they're well coached, they don't make mistakes. that shows up.”
While Odom offered his praise in a very broad and general fashion, his words rang true on a day in which Julian Sayin for the third game in a row both eclipsed 300 yards passing and also completed at least 80 percent of his passes. Conversely, Purdue failed to achieve more than 100 yards passing or rushing and did not reach the end zone once until after the two-minute warning in the final quarter.
Odom particularly acknowledged the historical brilliance of Ohio State's defense under Matt Patricia as his opening comments continued, describing the Silver Bullets as a "suffocating" group this season.
“defensively, they can be suffocating — take the air out of anything when a possible play can be there. they've got talent at every position offensively.... there'll be some people that get upset with this statement, but that's what we're chasing. right now in our league, they're setting the standard.”
Even if Odom did not offer many more specifics on what has made the Buckeyes so dominant in 2025, it remains clear he holds the program Ryan Day has built in high regard relative to the rest of the Big Ten and college football at large.
As Purdue seeks to continue rebuilding its own program, Odom clearly desires to replicate the work Ohio State has put in across all areas of constructing itself into a national championship-winning team. He referenced recruiting, player development and the work members of the roster put in ahead of time before taking the field all as components of a successful unit that conducts itself in an optimal fashion.
“from recruiting, from development, from calling the game... right now, they are setting the standard.... I give them a lot of credit on how they're built and then how their kids go play.”
Following his opening kudos to the Buckeyes, Odom largely spent the remainder of the postgame presser speaking on where his own team is at, what they did well to compete and what must improve. There was a particularly interesting moment about halfway through the meeting with the media when a journalist asked if Odom if he was "still pleased with the fight in this team."
Odom paused for a full 10 seconds before offering, "I think we are showing progress in that category. We are still chasing what it looks like every single day."
Purdue now finds itself on an eight-game losing streak as the Boilermakers continue to search for their first Big Ten win this season. They will have merely two more opportunities to do so — on the road at Washington next week followed by a return home after a bye to host Indiana in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket to close out their schedule.
