The signs were there.
Yes, the back seven had been maligned for their play in other games for various reasons, but tonight they were well and truly defeated by a Purdue Boilermaker team with an electric freshman receiver and a game plan that focused on targeting their biggest weakness: defending virtually any pass.
Let's go all the way back to the TCU game. While the team gave up 300 yards of passing against the Horned Frogs and quarterback Shawn Robinson, you might've reasoned that hey, it's basically an away game against a top tier opponent. You might've also overlooked the completed passes of 42, 51, and 34 yards because TCU lost and Ohio State won and all's well that ends well.