The Associated Press

COLUMBUS — For the past year, Ohio State’s players have said they couldn’t wait to play Purdue, which dealt them a painful loss last season.

Now, coming off another devastating defeat — this one to Wisconsin — the Buckeyes have twice the reason to get back on the field.

“There’s two things going here,” wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. “One, that (Purdue) beat us last year and it’s not really something you forget, because that was our tough loss last year. But in another sense, just coming off a loss, you can’t really get that bad taste out of your mouth until you get back on the field.

“You can do all the practicing and all the talking you want,” Sanzenbacher said, “but until you get back on the field, that’s when you’re really going to find out who you are.”

Who the 11th-ranked Buckeyes (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) are is an injury-ravaged team searching for an identity. In a 31-18 setback last week, the Badgers stifled Ohio State’s offense while running and throwing at will.

That sounds a lot like Purdue’s stunning 26-18 upset of the Buckeyes. The Boilermakers came in just 1-5 with Ohio State ranked No. 7 in the country last year, needing a win to tie the Big Ten record of 17 straight road wins in the conference.

Instead, Joey Elliott completed 31 of 50 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor tossed a pair of interceptions and lost two fumbles.

“If you asked him, ’Name the two times you thought you didn’t do so well,’ chances are he might bring that up,” coach Jim Tressel said of Pryor.

Purdue’s victory got people’s attention, outside the program and particularly those wearing the old gold and black.

“We felt like if we could beat Ohio State, the No. 7 team, that we could play with anybody in the nation,” said defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, who had a monster game with three sacks, two fumbles caused and one recovered.

“We had a different confidence and a different swagger about ourselves after that win last year.”

Boilermakers coach Danny Hope said last year’s game gives his team a degree of confidence.

“It gave our football team some confidence last year,” Hope said. “It certainly helps us as we prepare, knowing that we’ve had some success in the past. But this is a different football team, and you have to play the game.”

The Buckeyes had been looking forward to the rematch.

“Yes, it’s definitely a game that’s circled on our calendars,” safety Jermale Hines said.

Because of what happened at Ross-Ade Stadium, and to make up for the ugly reminders of last Saturday’s loss in Camp Randall Stadium, the Buckeyes have plenty of incentive.

“If it was any other opponent, we’d probably be doing the same thing — trying to get on the right page and start that winning streak again,” fullback Zach Boren said. “But it gives us a little added motivation to go out and play well against these guys, just because of what they did to us last year.”

With Purdue (4-2, 2-0) ahead of the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings, that adds another log to the fire. The Buckeyes will be without leading tackler Ross Homan, out with a foot injury, and nickel back Christian Bryant (infected foot).

If Ohio State hopes to retain its fleeting shot at getting back in the national championship conversation — and it was 10th in the initial Bowl Championship Series rankings — it can’t afford another slip-up.

Same goes for the Big Ten race. The Buckeyes had a goal all season of winning a sixth consecutive conference title to tie the record. One more loss and that’s an unlikely possibility.

But Tressel said it’s difficult for a team to look at the big picture. Progress must be made a day or a game at a time.

“Someone said, ’Oh, run the table,”’ he said. “Run the table? Wait a minute, we’ve got to play this game, and that to me is your biggest challenge.”