CLEVELAND, Ohio - In the ruins of the Purdue game, it is clear Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has been as false to his principles on the field as he has been true to his shabby practices off it.
In the Zach Smith domestic abuse scandal, Meyer subordinated to a strategy of deny, defy and lie the Ohio State meeting room signs - "TREAT WOMEN WITH RESPECT" in capitals and "What does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul?"
The cover-up of the Smith scandal was of a piece with his practice at Florida, where Gators stars got passes for infractions that could've forced police to serialize their rap sheets.
Meyer was suspended by Ohio State for the first three games this season. The punishment would have been more severe at a school in which the head football coach is not spared most accountability, or at one less committed to winning at great, if not quite all, cost.
Buckeyes were overrated
It's clear now that Ohio State's two best victories weren't all that they seemed. TCU isn't that good. Penn State blew it on the worst call since Pete Carroll didn't run it at the goal line in the Super Bowl.
Incredibly, since his return Meyer has been closer to doing nothing to improve the Buckeyes' chances on the field after doing almost everything off it to keep Smith.
Remember Woody?
Offensive balance?
Quarterback and presumed answer to every problem Dwayne Haskins threw 73 passes at Purdue while running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined for only 69 yards.
Meyer always said there is a place for power in football, and that his offense was a synthesis of spread formation spacing and smash-mouth Woody Hayes ball.
After the Purdue game, Woody, wherever he is, is probably stomping on his Block O cap in fury.
A laugh line?
The offensive line isn't even holding its own, except in penalties. This might be a result of so much pass blocking, which is designed to protect territory - the pocket - and not acquire it by driving defenders backward.
Hayes thought running the ball imposed physical dominance. Passing, in Woody's Darwinian view, wasn't survival of the fittest. It was the easy way out.
Beating teams with big plays didn't break their will the way beating them on long, grinding drives did.
The allure of the big play
When OSU won the national championship in 2014, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones' arm got a lot of the credit. But Zeke Elliott ran wild for 200 yards and more in all three postseason games.
This Ohio State line isn't that one. Shotgun snaps that alternately dribble along the ground or float lazily to Haskins from center Michael Jordan ruin the timing of plays.
Ohio State's dead zone
Meyer has no short yardage offense with Haskins, which makes indefensible the neglect of Tate Martell in the red zone. He's a quarterback whose running ability must be respected.
In 2015, Meyer briefly used J.T. Barrett in the red zone for just that reason and Jones elsewhere. Why not the same with Martell and Haskins?
Meyer is now using a variant of the Joe Tiller-inspired "Basketball on Grass" passing game that transformed Purdue 20 years ago.
Meyer used to be scornful of the system, threatening to fire any aide who so much as mentioned "basketball on grass."
"Hoist with his own petard," as Shakespeare said when things went ka-boom.
Bill Livingston is a retired Plain Dealer sports columnist. He writes occasional columns for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.