Purdue/Prediction
From various sources online...
Key returnees:
Danny Etling, QB (young, bright future)
Justin Sinz, TE (hoss, led the team in receptions and receiving TD's)
Raheem Mostert RB/KR. (fast, explosive, dangerous)
Ryan Russel, DE (high upside but inconsistent in the past)
Offensive line is a big weakness for them, especially on the edges. Supposedly their kick/punt coverage was horrendous last year as well.
Running backs are a big question mark heading into this year, but they have talent and potential.
Not much returning on defense although they do have one good pass rusher (Russell). They've lost key guys in the trenches on both sides of the ball and the rest of their defense is very vulnerable. Their 3rd year returning CB Frankie Williams will probably match up against Corey Davis. I don't think Davis gets shut down completely, but that will be a match-up to keep an eye on. Might leave other guys open over the middle, and we should take those 5-8 yards dink and dunks all day if they're giving them to us.
Purdue has a decent group of wide receivers, but we have a strong secondary. This battle could be interesting.
Purdue opened Big Ten play last season by getting outscored 158-17 during the first half of league play.
Per Sagarin, Purdue was worse than 44 teams from the FCS. Here are some teams that ranked ahead of Purdue (No. 157) in Jeff Sagarin's inclusive FBS/FCS rankings: Montana State, Samford, Murray State, Brown, South Carolina State, Dartmouth, Harvard, and Princeton.
Etling was sacked 31 times last season in 8 games.
Purdue is coming off the worst season in program history. Eleven losses in total, a program record. The defense allowed 456 points, likewise a new low. The offense managed just 179 points, the Boilermakers' worst total during a 12-game season.
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If we're going to beat them, we are going to need to put up some points. I think somewhere in the ballpark of 31-35. That's asking a lot considering last year's offense, but I also think Purdue's defense is pretty bad so it's not totally out of the question.
Best-case scenario: We shock Purdue early and often and knock them off their feet (quick turnover, or quick score on first drive), they go into shell-shock mode, and opening day crowd is taken right out of the game. Purdue fights back in the end but it's not enough. Broncos win 38-31.
Worst-case scenario: The complete opposite... Purdue comes out of the gates firing and we never recover. Boilers win in a blowout and we get some garbage time points to make it look closer than it really is. Boilermakers win 48-21.
Prediction: I think we land somewhere in the middle. Purdue does come out firing and goes up 14-0 quickly. We're a young team, we eventually settle in and start making some plays but spend the rest of the game trying to play catch up. It's respectable, but Purdue walks away winning comfortably. Boilers win 38-24.
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