Football
Big 10 Countdown; No 10, Purdue
By Tony Gerdeman
No. 10 Purdue
Predicted Finish
4-8 (2-6)
Two-Cent Overview
Head Coach Danny Hope finally takes over for Joe Tiller and looks to bring his own brand of football to the team. Fortunately for Tiller fans, Hope’s brand of football is the same as Joe Tiller’s. This year, however, the offense will be led by a new quarterback, new receivers, a running back who missed last season with an ACL injury and portions of an intact offensive line. The defense returns most everybody, and based on the increased experience and the numbers they gave up last year, it’s mathematically impossible for them to be worse than they were in 2008.
Schedule
Sept. 5 Toledo (W)
Sept. 12 at Oregon (L)
Sept. 19 Northern Illinois (W)
Sept. 26 Notre Dame (L)
Oct. 3 Northwestern (W)
Oct. 10 at Minnesota (L)
Oct. 17 Ohio State (L)
Oct. 24 Illinois (L)
Oct. 31 at Wisconsin (L)
Nov. 7 at Michigan (L)
Nov. 14 Michigan State (L)
Nov. 21 at Indiana (W)Goal
A bowl game. Any bowl game. Any time. Anywhere. If you have a bowl game, give Purdue a call. No offer is too low. What’s it going to take for me to put Purdue in your bowl game?
Hold on, let me go talk to my manager.
Team Motto
“Clear eyes, full hearts, giant drum, can’t lose.”
Five Questions Looking For Answers
1. What will the Danny Hope era bring?
2. Will quarterback Joey Elliott be more like Curtis Painter when Painter was good, or when Painter was Hoyerific?
3. Are there any playmakers at receiver?
4. Can perpetually-injured linebacker Jason Werner finally stay healthy?
5. Can a Purdue football team actually be led by its defense?Something To Look For
The search for Kory Sheets’ replacement. Running back Jaycen Taylor has rushed for over 1,200 yards in his career, but after missing last season with an ACL tear, it may not be wise to assume that he’s going to be “the man” right out of the gate this year. Sophomore running back Ralph Bolden was the first team running back in the spring and looked very good. He provides the speed that Taylor may no longer possess. But don’t be surprised if Taylor starts taking more control when he finally convinces himself that his knee is healthy. Boiler nation (if there is such a thing) is also excited about freshman Al-Terek McBurse. He arrived in January, but couldn’t get cleared by the NCAA to participate in Spring ball. These three running backs give Purdue plenty of talented options--and we didn’t even get into Frank Haliburton and Dan Dierking. This is Purdue’s deepest backfield in years.
Returning Starters
Five on offense, nine on defense and both kicking specialists.
Best Player
Defensive End Ryan Kerrigan. This is a bit of a projection, but it’s a projection based in reality. As a sophomore last year, Kerrigan got his first meaningful playing time and ended up with 56 tackles and seven sacks in eleven starts. He’s coming into this season stronger, faster and smarter--but also more well known. Still, this is Purdue and they produce havoc-wreakers at defensive end like Michigan produces sob stories. It’s okay to expect double-digit sacks this year, especially with a secondary that can lock up receivers a bit longer than the average bear.
Second-Best Player
Cornerback David Pender. Pender was Honorable Mention All Big Ten last year, so most everybody expects him to take another step forward as a senior. At 6’1”, he has more than ideal size for a cornerback, and his 12 passes defended show that he’s more than just a big corner. Pender may be due for a season that puts him at the top of this list come December.
Best Chance For a Big Loss
At Oregon. Last season, Oregon averaged 41.9 points per game, and there isn’t much to suggest there’s going to be a huge drop-off in that area this year. And while Purdue brings a lot back on defense, sometimes when teams go out west and get involved in a shootout, the snowball effect of adverse circumstances is too much to overcome.
Most Important Game
Notre Dame. No, it’s not a conference game, and considering where the Boilermakers are going to finish, conference games won’t really matter this year anyway. But a win over Notre Dame could be the cornerstone on the foundation of a new era. Or it could just be a win over a soon-to-be 7-5 Irish team. But still, everybody loves to beat Notre Dame and I’m guessing Danny Hope is no different.
Best Road Game To Pack Up The Family Truckster And Travel To
At Michigan. As I keep saying, fans shouldn’t take the chance on missing out on an opportunity to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. But I know what you’re thinking—you’re wondering if a game in Ann Arbor can be considered a “family atmosphere”. I would answer that since your kids have heard every foul word in the book on account of your complete lack of judgment and tact, they wouldn’t hear anything different at Michigan Stadium. The best part though is that if your little one is tired during the game, he can take a nap and not worry about the crowd noise keeping him awake. (Though all of the jangling keys may pose a problem.)
Game On The Schedule That Joe Paterno Would Deny Having Any Knowledge Of Scheduling
At Oregon. But in this case, he’d be telling the truth. Paterno would only finally start questioning who they were playing when the plane ride west just kept going.
Game They Shouldn't Lose, But Could
Northern Illinois. The Huskies have a strong history of making Big Ten teams struggle a bit and have beaten a few BCS schools in their day.
Best Reason They Won't Be Undefeated
There are these things called “Saturdays”. And on “Saturdays”, you have these “teams” who compete against each other in “games” to determine “winners”. “Talent” is a pretty good “indicator” of who is going to “win” and Purdue’s “talent” just isn’t “indicating” very much right now.
Best Reason They Will Be Undefeated
Because Purdue took it one game at a time, stayed focused, and gave 110% when everybody else simply lost focus, took things four games at a time and could only manage to give 100%. Oh, and they also just wanted it more. And Tebow probably was involved somehow.
Player People Are Expecting Too Much From
Outside Linebacker Jason Werner. Werner has had so much promise over the last few years, but just couldn’t stay healthy. He missed both 2006 and 2008 due to back surgeries and Purdue fans are so nervous about Werner’s health that they don’t even speak his name for fear of triggering some strange butterfly effect. People want him on the field because they feel he can be a big contributor. But even expecting Werner to contribute this season is expecting too much. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, it just means that hope isn’t a renewable resource and eventually you’re going to run out. Just ask Hoosier fans.
Player People Will Be Pleasantly Surprised By
Quarterback Joey Elliott. Elliott is a senior and has played in ten games in his career, so he’s been around forever and won’t be caught staring into the Big Ten headlights (anymore than any other Purdue quarterback at least). He knows Tiller’s offense like Joe Pa knows when the nurses have been stealing his money. Yes, they are looking for new pass catchers, but anymore Purdue just plugs receivers into the matrix and some 6’3” white dude throws them the ball. This year should be no different.
Best Newcomer
Wide Receiver Keith Carlos. I’ve made no secret of how I feel about people with two first names. They cannot be trusted. And when you add in the fact that Keith Carlos is a JUCO transfer, my Spidey sense starts tingling something fierce. Carlos is apparently pretty fast, so he looks to be a guy Danny Hope wants to get the ball to. In Purdue’s offense, even the number three receiver will pull down 50 passes, so he should get a shot somewhere.
Something They Do Well
Find disruptive defensive ends. The list is a long one, so we won’t bother getting into it, but more often than not Purdue has a fast defensive end who likes to smash quarterbacks. Ten defensive ends have spent time on NFL rosters under Tiller’s watch, so now Danny Hope looks to continue the trend. As mentioned above, Ryan Kerrigan is definitely going to make his share of noise, but the key to a successful season may be to find more than just Kerrigan. Senior Keyon Brown lost his job last year after starting 12 games at defensive end in 2007. This is his last chance to audition for the NFL, so expect his best season yet.
Something They Don't Do So Well
Play on the road. The Boilermakers were 0-5 on the road last year and lost by at least two touchdowns in each of those five games. That being said, this year’s road schedule features games at Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. Each of those games is winnable for a bowl team (and loseable for Purdue).
What's Improved?
Focus and desire. They say after a while, teams start to mirror their head coaches. And last year, the Boilermakers had one foot in West Lafayette and another foot out in some river in Montana. This year, however, everybody is tuned into what they’re going to be doing on the field. Voluntary workouts regularly featured around 80 Boilermakers this offseason, compared to an average of 20 over the past few years. Obviously the players are following the coaches’ examples. I’m sure Danny Hope loves to fish, but I’m guessing he’s not thinking about it during a film session or a recruiting trip.
What's Gotten Worse?
Experience at Receiver. But as was mentioned before, when is this really a problem at Purdue. Last year, the only returning receiver with any substantial numbers was Greg Orton, and yet three receivers finished the season with at least 49 receptions. There’s really no reason to expect too much difference this year. One player to watch out for is senior Royce Adams, who moves over from cornerback. He’s a kid that probably peaked as a freshman on defense, so this little bit of a rebirth might be something to monitor.
Anything Else We Should Know About?
Defensive Tackle Mike Neal. Neal is the strongest player on the team and Danny Hope says he could be the best defensive tackle at Purdue since Jeff Zgonina. Neal has yet to reach his potential, but after a junior season that saw him accumulate 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks, you can see the possibilities if Neal gets it all put together.
Anything Else?
The Secondary. Purdue returns all four starters from last year’s secondary which finished 24th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game. Free safety Torri Williams is back again after being granted a sixth year of eligibility due to his love of trains and drums. He and strong safety Dwight McLean form one of the best safety tandems in the conference. And since we’ve mentioned every member of the secondary except for starting cornerback Brandon King, we should also mention him. Which we just did.
Brad Pitt Role Or Movie That This Team Resembles
A River Runs Through It. Turmoil abounds, but the one love for everybody involved is fly fishing. (Also, Danny Hope sort of looks like Tom Skerritt.)
One Prediction
Don’t be surprised when Ron Zook brings his Illini into West Lafayette and trips up. (I’m not sure if this is actually a prediction. It’s actually more of a suggestion. But if it happens, just remember who suggested it.)
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