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Young Purdue Team Awaits Minnesota Gophers
By Luke Gildemeister
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/561268?referrer_id=
At the same time the Minnesota Gophers were getting beat Saturday afternoon by Northwestern’s unforgiving defense, the Purdue Boilermakers found themselves in a completely different situation.
Purdue trailed then second-ranked Michigan St. 24-21 with just over a minute to play in regulation. Redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough failed to connect with his wideout on a deep route over the middle, Purdue ran out of downs, and Michigan St. ran out the clock. Nevertheless, the Boilermakers nearly erased a 21-point halftime deficit to shock the Spartans in East Lansing.
The Gophers will travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to face the recently resilient Purdue team on Saturday, Oct. 10. Will Minnesota be able to sneak out its first Big Ten conference victory of the season? Take a closer look at the Boilermakers to find out:
The Future is...Bright?
While Minnesota is leaning heavily on redshirt freshman Rodney Smith and true freshman Shannon Brooks to provide an offensive spark, Purdue feels like they have some prospering young talent of their own. Meet running back Markell Jones, a high school standout that currently is tied nationally for the most touchdowns scored by a freshman, with five. During his senior year of high school, Jones received Indiana’s Mr. Football award and also earned the title of Parade All-American. Purdue will combine Jones’ talent with redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough. Blough, a Texas native, has thrown for 487 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Look out for Blough and Jones to offset a weak Purdue offensive line that is allowing an average of 2.2 sacks per game to opponents.
Defensive Woes
Purdue ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing an average of 33 points per game to opponents this season. This bodes well for a Minnesota offense that has scored just 10 points in its last five quarters of play. One of the few bright spots within the Boilermaker defense has been sophomore linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who is averaging 9.8 tackles per game.
Offensive Inconsistency
Similar to Minnesota, Purdue’s offense is having trouble gaining consistent yardage. The Boilermakers managed just 129 yards on 44 plays through the first three quarters against Michigan St. before scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. Even more critical is the fact that Purdue can’t hold onto the football. Through five games, the Boilermakers have fumbled 10 times. Ohio St. and Minnesota are the only Big Ten teams who have fumbled more (14).
Turning the Corner? Not Quite.
Head coach Darrell Hazell took over the Purdue program before the 2013 season. He knows very well how hard it is for his program to win. After a 1-11 effort in the 2013 season, Purdue finished 3-9 in 2014. The former Kent State head coach is 5-24 overall in West Lafayette. Time will tell if the Boilermakers can eclipse last season’s three-win mark in 2015. It won’t be easy, as Purdue will eventually travel to face Wisconsin, Northwestern and Iowa. Purdue most recently played in a bowl game following the 2012 regular season.
Capitalizing on the FCS Cupcakes
Purdue’s sole victory this season came against FCS opponent Indiana St. They lost to Marshall, Virginia Tech, and Bowling Green before falling to the Spartans last weekend.
In conclusion, the Gophers will face a lower-level Big Ten squad in Purdue. Sadly, it almost feels like a must-win game for Minnesota if they want to content for the Big Ten West division. The Boilermakers have young talent at the offensive playmaker positions and have struggled defensively thus far. Last week’s result against Michigan St. should be a glaring indicator that this team should not be taken lightly. The Gophers failed to show any signs of life offensively against Northwestern last weekend. If the Gopher offense continues to demonstrate its identity crisis on Saturday, expect this game to be close until the end.
By Luke Gildemeister
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/561268?referrer_id=
At the same time the Minnesota Gophers were getting beat Saturday afternoon by Northwestern’s unforgiving defense, the Purdue Boilermakers found themselves in a completely different situation.
Purdue trailed then second-ranked Michigan St. 24-21 with just over a minute to play in regulation. Redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough failed to connect with his wideout on a deep route over the middle, Purdue ran out of downs, and Michigan St. ran out the clock. Nevertheless, the Boilermakers nearly erased a 21-point halftime deficit to shock the Spartans in East Lansing.
The Gophers will travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to face the recently resilient Purdue team on Saturday, Oct. 10. Will Minnesota be able to sneak out its first Big Ten conference victory of the season? Take a closer look at the Boilermakers to find out:
The Future is...Bright?
While Minnesota is leaning heavily on redshirt freshman Rodney Smith and true freshman Shannon Brooks to provide an offensive spark, Purdue feels like they have some prospering young talent of their own. Meet running back Markell Jones, a high school standout that currently is tied nationally for the most touchdowns scored by a freshman, with five. During his senior year of high school, Jones received Indiana’s Mr. Football award and also earned the title of Parade All-American. Purdue will combine Jones’ talent with redshirt freshman quarterback David Blough. Blough, a Texas native, has thrown for 487 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Look out for Blough and Jones to offset a weak Purdue offensive line that is allowing an average of 2.2 sacks per game to opponents.
Defensive Woes
Purdue ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing an average of 33 points per game to opponents this season. This bodes well for a Minnesota offense that has scored just 10 points in its last five quarters of play. One of the few bright spots within the Boilermaker defense has been sophomore linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, who is averaging 9.8 tackles per game.
Offensive Inconsistency
Similar to Minnesota, Purdue’s offense is having trouble gaining consistent yardage. The Boilermakers managed just 129 yards on 44 plays through the first three quarters against Michigan St. before scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. Even more critical is the fact that Purdue can’t hold onto the football. Through five games, the Boilermakers have fumbled 10 times. Ohio St. and Minnesota are the only Big Ten teams who have fumbled more (14).
Turning the Corner? Not Quite.
Head coach Darrell Hazell took over the Purdue program before the 2013 season. He knows very well how hard it is for his program to win. After a 1-11 effort in the 2013 season, Purdue finished 3-9 in 2014. The former Kent State head coach is 5-24 overall in West Lafayette. Time will tell if the Boilermakers can eclipse last season’s three-win mark in 2015. It won’t be easy, as Purdue will eventually travel to face Wisconsin, Northwestern and Iowa. Purdue most recently played in a bowl game following the 2012 regular season.
Capitalizing on the FCS Cupcakes
Purdue’s sole victory this season came against FCS opponent Indiana St. They lost to Marshall, Virginia Tech, and Bowling Green before falling to the Spartans last weekend.
In conclusion, the Gophers will face a lower-level Big Ten squad in Purdue. Sadly, it almost feels like a must-win game for Minnesota if they want to content for the Big Ten West division. The Boilermakers have young talent at the offensive playmaker positions and have struggled defensively thus far. Last week’s result against Michigan St. should be a glaring indicator that this team should not be taken lightly. The Gophers failed to show any signs of life offensively against Northwestern last weekend. If the Gopher offense continues to demonstrate its identity crisis on Saturday, expect this game to be close until the end.
