| Get the hype train, pun intended, rolling around Purdue football. Purdue finished off a season where they beat a pair of top 3 teams, beat Tennessee in a bowl game, reached the top 25 for the first time in 14 years, and won the Bucket game by 37, the biggest win since 2008. Purdue received 14 votes in the preseason AP Poll, their highest preseason ranking since 2005, and the first time they received any votes at all since getting 1 in 2007. There is no coasting into the schedule either, opening up against one of the helmet schools, at home, on national television, in prime time. The Nittany Lions have had Purdue's number, 15-3-1 all time, including 9 in a row, dating back to 2004. Only 2 of those games were decided by less than two scores, and the last time they met put up 45 2nd half points, 62 total, a record for a visiting opponent in Ross Ade. The interesting matchup be Purdue's strength, which lost some key pieces, but returned a lot too, against Penn State's, which did the same. Lost in the Penn State mediocre season a year ago was just how good the defense was. It got defensive coordinator Brent Pry the Virginia Tech head coaching job. They held 11 opponents to 24 or fewer points, and still went 7-4 in those games. Aidan O'Connell might be the best NFL QB prospect in the conference, sorry C.J. Stroud. Per PFF O'Connell led the nation in elite throws, meaning passes that only elite arms are even capable of making. But he lost David Bell, easily his favorite target. Milton Wright is a nice player but is he a #1? Hopefully the show tight end Payne Durham put on in the Music City Bowl is a stepping stone to a big 2022. Durham had 17 receptions for 203 yards and 3 TDs over the first 3 games; and then just 18 receptions for 179 yards and 1 TD over the rest of the regular season, before a 5 catch, 85 yard, 2 TD bowl game. I think what was probably the conference's best defense a year ago should still be stout, too stout to get beaten by a one dimensional attack. The Boilermakers were #5 in the nation in passing yardage, and #127 in rushing. |
