Last season started off with a lot of promise for Purdue, as the Boilermakers started off 5-0. But, the rigors of the Big Ten schedule saw Purdue lose five of their last seven regular-season games. However, the season ended on a winning note, as the Boilermakers outlasted Central Michigan 51-48 in a thrilling Motor City Bowl that saw Purdue cough up a 21-point second-half lead before winning the game on a last-second field goal by Chris Summers.
This season, Purdue will be looking to send Joe Tiller out a winner, as their head man will hand the reins to already-appointed successor Danny Hope. Will Tiller have a memorable swansong, or will the Big Ten slate prove to be a little too big for the Boilermakers?
Purdue Boilermakers
Coach: Joe Tiller (12th season at Purdue, 83-54 record, 122-84 overall)
2007 Record: 8-5 (3-5 Big Ten), beat Central Michigan in Motor City Bowl
Starters Returning: 13 (6 offense, 6 defense, kicker/punter)
Key Returnees: QB Curtis Painter, RB Kory Sheets, RB Jaycen Taylor, WR Greg Orton, LT Sean Sester, RT Zach Jones, LG Zach Reckman, DE Keyon Brown, DT Ryan Baker, DT Alex Magee, LB Anthony Heygood, CB David Pender, FS Brandon King, K/P Chris Summers
Key Losses: WR Dorien Bryant, WR Selwyn Lymon, TE Dustin Keller, RG Jordan Grimes, C Robbie Powell, DE Cliff Avril, LB Stanford Keglar, LB Josh Ferguson, CB Terrell Vinson, SS Justin Scott, P Jared Armstrong
2008 Schedule
8/30 vs. Northern Colorado
9/13 vs. Oregon
9/20 vs. Central Michigan
9/27 at Notre Dame
10/04 vs. Penn State
10/11 at Ohio State
10/18 at Northwestern
10/25 vs. Minnesota
11/1 vs. Michigan
11/08 at Michigan State
11/15 at Iowa
11/22 vs. Indiana
Key Game: 9/13 vs. Oregon - The Ducks will come into Ross-Ade Stadium 2-0 and ranked in the top 20, and a win for the Boilermakers could propel them close to or into the top 25.
2008 Outlook
In recent years, Purdue has made a habit of starting strong and then faltering once they got into the heat of conference play.
In 2004, the Boilermakers started off 5-0, but they would finish 7-5, with all of their losses coming by four points or less. In 2006, they started 4-0, but the end result was an 8-6 finish. Last season, it was another excellent start for Purdue, as they started 5-0 on the way to an 8-5 campaign.
So, while it’s imperative that the Boilermakers get off to a good start this season on a slate that will test them right out of the gate (well, after Northern Colorado), it’s even more important that they finish just as strong to make Joe Tiller’s final season memorable for all the right reasons.
To do that requires winning big games, and when you think about what it takes to win those big games, you often think of the quarterback. Purdue has one of the top 2009 NFL Draft quarterback prospects in senior Curtis Painter, who threw for 3,846 yards and 29 touchdowns last season.
Painter enters his senior season with 8,763 yards and 55 touchdowns in three seasons, and if he starts the season the way he did last year, he could be at 10,000 yards and 70 touchdowns by the time Purdue faces Penn State in their Big Ten opener.
But more important than the gaudy numbers, for the sake of his standing in the eyes of scouts and for how well Purdue will do this season, Painter’s going to have to step up in the biggest of big games. He has done a great job of becoming more accurate and less mistake-prone (19 INTs in 2006, 11 in 2007), but his performances against better opponents have left something to be desired.
Of course, you can only expect so much from a quarterback if he doesn’t have at least some semblance of a running game behind him. Purdue could have that and then some, but it’s if and only if Kory Sheets and/or Jaycen Taylor can provide the punch that both undoubtedly have.
If you take a look at Kory Sheets’ numbers over the last three seasons, you’d see that they’ve improved little by little, and he enters the season with solid career numbers of 2,210 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns.
However, if there’s an epitome of Purdue’s rollercoaster fortunes, it’s him. Last season, he had three 100-yard games in the first five games of the season and scored touchdowns in four of those games. The next five? No 100-yard games, one touchdown. The last three? Six total touchdowns.
The season before? 10 touchdowns in the first three games, three the rest of the way. His freshman season in 2005? Six touchdowns in his first five games, one in the next five, finished the season with a 137-yard, 3-touchdown performance in a blowout of Indiana.
At his best, Sheets is a touchdown machine who’s just as reliable of a receiver as he is productive as a running back. If he’s not at his best, well that’s all the more carries for the Mohawk rockin’ Taylor, who will get regular carries either way, but you’d have to figure the more consistent (good consistent, not bad consistent) of the two will get at least a few more touches. Taylor ran for 560 yards in only nine games last season, and in his debut season in 2006, ran for 677 yards.
If both Sheets and Taylor can be consistently productive, Purdue could have one of the most balanced and productive offenses in the country, and a much more laid-back Painter, who has enough to think about already, since he’s going to be throwing to some new receivers this season.
Greg Orton is back, and he should be Painter’s go-to guy after catching 67 passes for 752 yards and three touchdowns last season, but he’s the only one of Purdue’s top five receivers to return, as the Boilermakers lose receivers Dorien Bryant, Selwyn Lymon, and Jake Standeford, along with TE Dustin Keller, who parlayed being one of the biggest revelations of this year’s NFL Combine into being drafted in the first round by the New York Jets. Keller’s replacement at tight end will be junior Kyle Adams, who had two touchdown receptions last season but will be counted on for much, much more this year.
Atop the depth chart at the other two starting receiver positions are senior Joe Whitest and JC transfer Aaron Valentin, who enrolled in the spring semester and made a big impression. Also in the mix are fifth-year seniors Desmond Tardy and Brandon Whittington, the only two who have catches to their name, and junior Keith Smith, who’s on his third position (formerly a QB and then a safety).
While production might be a question mark right now, protection won’t be, as three starters return on the offensive line. The left side of the line is set with the return of left tackle and All-American candidate Sean Sester and guard Zach Reckman, while another Zach, Zach Jones is back at right tackle.
Purdue allowed 149 points in their last four games last season. The first three were losses to Penn State (26-19), Michigan State (48-31), and Indiana (27-24), and the last one was the aforementioned Motor City Bowl thriller against Central Michigan, the third opponent on their 2008 slate.
Why is any of that information important? Because they’re going to be facing several tams that have very good offenses, and while I like seeing a ‘who can get to 50 first?’ shootout, that approach doesn’t always work.
Operation Stop ‘Em starts up front, where three of four starters return, with the exception of Cliff Avril. Tackles Alex Magee (38 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss) and Ryan Baker (22 tackles, 4 TFL) will be tasked with clogging the middle and stopping the run, while end Keyon Brown (21 tackles, 4 TFL, 3.5 sacks) needs to get into the backfield on a regular basis.
Opposite Brown, sophomore Ryan Kerrigan showed a lot of promise as a freshman and could be in for a big season in his first year as a starter. Speaking of true freshmen who could contribute, Robert Maci could get to make an impact right off the bat like Kerrigan.
The linebacker unit loses two starters in Stanford Keglar and Josh Ferguson, along with Dan Bick, but the one returning starter is one of the best in the Big Ten in senior Anthony Heygood, who had 81 tackles last season, 15 of which were for loss, and he also forced three fumbles. Slated to start (according to the trusty media guide) at the other two positions are senior and former safety Jason Werner on the weak side and junior Kevin Green in the middle.
The secondary, like the other two units, sees at least one key player depart. Gone is cornerback Terrell Vinson led the team in tackles (84), interceptions (5), and pass breakups (12), and he also had three sacks and seven TFL last year. So is strong safety Justin Scott, who finished third on the team with 73 tackles and in interceptions with three. But, there is a solid foundation in the defensive backfield with the return of junior corner David Pender and free safety Brandon King, who both had 44 tackles and an interception last season.
Also, Royce Adams, who’ll start at the other corner spot, has started 18 games in two seasons, and Torri Williams is a fifth-year senior who’d have a lot more experience if not for two serious injuries in his career.
All in all, Purdue’s defense has the potential to be very good, and it shouldn’t take long to find out just how good they can be, as is the case with the team overall.
Summers is slated to handle all of the kicking duties this season. As a freshman, Summers made only 8 of 20 field goals, but last season, he made 18 of 22 field goals, including the Motor City Bowl winner, and nailed all 51 of his extra-point attempts.
So, will Purdue start strong again and then fall back in the pack when they hit conference play? They have an excellent chance to be a top-25 team early on, but that ranking in September doesn’t matter if it’s not there in January. And if they want it to be there in January, they’re going to have to come through in some of the big games.
Where do the Boilermakers rank in our Big Ten Preview? Check it out here.
