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2007 Purdue Boilermakers Game Preview

3yardsandacloud

Administrator Emeritus

purd07.jpg


2007 Purdue Boilermakers Game Preview
written by:
BB73, BuckeyeRyn, Buckeyeskickbuttocks, Bucklion, DaddyBigBucks, Hubbard, jwinslow, OSUBucks22, and 3yardsandacloud




Preface
This week the Buckeyes head to West Lafayette, Indiana to play another Saturday night game against Purdue. Ohio State is 29-11 all-time in night games, including a 23-10 mark for road games under the lights. Under Jim Tressel, tOSU is 6-4 in night games (4-3 for road games at night).

Against ranked opponents, the Buckeyes are 119-100-12 all-time, with the mark being 33-39-7 when playing at a ranked opponent. Tressel-led Buckeye squads are 25-9 against ranked teams, including 5-4 when playing a ranked team on the road.

Ohio State has taken an undefeated team (with at least 4 wins) into West Lafayette seven times. Ohio State has won 6 of those contests, with the only defeat being a 4-0 team that lost by a 23-28 margin in 1984. Ohio State is 11-6 all-time in West Lafayette, but Purdue has won two of the last three. The lone Buckeye victory in the last three visits to Ross-Ade Stadium resulted in Brent Musburger's memorable call of 'Holy Buckeye' in 2002.

The Buckeyes have only yielded 36 points through 5 games this year. Since World War II, only 4 other teams have allowed 36 or fewer points through 5 games.

Fewest points allowed by tOSU through 5 games, since 1945:
36 - 2007
36 - 1975
31 - 1961
20 - 1973
20 - 1964

If Beanie Wells gains 100 yards on the ground this week, he will become the first tOSU running back to record 5 straight 100-yard games since Jonathan Wells in 2001.

Purdue's highest final ranking in the major polls in a #5 spot in 1943. They had a strong run in the late '60s, finishing 6th, 9th, and 10th respectively in 1966, '67, and '68. Their only other top-10 finish was a 10th place spot in the final poll of the 1979 season.

Their only outright Big Ten championship was in 1929. They have shared 6 other conference titles, most recently by the Drew Brees team that went to the Rose Bowl after the 2000 season.

Joe Tiller is one of only three head coaches since World War II to have a winning record. Jack Mollenkopf went 84-39-9 (.670) from 1956 through 1969, and his 1968 team held the #1 ranking until they were downed 13-0 in Columbus, by the SuperSoph led team that went on to win a National Championship. Jim Young's teams went 38-19-1 (.664) from 1977 through 1981, before he went to coach Army. But none of the head men will ever approach the mark of Knowlton "Snake" Ames, who went 12-0 in 1891-92.

In the 15 years prior to Tiller's arrival, Purdue's overall record was 54-107-5 (.340). During his 10 full seasons plus this partial one, Tiller has a mark of 80-49 (.620), and has led the Boilers to 9 of their 14 bowl appearances.

Curtis Painter is the latest in a long line of successful QBs at Purdue. He follows in the footsteps of Bob DeMoss, Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps, Gary Danielson, Mark Herrmann, Jim Everett, and Drew Brees.

Another team based in Indiana is sharing the prime time ABC time slot with tOSU-Purdue. If that team loses at UCLA, they will tie their longest losing streak of all time (8 straight, set in 1960).

And congratulations to play-by-play man Paul Keels, who will be inducted into the Radio Television Broadcaster's Hall of Fame of Ohio on Sunday.​




Date and Time
Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2007
Time: 8:00 EDT Kick-off
Location: Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette, IN)
Constructed: 1924 (Renovation Phase 1 of 3 was completed in 2003)
Seating Capacity: 62,500 (originally 13,500)
Playing Surface: Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) - Natural Grass (Bermuda)

Broadcast Information:
TV Broacast: ABC: Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (Analysis), and Lisa Salters (Sideline)
Radio Broadcast: Ohio State Radio Network (WBNS 1460TheFan in Columbus): Paul Keels (Play-by-play), Jim Lachey (Analysis), and Marty Bannister (Sideline)
Sirius Satellite Radio: Channel 122​




2007 Purdue Boilermakers Offensive Preview


Returning starters: 9

After disposing of the Gophers with little fanfare, the Buckeyes get a big test this week in the Boilermakers. Purdue's offense has been very good since Joe Tiller arrived on campus, and this season it looks like they have the personnel to make it work very effectively and bounce back from the past 2 relatively disappointing seasons. They are off to a 5-0 start, and though the level of competition has been low, the offense has been impressive.

Last season the Boilermakers were good on offense moving the ball as usual. They ranked 13th nationally with 426.9 yards a game, of which they ranked 6th in passing at 291.6 yards a game, and 76th at 124.1 yards a game running the football. However, all of those yards didn't translate to a lot of points, as their 26.0 PPG average ranked a disappointing 76th. They did pile up a lot of 1st downs (21.8 per game, 11th), and converted a high percentage of their 3rd downs (47.1%, 13th). However they turned the ball over way too much, and they didn't finish a lot of drives off in touchdowns. So, as they entered 2007, they had plenty to work on despite piling up a lot of yards in 2006.

This year, their offense has led them to their perfect start. They have an average of a whopping 502 yards a game so far, good for 11th nationally. They continue to throw the football well, ranking 14th nationally at 309.8 yards a game, and they are also running the football a lot better, gaining 186 yards a game and ranking a very respectable 36th. They've translated that into points this season, piling up over 45 a game and ranking 8th nationally. They're also in the top 5 in moving the chains (28.7 first downs a game, 5th) and they are still converting a healthy amount of their 3rd downs (42%, 47th). They haven't turned the ball over as much and they have cashed in yards into points, all of which has led Purdue to look very formidable for the Big Ten the rest of the way.


Quarterbacks
QB #12 Curtis Painter (6-4, 223, SR, Lincoln HS, Vincennes, IN)

After getting some significant playing time in 2005, Painter was the man trusted to continue the "basketball on grass" offense last year, and he responded by throwing for almost 4000 yards while completing almost 60% of his passes. That was the really good news. The bad news was though he threw for 22 TDs, he also threw 19 INTs and was sacked 20 times. The turnovers killed the Boilermakers last year, and were one of the main factors in their somewhat disappointing 8-6 season.

This season, Painter has been much, much better with the decisions he has made to this point. He has thrown for 1542 yards through 5 games, and his TD/INT ratio is a stellar 18/3. He's also only been sacked 4 times in 5 games. He's also been very consistently good, throwing for 250 yards or more the past 4 games (including over 300 3 times) and has thrown at least 3 TD passes in 4 of 5 games. He made a few poor decisions in the 2nd half last week against the Irish, where he had probably his worst game, throwing for 250 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 of his 3 INTs on the season. Before that he had thrown for 348 yards and 6 scores against Eastern Illinois, 360 yards and 3 TDs against Central Michigan, and he opened conference play by hitting Minnesota for 338 yards and 3 TDs. Granted, the level of competition has not been particularly high thus far, but it is hard to argue with the results, which are that he can throw for the same type of yardage he did last season, while making much better decisions and avoiding the rush better by getting rid of the ball quicker. His play has been stellar so far, and he will be a big challenge for the Buckeye defense this weekend.

The backup is junior Joey Elliott (#14), who has thrown just 4 passes this season. This is his second season as the primary backup, but he threw only 10 passes last season, so he doesn't have a lot of quality game experience.

QB Rating: A

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus Ohio State QBs

Painter (P/R): 136/203 (67.0%), 1542 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INTs, 157.1 rating; 12/8, 0 TDs

Boeckman (P/R): 75/115 (65.2%), 969 yards, 12 TDs, 3 INTs, 165.2 rating; 12/-4, 0 TDs

Boeckman has been everything the Buckeyes could have hoped for so far, moving the ball efficiently, not turning it over, and running an efficient offense, leading the team to an undefeated record. He also played well on the road in Washington, the toughest environment for either team thus far in the season. On the other hand, it's hard to argue with Painter's numbers and his significant improvement in his decision, his turnovers, and his avoiding the pass rush. He'll get by far his biggest test of the year, and we'll know a lot more about Painter's place in the legacy of great Purdue QBs (which includes NFL HOFers Bob Griese and Len Dawson) in the coming weeks. Neither team has a great deal of depth, so the edge goes to Painter for his experience and his production thus far, though Boeckman has been very good for the Buckeyes.

Edge: Purdue


Running Backs
TB #24 Kory Sheets (6-0, 206, SR, Bloomfield HS, Manchester, CT)

Sheets is a senior who fills his role as a multi-dimensional in this offense well. He is a quality runner with plenty of experience and he led the team last year with 780 yards and 11 rushing TDs, while also catching 28 passes for 2 scores. This year he already has 515 yards rushing and has caught 15 passes, so his role is as important as ever. He's gained over 100 yards on the ground the past 3 games, including 111 and a TD against Minnesota in conference play and 141 and a TD last weekend against the Irish. He doesn't really break huge runs, as his long this season is 23, but his average per carry is good at almost 6 per and he has reasonably good speed once he hits a hole. He's also caught a dozen passes the past 3 weeks, so he will probably be heavily involved as a receiver this weekend. He's a good player with good talent, and is a good fit for this offense.

The backup is Dan Dierking (#25), a freshman with good talent. He has 165 yards this season so far and has scored twice. He won't get a great deal of work, but he had at least 7 carries in 3 games thus far, so expect a handful this weekend against the Buckeyes. He's not much of a change-of-pace player, but seems to be similar to Sheets and can provide some fresh energy.

RB Rating: B+

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus Ohio State RBs

Sheets: 89/515 yards, 5 TDs, 5.8 YPC; 15 rec/97 yards, 1 TDs, 6.5 YPR
Dierking: 29/165 yards, 2 TDs, 5.7 YPC; 0 rec/0 yards, 0 TDs, 0.0 YPR

C Wells: 96/540 yards, 5 TDs, 5.6 YPC; 3 rec/13 yards, 0 TDs, 4.3 YPR
M Wells: 51/174 yards, 2 TDs, 3.4 YPC; 7 rec/36 yards, 0 TDs, 5.1 YPR

Sheets is a very good player in the Purdue system, and Wells is a very good player in the Buckeye system. Both players have very similar numbers, though their styles are different and they do different things based on the gameplans of their respective coaching staffs. The backups have similar numbers as well, as they are able to provide quality snaps when they are in the game and give the starters some much needed rest with little drop-off in production. There's plenty to argue in terms of the "better" player here, but given the relatively equal production at both the starting and backup slots, call the unit matchup even, as both should play well and contribute plenty to their teams this weekend.

Edge: Even


Wide Receivers
WR #1 Selwyn Lymon (6-4, 215, JR, Harding HS, Fort Wayne, IN)
WR #9 Dorien Bryant (5-10, 175, SR, Fork Union Military Academy, Swedesboro, NJ)
WR #21 Greg Orton (6-3, 199, JR, Wayne HS, Dayton, OH)

Of course the numbers here are larger than many schools by how much they throw the ball, but don't let the system fool you...there is plenty of talent here. Bryant is the crown jewel of the group and one of the better receivers in the country. He led the Boilermakers in receiving in both 2005 and 2006, catching at least 80 passes each year (80 and 87 respectively), and last year he topped the 1000 yard mark with 1068 yards. His TD numbers haven't been large, with 4 and 6 the past 2 seasons, but he has 4 already this year and appears headed to double digits in that category as well. He's got great speed, runs good routes, and can burn a good defense deep. He also carries the ball in a variety of ways, with 19 last season and 7 already this year, so look for him to get the ball on end-arounds and reverses this weekend to take advantage of his considerable speed and talent. He torched Minnesota in Purdue's only conference contest thus far for 12 catches, 150 yards, and 2 scores, and had 8 catches last week against the Irish. Bryant is a big-time player, and there is really no doubt about it.

Bryant isn't the only good receiver in this group. Orton is currently 3rd on the team with 18 catches for 233 yards and 2 scores. He's a tall target that can be a problem for shorter DBs, and he had a big year last year, catching 58 passes for 790 yards and 5 TDs. He's caught 3 passes each of the previous 3 games. Lymon is a big target who can wreak havoc over the middle and in the red zone. After catching 33 balls for 580 yards last year, he has 16 catches and 2 TDs so far this season. He's been a bit less involved the past 2 weeks, catching only 6 passes, but he could be a factor on Saturday. With the explosiveness of Bryant, these players get a lot of single coverage, and both are good enough to take advantage of it. This unit causes matchup problems galore, and the Buckeyes will have their hands full this weekend.

In terms of production, the drop-off to the second unit is considerable. Senior veteran Jake Standeford (#88) should see plenty of action, and has caught 10 passes for 105 yards this year so far, including 4 passes the past 2 games. Beyond that, there isn't a lot. Senior Desmond Tardy (#6) has 6 catches, and fellow senior Brandon Whittington (#19) has only 1. This is a very veteran group, both up front and in the back-up slots, but there hasn't been much production past the first 3 players.

WR Rating: A

Head-to-Head: Lymon: 16 catches, 172 yards, 2 TDs, 10.8 YPR
Bryant: 40 catches, 450 yards, 4 TDs, 11.3 YPR
Orton: 18 catches, 233 yards, 2 TDs, 12.9 YPR

Robiskie: 25 catches, 530 yards, 6 TDs, 21.2 YPR
Hartline: 19 catches, 211 yards, 2 TDs, 11.1 YPR
Small: 4 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD, 18.0 YPR

Bryant is a superstar, and has been for the past 3 seasons. For the Buckeyes, Robiskie has also demonstrated plenty of star quality. Beyond that, Hartline has been solid, and has plenty of game experience, while veterans Lymon and Orton continue their very solid production opposite Bryant. Obviously, with the numbers this offense puts up, the receivers will look more impressive on paper, but this is a quality group with more experience and with the best player of the bunch, so the edge goes to the Boilermakers.

Edge: Purdue


Tight Ends
TE #28 Dustin Keller (6-4, 240, SR, Jefferson HS, Lafayette, IN)

If you are a fan that likes receiving tight ends, you will like Dustin Keller. He is quite simply one of the nation's best, catching 56 passes for 771 yards and 4 TDs last year, numbers almost unheard of for the position in the college game. This year he has 20 catches for 319 yards and 5 TDs already, and he's caught at least 4 balls in each of the past 4 games, so he is also a very consistent contributor. He also has good size and is a capable blocker, so he should have a future in the NFL. For now, expect to see a lot of him on Saturday, and the Buckeye defenders had better be paying attention to him.

TE Rating: A

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus Ohio State TEs

Keller: 20 catches, 319 yards, 5 TDs, 16.0 YPR

Nicol: 7 catches, 38 yards, 0 TDs, 5.4 YPR

Keller is a star, and though Nicol is solid in the Buckeye scheme, Keller is clearly one of the nation's premier pass-catching ends.

Edge: Purdue


Offensive Line
LT #74 Sean Sester (6-7, 325, SR, Highlands HS, Fort Thomas, KY)
LG #75 Zach Reckman (6-6, 295, JR, Indian Hill HS, Cincinnati, OH)
C #68 Robbie Powell (6-5, 307, SR, Fork Union Military Academy, Roanoke, VA)
RG #66 Jordan Grimes (6-3, 325, SR, Plainfield HS, Plainfield, IN)
RT #61 Zach Jones (6-5, 300, JR, Plainfield HS, Plainfield, IN)

This is a physical and veteran group with a lot of game experience. The best of the group is probably Grimes, a monster who began his career as the first lineman to play as a true freshman at Purdue since 1993. He started 11 games at right guard and was named 2nd team All-Big Ten in 2005, then started 14 games last year and was named 2nd team All-Big Ten again. He is a bona fide mauler in the interior. Sester moves over to left tackle after starting all 14 games as a right tackle last season and 11 games the previous season. He was named to several freshman All-American teams his first season, and continues to develop his stellar play. He's a big, physical lineman who won the team's "Pit Bull" award in the spring. Powell started 11 games at left guard in 2005, then moved to center and started all 14 games last season. He's a versatile and veteran player who knows a good deal about playing the interior. Jones and Reckman didn't play the past 2 seasons, but are both getting an opportunity now to start.

There's plenty of veteran depth here as well. Seniors Garrett Miller (#51) and Elliot Hood (#55) man the tackle spots, while senior Cory Benton (#78) is at center. Eric Hedstrom (#50) and Justin Pierce (#72) are the primary backups at the guard position.

OL Rating: B

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus Ohio State OL

It's hard to argue with the success of this group, who has paved the way for an explosive offense and given up only 4 sacks of their starting QB thus far. They'll get a big test this week with the Buckeye line. This is a solid group to be sure, but the Buckeye line has lots of experience and star power, so they get the edge. Both groups have played very well thus far.

Edge: Ohio State


Overall Offensive Analysis

Purdue is an explosive offense, and it is clear that the "basketball on grass" is back, though this team also has plenty of talent and can run the ball effectively as well. They key for them will be to spread the ball around early, keeping the Buckeyes off balance, in order to hit them with Bryant as the game progresses. They will also have to maintain a balance on offense, because the Buckeyes are too good on defense to be one-dimensional. The Buckeyes had little trouble with Minnesota last week, so it will be up to Painter to make good decisions and get rid of the ball quickly to nullify the Buckeye line. Protection and decision-making will be pivotal. Expect a good deal of offense, and this will be a very entertaining game to watch. So far the Boilermakers have looked stellar, but they looked a bit vulnerable in the 2nd half last week as Notre Dame pulled the game close. Much more will be known about both teams involved when the final whistle sounds Saturday night.

Overall Offensive Rating: A-




2007 Purdue Boilermakers Defensive Preview


Returning Starters: 9

Eleventh year Defensive Coordinator Brock Spack returns nine starters from a 2006. The 4-3 scheme run by Spack and Purdue had a hard time stopping anyone in 2006, allowing 26.7 points per game while giving up a league worst 191.2 yards per game on the ground, and another 241.2 through the air. With the return of so much experience, however, Purdue looks to improve on these numbers in 2007.

Early indications with respect to that goal are mixed. While Purdue has shown an early improvement in the scoring department, giving up 20.4 points per game (39th in the nation, 7th in the Big Ten), the pass defense has still remained near the bottom of the NCAA allowing some 257 yards per contest (92nd in the nation, 10th in the Big Ten). Some consolation is provided in the run defense performing better thus far, but it is not yet close to elite, giving up 127.4 yards per game (45th in the nation, 8th in the Big Ten.) Overall, however, Purdue's 2007 unit is ahead of only Minnesota in the Big Ten (58th nationally) allowing 384.4 yards per game. Still, Purdue is doing a better job on third downs thus far in 2007 than in 2006, giving up only 25 conversions in 85 attempts against, good for a 29.4 percentage, second among all Big Ten defenses.

The team giving up less 3rd down conversions? Ohio State, at 28.4 percent. Ohio State, by way of contrast with Purdue, checks in to week 6 the number 2 total defense in the nation, allowing just 197.6 yards per game. The top rated unit in the Big Ten, Ohio State affords opponents only 7.2 points a game on 55 yards rushing and 142.6 yards through the air. In no category mentioned above is Ohio State worse than 6th nationally (Pass Defense) and in each they lead the way in the conference. It will be interesting to see how the Buckeyes handle Purdue's able offense, which presently ranks among the nations best at moving the ball.


Defensive Line
LE #32 Cliff Avril (6-3 251 SR)
LT #90 Ryan Baker (6-5 288 SR)
RT #71 Alex Magee (6-4 295 JR)
RE #95 Keyon Brown (6-3 241 JR)

Defensive End Cliff Avril is the main man on the Boilermaker line. A former Linebacker, Avril brings great speed off the edge, which has translated in to a team leading 3 sacks and 5 TFLs so far in 2007. Avril has 3 pass break-ups to his credit, along with a 43 yard interception and a fumble recovery. Magee, while having good size, isn't the most physical of DTs, but moves pretty good for a big man. He has recorded 8 tackles, half a sack and a fumble recovery this year. Ryan Baker represents the Boilermaker's best interior pass rusher. A former Tight End, Baker has a sack and 7 tackles in 2007. Finally, Keyon Brown, the lone new face on the line, looks to provide a solid bookend to Avril off the other edge. He has seven tackles thus far.

The second unit is comprised of two junior DTs; #92 Mike Neal (6-4 293) and #54 Jared Zwilling (6-4 297), and two senior DEs; #45 Eugene Bright (6-4 254) and #87 Mike McDonald (6-2 250). Bright passes the look test and has shown ability to get to the quarterback. He is tied with Avril for most tackles among linemen with 11 and has a sack to his credit. Neal came to Purdue as a DE prospect, but has moved inside. He has 7 tackles, 2 for loss and 1 sack. Zwilling and McDonald have 4 and 3 tackles respectively. Though not on the 2-deep, Freshman #94 Ryan Kerrigan (6-4 246) has also seen action in each game this season, recording 5 tackles with a sack.

OL Rating: C+

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus OSU DL

Vernon Gholston - 12 Tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3.0 Sacks, 1 Fumble Rec.
Todd Denlinger - 10 Tackles, 1 TFL
Doug Worthington - 9 Tackles
Robert Rose - 3 Tackles

The Buckeyes do a much better job than does Purdue in 4 man rush situations and have held opponents to far fewer rushing yards per game than have the Boilermakers. The depth of the Buckeyes rotation is such that one has a hard time noticing any difference when second teamers are on the field. While the Buckeyes have had the misfortune of losing Lawrence Wilson for all but a few snaps this year, it is unlikely the Boilermakers could absorb such a loss with such relative ease. While the Boilermakers, like the Buckeyes, are relatively quick group they need to be much more physical against the run to be considered a top D-line in the conference.

Edge: Ohio State


Linebackers
OLB #42 Anthony Heygood (6-2 230 SR)
MLB #17 Josh Ferguson (6-3 242 SR)
WLB #59 Stanford Keglar (6-2 247 SR)

Keglar leads the way for Purdue's senior laden Linebackers. Tied for the team lead in tackles with 34, Keglar has 3 TFLs and 2 pass break-ups. Keglar moves well in space and as a 5th year senior knows what is expected of him schematically. In the Middle, Josh Ferguson gets an opportunity to re-establish himself after losing half of 2006 to a broken hip. 3rd on the team in tackles with 31, he also has 2 TFLs. Heygood mans the strong side. A former running back, Heygood has both the speed and range for the weak side, but brings a certain degree of toughness which has been lacking on the strong side. He has 25 tackles, and leads the team with 6 TFLs.

The second unit is made up by #29 Jason Werner (6-4 208 JR) on the weak side, #36 Dan Bick (6-1 25 S) in the middle, and #57 Tyler Haston (6-3 222 FR) on the strong side. As a starter in 2006 Bick, while not particularly quick to the quarterback or strong in coverage, was the team leader in tackles with 95. While not in the starting role in 2007, he is still 4th on the team in tackles with 28, two for loss with a sack. Werner has recorded 8 tackles, and Haston, in his first year in West Lafayette, 3.

LB Rating: C

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus OSU LBs

James Laurinaitis - 43 Tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 3 Sacks, 2 INT
Marcus Freeman - 28 Tackles, 4 TFL, 1 Sack
Larry Grant - 15 Tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2 Sacks, 1 INT

For the sixth consecutive week, Ohio State will field the better linebacking corps. While the Purdue group can get the job done, they don't take the fight to you like the Buckeyes unit is capable of doing. Each of Laurinaitis, Freeman and Grant are stronger in pass coverage than any of the Boilermaker's LBs, and have been far more disruptive in opposing backfields as well. Regarding depth, Bick is about as solid as they come, but the Buckeyes can counter with Austin Spitler, Ross Homan and Thad Gibson. Spitler and Homan are the top two non-starters on the team in tackles, with 15 and 12 respectively. The Boilermaker LBs seem to be asked to do too much for the defense, trying to make up for the line's run stopping problems and ability to get pressure on QBs, while also having coverage responsibilities.

Edge: Ohio State


Secondary
RCB #10 Royce Adams (6-0 183 SO)
FS #7 Branden King (5-11 192 JR)
SS #23 Justin Scott (6-0 209 SR)
LCB #5 Terrell Vinson (5-9 180 SR)

For better or worse, Purdue returns its entire secondary from 2006. The unit is led by Vinson who is tied with Keglar for the team lead in tackles with 34 and is also tied for the team lead in interceptions with 2. An active player, Vinson has 2 stops behind the line as well as one sack. On the other side is Cleveland Glenville product Royce Adams. Adams showed enough ability to earn the starter's role as a Freshman and has 13 tackles and a break-up so far in 2007. Justin Scott might be the best overall DB. Able to bring the wood, Scott has picked off two passes and is 5th on the team in tackles with 27, 1 for loss. Former QB prospect and Purdue's 2006 "Most Improved Player" award winner Branden King has 17 tackles through the first 5 games.

Depth is provided by Corners; #35 David Pender (6-1 180 SO), #26 Aaron Lane (5-9 174 SR) and #15 Charlton Williams (6-2 190 FR), and by Safeties; #20 Brandon Erwin (6-0 188 SO), and #2 Torri Williams (6-2 217 SR). Williams has had an injury plagued career, suffering a knee injury in 2006 and missing all of 2005 with a broken leg. He began the year in the dog house for off the field issues, he's come on to record 14 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 Sack and an INT. Lane, not on the 2-deep, has record 11 tackles this year. Pender has 10 tackles to his credit and Erwin 1.

DB Rating: C-

Head-to-Head: Purdue versus OSU DBs

Malcom Jenkins - 16 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INTs, 3 BrUp
Donald Washington - 10 Tackles
Anderson Russell - 27 Tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 Sack, 2 BrUp
Kurt Coleman - 26 Tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 1 BrUp, 1 Blk

Far from being a liability, Ohio State's secondary is among the nation's best. Jenkins continues to build a reputation as a guy you should never think about throwing at, but will surely see some action against Curtis Painter. Washington is quietly very solid on the other side, while Russell and Coleman do nothing but make play after play after play. While the starting four are outstanding, Ohio State has exceptional depth, including Chimdi Chekwa (11 Tackles, 1 TFL and a pick) and Jamario O'Neal (9 Tackles, 1 TFL) among others. Purdue gives up far too many yards and does not display the kind of consistency you need from the Secondary to be considered on par with the Buckeyes.

Edge: Ohio State


Overall Defensive Analysis

Purdue fans must feel some frustration considering where the Boilermaker Defense has gone since the last time the Buckeyes and the Boilermakers met. Once a fairly solid group, the last few years, Purdue has struggled to field a unit which can keep the opposition from outscoring its own offense. It all begins up front, where Purdue needs to assert both a solid four man rush, as well as the ability to slow down effective running games. A stronger, more aggressive line translates in to helping the secondary by not having to cover for so long each play. The Linebackers are not an attacking group and need to find a way to create more havoc and make plays. While this group is better than the Buckeyes previous foe Minnesota, it is still a unit which has a long way to go to be formidable.

Overall Defensive Rating: C




2007 Purdue Boilermakers Special Teams Preview


Returning Starters: 4

This is a veteran group returning with the only new guy being one of the kick returners and he is having a great year so far. They are having a solid year and are coming off a trouncing of Notre Dame (obviously).


Special Teams
P #11 Jared Armstrong (6-3 234 SR)
PK #13 Chris Summers (6-1 185 SO)
PR #9 Dorien Bryant (5-10 175 SR)
KR #9 Dorien Bryant (5-10 175 SR)
KR #6 Desmond Tardy (6-1 199 SR)
LS #62 Andy Huffman (6-3 287 JR)

Kicking Game:
A Ray Guy Award watch list member, Jared Armstrong, heads the punting game. So far this season he has 19 punts averaging 39.5 per with a long of 56. He has put 4 inside the 20 and so far has not had a block.

The kicker, Chris Summers is coming off a great performance against Notre Dame where he went 4/4 on field goals. He is 8/10 on field goals for the year with a long of 44, but he has had one attempt blocked. He also handles the kickoffs.

Kicking Game Rating: A-

Head-to-Head: A.J. Trapasso and Ryan Pretorius vs. Jared Armstrong and Chris Summers

This is a close one, I give the kickers a tie, they are pretty closely matched and Armstrong is no slouch, but Trapasso (also on the Ray Guy Award watch list) continues to be a weapon for us.

Edge: Ohio State


Return Game:
Dorien Bryant and Desmond Tardy are both the starting kick returners and punt returners with Bryant the experienced guy, but they both bring talent to the table. On the punt return side they aren't bad in any way, Bryant averaging 11.5 per and Tardy averaging 20.5 on only two attempts though, neither has taken a punt to the house.

Where these two excel however, is in the kick return department. Dorien Bryant was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of The Week for the opening week against Toledo where he returned a kickoff 91 yards to the house. This was Bryant's second return of his career, the first being against Northwestern in 2005. Then Tardy on the opening kickoff of the Minnesota game took 95 yards to the end zone as well.

Return Game Rating: A

Head-to-Head: Small/Wells/The Brians vs. Dorien Bryant and Desmond Tardy

Like I have been saying for a few weeks, Small is going to be good, just needs to stay healthy, which is a long shot. The other guys are steady, but none brings that gasp when he touches the ball waiting for something to happen like Ray does. Small is a big step up, but Bryant and Tardy are having a great year so far.

Edge: Purdue


Overall Special Teams Analysis

This is by far the best overall special teams unit we have faced. We better bring our A game, because if we don't I can see one of their returners gashing us. I don't expect any missed field goals, shanked punts or any blocked kicks this week to give us a momentum burst that we may need. OSU better play sound ball in all aspects of this game.

Overall Special Teams Rating: A




Predictions
BB73's prediction: 34-23, Ohio State
BuckeyeRyn's prediction: 31-21, Ohio State
Buckeyeskickbuttocks' prediction: 38-17, Ohio State
Bucklion's prediction: 31-27, Ohio State
DaddyBigBucks's prediction: 37-15, Ohio State
daddyphatsac's prediction: 34-24, Ohio State
Hubbard's prediction: 41-10, Ohio State
jwinslow's prediction: ??-??, Ohio State
OSUBucks22's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State
OSUsushichic's prediction: 31-17, Ohio State
3yardsandacloud's prediction: 35-18, Ohio State


Previous Game's Results (OSU 30 - Minnesota 7)
Low score wins the year long battle of prediction supremacy! (Difference of actual score versus predicted score. 10 point penalty for picking the losing team.)
(1, 19, 10, 18, 15 = 63) OSUBucks22's: 44-6, Ohio State (14 + 1 = 15 + 48 last week)
(11, 14, 10, 12, 21 = 68) DaddyBigBucks's prediction: 42-16, Ohio State (12 + 9 = 21 + 47 last week)
(4, 29, 9, 23, 17 = 72) BB73's prediction: 37-17, Ohio State (7 + 10 = 17 + 55 last week)
(0, 29, 15, 22, 14 = 72) OSUSushichic's prediction: 42-9, Ohio State (12 + 2 = 14 + 58 last week)
(2, 22, 18, 28, 17 = 77) 3yardsandacloud's prediction: 42-12, Ohio State (12 + 5 = 17 + 60 last week)
(0, 33, 17, 25, 14 = 79) Hubbard's prediction: 41-10, Ohio State (11 + 3 = 14 + 65 last week)
(7, 25, 14, 40, 11 = 97) Buckeyeryn's prediction: 35-13, Ohio State (5 + 6 = 11 + 86 last week)
(10, 30, 15, 25 = 99) jwinslow's prediction: 45-3, Ohio State (15 + 4 = 19 + 80 last week)
(7, 22, 12, DNP (40), DNP (22) = 103) daddyphatsac's prediction: ?-?, Ohio State (0 + 0 = 22 + 81 last week)
(17, 22, 16, 27, 22 = 104) Bucklion's prediction: 38-21, Ohio State (8 + 14 = 22 + 82 last week)
(16, 33, 10, 28, 19 = 106) Buckeyeskickbuttocks' prediction: 48-6, Ohio State (18 + 1 = 19 + 87 last week)

Adjusted scores for weeks missed. Participant must take the highest score from the week they missed:




 
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BP staff deserves many kudos for these previews. Good analysis, factual information, a lot of good stuff. Sometimes, these valuable contributors get overlooked, so let's make sure the "silent majority" gives them their due. Looking forward to the game, and the next preview, as well. Thanks to those who took the time to piece this together.
 
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