Big Ten - Purdue

Purdue - Purdue is known for quarterback play. More recently Drew Brees and Kyle Orton come to mind and Curtis Painter was expected to play well last season. He struggled at times last season and the team did with him. Joey Elliott will be the starter this season, looking unimpressive in very limited action the pass couple seasons. Elliott is a senior this season and the fact he was third on the depth chart last season gives a bleak outlook for Boilermaker fans. Jaycen Taylor will be the starter at running back pending a successful recovery from a knee injury last season and could be even better than his predecessor Kory Sheets. The defense is middle of the pack, but where the Boilermakers are really going to struggle is in the trenches. The line probably won't protect too well and that could affect both Taylor's play and that of Elliott's development. It's a shame how Purdue struggled last season, but success doesn't seem near and Purdue will finish in the basement of the Big Ten this season.

Strength - Running Back
It's kind of a stretch to call running back a strength with a guy coming off an ACL tear, but Taylor was very good before the tear. He has a 5.6 career ypc with 37 receptions to his name after he transferred in from junior college. Al-Terek McBurse is the highest rated freshman in Purdue's recruiting class and could see action this season in the back-up role to Taylor. Taylor and McBurse will provide different styles of play as McBurse is 24 pounds heavier than Taylor and thats comparing a senior to a freshman. The passing game is going to be very weak this season and Purdue will have to rely on the running game with the weak pass protection.

Weakness - The rest of the offense
The passing attack is pathetic. Joey Elliott was a decent recruit out of high school, but he has done minimal in his first three years playing for the Boilermakers. The offensive line is potentially the worst in the Big Ten and breaking in a new quarterback is going to be hard. Sacks shouldn't be hard to come by for opposing team, which is what will give Indiana the advantage in their head to head match-up. Keith Smith provides a solid option at receiver, but he didn't average over 10 ypc last season and is not a breakaway type of threat. The rest of the receivers and tight ends are very raw in game production.

Key Game - 11/21/09 @Indiana
Purdue is going to be the underdog in this game like every other game in Big Ten play. They also play Notre Dame and Oregon out of conference and unless something crazy happens both of those games will be losses. Indiana presents a bad matchup for Purdue. Indiana's weakness is their secondary. Purdue's passing game is subpar. Purdue struggles against strong defensive lines, Indiana has the best end duo in the conference potentially. Expect Middleton and Kirlew to go off for 3 or more combined sacks in this game. Purdue will be lucky to match the win total of 4 from last season and Boilermaker fans might as well start looking forward to basketball season.

Key Player - Joey Elliott
Elliott should be the starter. He's completed 55% of his passes in back up roles over his 3 year career with a 2-2 ratio. He hasn't had the opportunity to be the man yet and that should worry fans as he wasn't the first option last season when Painter struggled. Justin Siller was okay, but nothing to excited about. The running game will be fine, but Elliott must prove that he can make quick decisions in the passing game. The line will probably break down fast and Elliott will be needed to make plays not only with his arm but with his feet. If Elliott could put up decent numbers with a green bunch of receivers, he should be commended even if it doesn't result in many wins.

Impact Freshman - Al-Terek McBurse

Predicted Big Ten finish - 11th

Top 5 Players
1. RB Jaycen Taylor
2. DE Ryan Kerrigan
3. DT Mike Neil
4. WR Keith Smith
5. CB David Pender

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