First Glance Preview: Hoosiers Host Purdue in Old Oaken Bucket Showdown Nov. 24th

Purdue is riding high after 2017 Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle

Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket has heated up since the arrival of Jeff Brohm and for the first time in many years, both fanbases feel good about the overall direction of their program. The stakes for this game are always high with the Bucket on the line. With in-state recruiting battles and potential bowl bids up for grabs, to paraphrase the great Ron Burgundy, “this is kind of a big deal”.

Week 13 – Purdue Boilermakers

Date & Time: Saturday, November 24 (Time: TBA)

Venue: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

TV: TBA

Boilermakers at a Glance

Head Coach: Jeff Brohm

Entering his 5th season overall and his second season in West Lafayette

Overall Record: 37-16

At Purdue: 7-6

Purdue Last Season: 7-6

Boilermaker Returning Leaders

Passing: Elijah Sindelar (2,099 yards, 56.8%)

Rushing: Markell Jones (566 yards, 5.01 ypc)

Receiving: Jackson Anthrop (47 receptions for 423 yards)

Tackles: Markus Bailey (89 tackles)

Pre-Season Predictions

Athlon: 3rd in Big Ten West

Lindy’s: 4th in Big Ten West

Street & Smith’s: 3rd in Big Ten West

Phil Steele: 6th in Big Ten West

Impact Newcomers for Boilermakers

Rondale Moore, WR, Louisville, KY – The speedy 4-star is undersized but ultra-athletic and quick. He is expected to play a large part in the passing game as the Boilers figure out ways to get him the ball.

Jaylan Alexander, ILB, River Grove, IL – Alexander is a stout interior linebacker that has a chance to play early due to the departures the Boilermakers suffered at the position.

Offensive Preview

The offensive discussion begins with the quarterback position as David Blough returns after battling injuries and Elijah Sindelar hopes to be recovered from ACL surgery after the 2017 season. Sindelar has the stronger arm and his deep ball prowess was a weapon for Purdue’s offense late in the season but Blough, when healthy, brings the ability to scramble and extend plays with his legs. He was turnover-prone early in his career and we don’t have a large enough sample size of his play under Brohm to know whether that ill has been cured but I do expect Blough to be the starting quarterback when the season begins. If he struggles, Brohm will not hesitate to turn to Sindelar. In fact, I think Sindelar ends up playing more snaps than Blough in 2018 and by the time the Hoosiers battle the Boilermakers, Sindelar will be “the guy”.

Either way, the passing attack needs to improve as the Boilers were just 57th through the air last season. Whoever the quarterback ends up being, most of the targets from 2017 along with most of the offensive linemen return. That’s for better or worse as I don’t think the wide receivers are at all special. In an offense that lacked explosion, they now must replace easily the most explosive threat they had in Anthony Mahoungo. Of the returning players, I like Jackson Anthrop as a safety valve but the outside receivers are projected to be Isaac Zico and Terry Wright, a pair of JUCO transfers that failed to produce much for Purdue in 2017. I fully expect sophomore Jared Sparks (a former quarterback) and true freshman Rondale Moore to step into larger roles as the season progresses. The tight end group is very solid as senior Cole Herdman and junior Brycen Hopkins combined for 680 yards and six touchdowns.

The offensive line and running game desperately needs to improve in short-yardage situations as Purdue was near the bottom of the country in power success rate. The offensive line brings back four of five starters including starting left tackle Grant Hermanns who returns from an injury suffered in November and seniors Shane Evans (left guard) and Kirk Barron (center). Right tackle is the only real question mark on the line but there are some players with experience that can step up and it appears junior Matt McCann will get the nod there. Purdue’s running game takes a true “committee” approach as four backs combined for nearly 1,700 rushing yards in 2017. None of the backs were particularly explosive but they did a great job of providing efficiency. Markell Jones, D.J. Knox, Richie Worship (he is still recovering from a knee injury and he might redshirt this season) and Tario Fuller all return and I would expect similar output from the backs in 2018. This rushing attack ended the season as the 40th ranked ground game in the nation so the committee approach worked fairly well. If they can improve their effectiveness in short-yardage and stay a bit healthier, a top 30 attack could be on the cards.

Defensive Preview

The story of the 2017 season was the defense and the vastly underrated coordinator Nick Holt. The Boilers soared up the defensive efficiency charts and finished as the 35th ranked defensive unit in the nation (S&P+). However, that unit relied heavily on seniors and now must replace a whole lot of production and experience. Only one of the top six tacklers is back and Markus Bailey is the only returning starting linebacker. Safety is the only spot where Purdue returns more than one player with any proven production as both Jacob Thieneman and Navon Mosley are back. Up front, junior Lorenzo Neal will anchor a defensive line that is starting over and won’t be starting any seniors. Bailey is the team’s best tackler and he’ll need to be outstanding in his junior season at middle linebacker. He’ll be flanked by a pair of sophomores in Tobias Larry and Derrick Barnes and the coaches are tinkering with moving senior T.J. Jallow from safety to linebacker after he struggled in the secondary in 2017. The cornerbacks will be new as well as both Josh Okonye and Da’Wan Hunte moved on. The Boilers will battle through fall practice to see which players emerge as starters but the options are inexperienced and rarely saw the field in 2017. Nick Holt did a terrific job in 2017 and it’s fair to give him the benefit of the doubt but there is undoubtedly some regression coming for this defense. They could build towards a special unit in 2019 but 2018 is going to see some growing pains.

Special Teams Preview

Purdue has a senior laden special teams unit that has aged well. Senior Joe Schopper had a good junior year averaging 40.5 yards per punt, if he can limit the occasional shank, he should be near the top of the Big Ten. Kicker Spencer Evans wasn’t used much last season going just 8-for-11 on field goals, but has a strong leg.

In the return games, D.J. Knox gives the Boilermakers a home run threat on kickoffs, but averaged just 18 yards a return last year. The punt return game needs a spark as Jackson Anthrop gained just 1.7 yards on an average return.