Right: Senior quarterback Curtis Painter might be the best signal-caller in the Big Ten.
AP Photo

This is the ninth in a series of previews on the 11 teams in the Big Ten in the order I predict them to finish.

Purdue
Predicted finish in Big Ten: Tied for 2nd, 6-2

When I decided to make my Big Ten predictions, I wanted to go against conventional wisdom and shake things up a bit, not mirroring what every other mainstream publication was saying.

Within the conference, there’s Ohio State who should contend for a national title, and then there’s several good teams below the Buckeyes. I’m not saying that it’s a down year in the Big Ten, but it just appears on paper in the preseason that everyone’s pick to win the league title is head-and-shoulders above the rest.

But Purdue is one of those sleeper teams that just might surprise a few or a lot. Having played the game of tackle football, I know full well that emotion plays a big part in the sport.

Boilermakers’ head coach Joe Tiller is entering his 12th and final year at the helm, going 83-54 in 11 seasons guiding the Black & Gold, and is just two victories away from becoming Purdue’s all-time winningest coach.

Tiller has already handpicked his successor, hiring Danny Hope from Eastern Kentucky, who was an assistant coach under Tiller from 1997-2001. Hope will be the offensive line coach this season before taking the reigns next year.

As a mentioned above, emotion plays a huge part in this game, and with this being Tiller’s swan song, you know that everyone on Purdue’s roster wants their coach to exit as a winner.

One benefit Tiller has is senior quarterback Curtis Painter, who’s arguably one of the best on the Big Ten after throwing for 3,846 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2007.

Painter’s top returning receiver is 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver Greg Orton, who had 67 receptions for 742 yards and three scores last season.

Orton, though, is the only returning starter in the receiving corps, but there are two seniors waiting in the wings with Desmond Tardy and Brandon Whittington after Dorien Bryant graduated and Selwyn Lymon was dismissed from the team.

While Purdue passes the ball far more than they run it, the Boilermakers do have a nice combo of speed and power in the backfield with a pair of senior tailbacks in 6-foot, 206-pound Kory Sheets, and 5-foot-10, 180-pound Jaycen Taylor.

Sheets led the Boilers in rushing with 859 yards on 168 carries and 11 touchdowns, while Taylor toted the rock 107 times for 560 yards and four more scores.

Three offensive linemen return which is anchored by 6-foot-7, 325-pound senior left tackle, Sean Sester, who has made 38 consecutive starts for the Boilermakers.

Clearly, Purdue can put points on the scoreboard. Last year, the Boilermakers led the Big Ten in scoring offense (34.3 ppg) and total offense (435.9 ypg). But can they stop anybody? This is where things most improve for the Boilermakers if they plan on climbing the ranks within the Big Ten.

Six starters return from a defensive unit that was seventh in total defense (389.2 ypg), and eighth in scoring defense (26.5 ppg) in the Big Ten for the 2007 season.

Purdue strength lies in their defensive line, where three starters come back from last year’s squad. Senior defensive end Keyon Brown, along with senior tackles Ryan Baker and Alex Magee will need to stuff the run and get consistent pressure on the quarterback.

The only returning starter among the linebackers is senior MLB Anthony Heygood, the Boilermakers’ top returning tackler with 80 stops last year.

If there is a weakness in Purdue’s defense, I believe it’s in their secondary, though two starters return with senior cornerback David Pender and senior free safety Brandon King.

In 10 of 12 games last year, Purdue scored 24 points or more. The only time they failed to reach that number was against Penn State (19) and Ohio State (7), and the Buckeyes pitched a shutout for 59 minutes, 50 seconds until Painter threw a 1-yard touchdown pass with 10 ticks left on the game clock.

Given that Purdue’s defense is their weakest link, it looks like a lot of their final scores will resemble those found in the Arena Football League, but they will end up with more “W’s” and losses.

Oct. 4 vs. Penn State, Win
Oct. 11 vs. Ohio State, Loss
Oct. 18 at Northwestern, Win
Oct. 25 vs. Minnesota, Win
Nov. 1 vs. Michigan, Win
Nov. 8 at Michigan State, Loss
Nov. 15 at Iowa, Win
Nov. 22 vs. Indiana, Win

Tags: Big Ten Football //