A look at the Boilermaker offense and defense

Offense

Quarterback: B-

It’s hard to know what to make of Purdue’s quarterback play so far.

Fifth-year senior Joey Elliott has been erratic at times this season, putting up serviceable numbers with 486 passing yards and four touchdowns. Elliott has also thrown five interceptions over the Boilermakers’ first two games.

The 6-foot-2-inch quarterback is seeing his first significant playing time this season, having attempted only 49 total passes in his previous three years at Purdue.

There’s not much experience behind Elliott, as redshirt freshman Caleb TerBush will be the backup. The 6-foot-5-inch TerBush has yet to take a snap in a college football game.

Running and full backs: A-

If Purdue was a day laborer, the backfield is where it would make its money.

Sophomore Ralph Bolden leads the nation in rushing with 357 yards on only 50 carries and ranks fifth in all-purpose yards at 422 yards. Bolden has done so against Toledo and Oregon, who ranked 77th and 82nd in total defense in 2008, respectively.

“[Bolden’s] very, very good; he’s very shifty and explosive,” NIU linebacker Alex Kubesaid. “He’s fast and he can make a lot of plays, and the best thing about him really is his vision.”

Backing up Bolden will be fifth-year senior Jaycen Taylor, who has three rushing touchdowns on the season and has rushed for 1,334 yards in his career.

“We have to stop the run,” NIU head coach Jerry Kill said. “We’ve got to slow it down and we’ve got to do a good job up front.”

Wide receivers and tight ends: B

A banged-up secondary could cause Purdue’s receiving corps to be depleted against the Huskies.

Wide receiver Royce Adams is listed both as cornerback and wideout for the Boilermakers. This, coupled with defensive injuries, could prevent Adams from seeing many offensive snaps.

The Boilermakers have four different receivers with touchdown catches this season. Junior Keith Smith has 12 catches for 185 yards to lead the team.

“They’re very good at receiver and they’re very multiple at what they do,” NIU head coach Jerry Kill said. “They don’t sit in the same look. Any time you have an offense that’s very multiple and can run the ball very well but also throw it very well, it makes it difficult for you.”

Senior receiver Aaron Valentin will have an impact in the return game as well, ranking 19th in the nation in all-purpose yards thanks to 212 kick return yards.


Offensive line: B

Football is won by the big boys in the trenches, and Purdue’s boys are huge.

Averaging 303 pounds, the Boilermakers’ offensive line fits the bill for smash mouth, Big Ten football.

The right side of the line is especially large, with right guard Ken Plue measuring 6-foot-7-inch and weighing 322 pounds. Right tackle and fifth-year senior Zach Jones comes in at 6-foot-5-inch and 312 pounds.

Purdue has a ton of experience on the offensive line as well, starting three fifth-year seniors. The experience has pushed the Boilermakers to have the 20th best rushing attack in the nation through two games.

“Our defensive line’s got a tremendous challenge, the front seven does, and I think we know that,” NIU head coach Jerry Kill said. “I don’t think that our kids will be intimidated.”

Defense

Defensive line:B-

A Boilermaker defense that has struggled so far in 2009 will need to shore up its defensive line play.

Purdue only has three sacks as a team on the season, one of which was recorded by a defensive lineman. Sophomore defensive end Gerald Gooden tallied the only sack for the unit, one of only three tackles on the year.

Leading the line is Kawann Short, a redshirt freshman. A 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle, Short has the most tackles of any Purdue defensive lineman with nine.

The other tackle looking to plug up NIU’s running game is fifth-year senior Mike Neal. At 302 pounds, Neal has been quoted as saying that he can bench press 510 pounds; strength that could cause problems for the Huskies’ interior lineman.

Linebackers: B-

A linebacking corps has to be able to do everything on the defensive side of the ball.
Purdue’s linebackers have to do more to help a defense that ranks 100th in the nation in total defense through two games.

Aside from sophomore Jason Werner, who leads the team with 19 tackles, the unit hasn’t done much to garner attention. Fellow starters Chris Carlino and Joe Holland have only 14 tackles between them, and of the Boilermakers’ backups, only freshman Dwayne Beckford has recorded a stop.

This lack of production has contributed to Purdue’s being ranked 66th and 107th in rushing and passing defense, respectively.

Secondary: C

Purdue ranks 107th in the nation in passing defense.

Of all the Boilermakers’ defensive backs, none have caught an interception.
But of the team’s top four tacklers, three come out of the secondary.

Cornerback David Pender and free safety Torri Williams have both recorded 12 tackles through two games. Pender also has 22 career pass defenses.

Tackling in open space has been a strength for the Boilermakers so far, as 95 of the teams 129 tackles have been solo affairs.

Purdue’s secondary is rounded out by cornerback Brandon King. The fifth-year senior has 10 stops on the year, good for fourth-best on the team.

Special teams: A

NIU’s match up with Purdue this weekend will also see a match up of two members of the Lou Groza Award watch list.

The Boilermakers’ sophomore place kicker Carson Wiggs doubles as Purdue’s kickoff specialist. In the season opener against Toledo, Wiggs set a new school record, hitting a 59-yard field goal.

Wiggs isn’t the only specialist for the Boilermakers. Punter Chris Summers ranks 27th in the nation in punt yardage with 342 yards on eight attempts.

Purdue’s return game can also provide a spark, as primary kick returner Aaron Valentin’s 212 kick return yards have helped him climb to the No. 19 spot in the nation in all-purpose yards.

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