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Purdue Boilermakers Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Purdue season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Purdue Boilermakers Preview
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm, 28-29, 6th year at Purdue
9th year overall, 58-39, 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 9-4, Conference: 6-3
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Purdue Top 10 Players | Purdue Schedule & Analysis
Purdue Boilermakers Preview 2022
Purdue football has always been a little bit of a Little Engine That Could sort of program without the next-level star power of the biggest of Big Ten teams, but when it was rolling back in the day under the late, great Joe Tiller it had a scheme and style that made everyone worry.
It’s been a while, but last year’s team brought a bit of that Basketball On Grass swagger.
There were times when the offense sputtered – like against the elite Wisconsin D – and the defense couldn’t keep up with Ohio State’s O, but it wanted to make a statement against a rolling Iowa team, and did.
It wanted to make a statement against a hot Michigan State team, and did.
And then it was Game On against a high-powered Tennessee team that was trending up. It hung on in a thrilling – and somewhat controversial – shootout victory.
Now Purdue has to keep that same attitude to go along with a ton of returning experience.
It would take something amazing to break through to an even higher level and be deep in the hunt for a Big Ten Championship appearance – in other words, the rest of the Big Ten West has to be down – but after what the team did last year, it’s not crazy.
Head coach Jeff Brohm has done a really good job of recruiting to a type to put this all together after a few tough seasons, and now the team has to do it all again.
The special teams have to be better, more takeaways would be good, a better running game would be great, and …
Forget about what Purdue won’t be and probably can’t do. It’s going to give everyone a fight again.
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Purdue Top 10 Players | Purdue Schedule & Analysis
Purdue Boilermakers Preview 2022: Offense, Defense NEXT
Purdue Boilermakers Preview 2022: Offense
The offense worked just fine … at least through the air. This is how Purdue football is used to rolling with the nation’s fifth-best passing attack that can hit from anywhere on the field, but the ground attack that stalled too often needs to be a bit more efficient.
More than enough main parts are back from an attack that averaged 440 yards and 29 points per game – closing out with the 627-yard, 48-point explosion in the Music City Bowl win over Tennessee – however …
Do the Boilermakers have the No. 1 receiver to replace David Bell? He caught 93 passes and was the main man in key spots, and losing Jackson Anthrop and his 53 grabs hurts, too.
The offense spread it around, No. 2 target Milton Wright is a big threat who led the team with seven touchdown catches, and Payne Durham is among the Big Ten’s best pass catching tight ends. It also helps to have a veteran quarterback like Aidan O’Connell going into his sixth year with the program.
The former walk-on didn’t do anything for two years, but he rose up, took over, and made the job his. Last year he threw for over 3,700 yards and 28 touchdowns hitting 72% of his passes. He’s not going to run a lick, but he’s the perfect conductor for the attack. The job is all his with Jack Plummer transferring to Cal.
Yeah, the running game … it doesn’t work. It averaged under three yards per carry and only hit 100 yards three times, but King Doerue and the backs are there to rotate.
The offensive front was functional, not great. The veterans are in place around all-star center Gus Hartwig, and there’s enough versatility to move some of the parts around. Getting transfer Daniel Johnson from Kent State helps the tackle options.
Purdue Boilermakers Preview 2022: Defense
The defense was good enough. It wasn’t a brick wall, the pass rush could’ve been better, and there were times when things didn’t work, but finishing 48th in the nation overall is just fine.
It wasn’t bad at holding serve so the offense could win games, and it wasn’t awful at getting off the field. With eight starters expected back, it should be even better, starting with …
The defensive front should be a plus. Again, the pass rush wasn’t great, and the run defense can’t get gouged against the big bashing teams, but the starting four is strong, there’s good depth, and there’s help coming in from the transfer portal.
It’s a good-sized group that runs 275 pounds or more across the entire line. Brandon Deen is a good all-around tackle and Lawrence Johnson is a nice-sized veteran on the nose.
With no George Karlaftis, though, Kydran Jenkins has to be even more of a factor after tying for a team high with five sacks.
Leading tackler Jaylan Alexander is gone from the linebacking corps, but Kieren Douglas is back in the middle and Jalen Graham is an interesting hybrid on the outside.
Getting Cory Trice back from a knee injury is a big boost to an already good secondary situation. Second leading tackler Marvin Grant going to Kansas stinks, but Cam Allen is one of the Big Ten’s better safeties – he led the team with four picks – and 6-3, 205-pound corner Jamari Brown is coming off a decent year.
Purdue 2022 Preview | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Purdue Top 10 Players | Purdue Schedule & Analysis
Purdue Boilermakers: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Purdue Boilermakers: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Purdue Boilermakers: Key To The 2022 Offense
Be more effective running the ball.
Purdue’s passing game was great, it will be fantastic again once the receivers rise up, and the more QB Aidan O’Connell gets to do, the better. It would be nice, though, if there was a wee bit of a running game to help the cause.
The Boilermakers didn’t avoid running. They just couldn’t do it.
The problem wasn’t that they only averaged 84 rushing yards per game. It was that they only averaged more than three yards per carry against UConn and Indiana.
It was the least effective rushing attack since 2013 – that team went 1-11 – but as long as it can get to four yards per pop, it’ll be doing its job.
And on the other side …
Purdue Boilermakers: Key To The 2022 Defense
Stop the run.
It really shouldn’t matter all that much what the run defense does – the Purdue offense can crank it up through the air and do what it must to keep up. However, it just so happened that the teams that could run on the Boilermaker front seven ended up winning …
Almost. Tennessee steamrolled its way for 281 yards in the bowl and lost, and it’s not quite right to suggest that Ohio State and Wisconsin beat Purdue because they each ran for well over 200 yards.
The Michigan State pass defense was so awful that it wasted a huge day from Kenneth Walker and the ground game in Purdue’s 40-29 win, and Illinois made things way too interesting by hammering away. However, just like the offensive side, it’s a wee bit more about the yards per carry than the bulk rushing numbers.
Purdue held Minnesota and Notre Dame in check on the ground and lost, but that was more on the offensive side. In general, keep the that side from going off for five yards per carry or more, and good things will happen for this D.
Purdue Boilermakers: Key Player To The 2022 Season
RB King Doerue, Sr.
To keep harping on the running game, the line has to do its part, the offense has to commit to it a little bit more, and the running backs have to make more things happen.
Doerue hasn’t been a workhorse, and he only ran for two touchdowns last season, but he’s a good receiver and led the team with 530 yards.
He averages well under four yards per carry in his three years, but if he can boost that up with a few big pops, he’ll be doing his job.
Purdue Boilermakers: Key Transfer
WR Tyrone Tracy, Jr.
It’ll be hard to replace some of the lost stars for the passing game, but at least the Boilermakers are bringing in a veteran who knows what he’s doing in the slot.
Tracy is a running back-sized tough target who made 65 catches over the last three seasons at Iowa for 871 yards and five scores. He didn’t do much against Purdue over the years, but he should have his best statistical season in a more receiver-friendly attack.
Purdue Key Game To The 2022 Season
Penn State, Sept. 3
Purdue is coming off a terrific year, but nothing would crank up 2022 like taking care of Penn State at home in the Big Ten opener.
The trip to Wisconsin is a problem, and going to Minnesota isn’t going to be easy, but the Iowa game is at home coming off a two week break.
Beat Penn State, and all of a sudden the toughest games on the slate won’t seem so rough. Even better, win, and there’s chance for a 4-0 September with a win at Syracuse.
Purdue Boilermakers: 2021 Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Purdue 141 – Opponents 77
– Penalties: Opponents 77 for 669 yards – Purdue 58 for 557 yards
– Fumbles: Opponents 19 (lost 4) – Purdue 11 (lost 7)
Purdue 2022 Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Purdue Top 10 Players | Purdue Schedule & Analysis
Purdue Boilermakers Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Purdue Boilermakers Season Prediction, What Will Happen
It’s not like Purdue is ever going to sneak up on anyone.
It’s not like getting up for Ohio State or Wisconsin or the big rivalry day, but teams are well aware of the danger in dealing with the Boilermaker offense.
If a receiver can rise up and be close to another David Bell – or if the offense can pick up the slack – this has the potential of being a season that looks a whole lot like 2021.
There aren’t any no-chance games on the slate – there’s no Ohio State to deal with – but there are plenty of tough 50/50 battles to worry about.
Set The Purdue Boilermakers Regular Season Win Total At … 7.5
Purdue can win the opener against Penn State – but it’s still Penn State.
It can win at Syracuse, but that’s a far more dangerous Orange team than last year’s version.
At Wisconsin is a huge problem, but Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska, Iowa, at Illinois, Northwestern – all winnable, but hardly sure things.
Again, there’s no Ohio State, and there’s no Michigan or Michigan State to face, but there will be three losses among all of the evenly-matched games, and figure a loss at Wisconsin.
As long as the passing game is clicking and the team can own West Lafayette, there’s a solid shot at another nine-win season.
Purdue 2022 Preview
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Purdue Top 10 Players | Purdue Schedule & Analysis
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