Matt Rhule has said this is an even matchup between Nebraska and Purdue.
So what about those Boilermakers? What do we need to know? We went to Mick Walker of Boiler Sports Report answers – and a prediction.
What’s been the general reaction from Purdue faithful to what Ryan Walters is trying to get done in his first year as the head coach? What are some of the main tenets you see him looking to establish in the program or its style of play?
Overall, I think the Purdue faithful are still fully bought into what Ryan Walters is building in West Lafayette. Now there have been some rough patches this season.
During the Boilermakers’ non-conference schedule their defense struggled. Both Fresno State and Syracuse put up points against this Purdue defense, as did Wisconsin in the Boilermakers Big Ten opener which led to head coach Ryan Walters taking over the play-calling and defensive coordinator Kevin Kane moving to the booth.
Since then the defense has played much better, aside from the Ohio State game. Purdue held both Illinois and Iowa to 20 points or less and in turn, gave the offense the opportunity to win the game. The Boilermakers offense did their job against the Illini but came up short against the Hawkeyes as they struggled to sustain drives.
Purdue also struggled to score against Ohio State but so have every team the Buckeyes have played this season.
In short, Purdue has yet to play a full four quarter game on both sides of the ball this season and that has Boilermakers fans a bit frustrated but there is still plenty of faith. As for the main tenets, the biggest thing is aggressiveness.
Purdue runs an ‘air-raid’ offense and an attacking defense. They want to throw the play and stop the other team from throwing it, much like the rest of college football.