2008 Purdue
Boilermakers
Nov. 22
Purdue 62 … Indiana 10
Curtis Painter was unstoppable in head coach Joe Tiller’s final game at Purdue.
Painter threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns, and Kory Sheets ran for three
scores, as the Boilermakers cranked out 596 yards of total offense and made it a
laugher from the start. Purdue scored 24 points in the first quarter and held a
41-3 halftime lead. A 17-yard Sheets run made it 55-3 after three quarters. IU
only managed 214 yards of total offense and didn’t get into the end zone until
the fourth on a 16-yard Ray Fisher catch.
Player of the game:
Purdue QB Curtis Painter completed 38-of-54 passes for
448 yards and five touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 13-25, 92
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marcus Thigpen, 10-53. Receiving: Tandon Doss, 2-28
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 36-54, 448 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 15-61, 3 TD. Receiving: Keith Smith, 12-136,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about playing
focused and on a mission, Purdue wasn’t going to let Joe Tiller go out without a
bang as Curtis Painter had a phenomenal final game and the defense played one of
its best games of the year. Indiana was out of it before it was even able to get
settled. Good for Tiller and Painter, two of the good guys in the game who had
less-than-stellar final seasons. This was the type of dominant performance
that’ll leave Boilermaker fans wondering why the team wasn’t more explosive
throughout the season, and it was a game that was a good ending and a good
beginning for the Danny Hope era.
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2008 Purdue Preview
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2007 Purdue Season
2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
6-6
2008 Record: 4-8
Aug. 30 OPEN DATE
Sept. 6 No. Colorado W
42-10
Sept. 13 Oregon L 32-26 2OT
Sept. 20 Central Mich W
32-25
Sept. 27 at Notre Dame L 38-21
Oct. 4 Penn State L 20-6
Oct. 11 at Ohio State L 16-3
Oct. 18 at Northwestern L
46-28
Oct. 25 Minnesota L 17-6
Nov. 1 Michigan W 48-42
Nov. 8 at Michigan State L 21-7
Nov. 15 at Iowa L 22-17
Nov. 22 Indiana
W 62-10 |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2007 Record: 8-5
Sept. 1
at Toledo
W 52-24
Sept. 8
Eastern Illinois
W 52-6
Sept. 15
Central Mich
W 45-22
Sept. 22 at
Minnesota W 45-31
Sept. 29
Notre Dame
W 33-19
Oct.
6
Ohio State
L 23-7
Oct.
13 at
Michigan L 48-21
Oct.
20 Iowa
W 31-6
Oct.
27
Northwestern
W 35-17
Nov.
3 at
Penn State L 26-19
Nov.
10
Michigan State
L 48-31
Nov.
17
at Indiana
L 27-24
Motor City Bowl
Dec. 26 Central Mich W 51-48 |
Nov. 22
Purdue 62 … Indiana 10
Curtis Painter was unstoppable in head coach Joe Tiller’s final game at Purdue.
Painter threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns, and Kory Sheets ran for three
scores, as the Boilermakers cranked out 596 yards of total offense and made it a
laugher from the start. Purdue scored 24 points in the first quarter and held a
41-3 halftime lead. A 17-yard Sheets run made it 55-3 after three quarters. IU
only managed 214 yards of total offense and didn’t get into the end zone until
the fourth on a 16-yard Ray Fisher catch.
Player of the game:
Purdue QB Curtis Painter completed 38-of-54 passes for
448 yards and five touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Indiana - Passing: Kellen Lewis, 13-25, 92
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Marcus Thigpen, 10-53. Receiving: Tandon Doss, 2-28
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 36-54, 448 yds, 5 TD
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 15-61, 3 TD. Receiving: Keith Smith, 12-136,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Talk about playing
focused and on a mission, Purdue wasn’t going to let Joe Tiller go out without a
bang as Curtis Painter had a phenomenal final game and the defense played one of
its best games of the year. Indiana was out of it before it was even able to get
settled. Good for Tiller and Painter, two of the good guys in the game who had
less-than-stellar final seasons. This was the type of dominant performance
that’ll leave Boilermaker fans wondering why the team wasn’t more explosive
throughout the season, and it was a game that was a good ending and a good
beginning for the Danny Hope era.
Nov. 15
Iowa 22 … Purdue 17
Iowa seemed like it had things well in hand after Shonn Greene ran for a 14-yard
score early in the fourth quarter for a 22-10 lead, but Curtis Painter caught
fire and made things interesting. Painter hit Greg Orton for an eight-yard
touchdown with 3:40 to play to pull within five, and he had one last shot.
Painter got the offense down to the Iowa 27, but his final throw in the end zone
to Desmond Tardy sailed high and Iowa survived. On the day, Tardy caught 13
passes for 131 yards with a 12-yard touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to overcome
Green, who ripped off a 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as part of a
211-yard day.
Player of the game:
Iowa RB Shonn Greene ran 30 times for 211 yards and
two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 24-30, 190
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 16-53. Receiving: Desmond Tardy, 13-131, 1
TD
Iowa - Passing: Ricky Stanzi, 8-15, 72 yds
Rushing: Shonn Greene, 30-211, 2 TD. Receiving: Andy Brodell, 4-42
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... So there’s the
Curtis Painter everyone was waiting for. In the loss to Iowa, he was brilliant
in place of Justin Siller as he almost led the team back to an improbable win.
Outside of allowing the one big 75-yard run to Shonn Greene, the Boilermaker
defense played one of its better games of the year and did enough against the
Iowa passing game to keep things close, but it wasn’t enough. If the team plays
like this against Indiana, Joe Tiller will go out with a win.
Nov. 8
Michigan State 21 …
Purdue 7
Michigan State got a touchdown in each of the first three quarter as Javon
Ringer score on a one-yard run in the first and a one-yarder in the third, and
Johnny Adams took a Justin Siller interception 40 yards for a score in with nine
seconds left in the first half. Purdue got its only points on a one-yard Siller
run with 42 seconds to play.
Player of the game:
Michigan State RB Javon Ringer ran 32 times for 121
yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Justin Siller, 13-30, 83
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 22-93. Receiving: Desmond Tardy, 5-37
Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 10-22, 154 yds, 2
INT
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 32-121, 2 TD. Receiving: B.J. Cunningham,
5-63
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Purdue is ending
the Joe Tiller era with a whisper. With Curtis Painter out, Justin Siller failed
to move the ball enough on the Michigan State defense completing just 13-of-30
passes. Kory Sheets tried to carry the offense, but he didn’t get much room to
move thanks to a rough day from the offensive line. As bad as things have been,
the Boilermakers can close on a high note and can make some noise with a win at
Iowa before finishing against Indiana.
Nov. 1
Purdue 48 … Michigan
42
Greg Orton ran the hook, caught the pass, and pitched the lateral to Desmond
Tardy for a 28-yard touchdown with 26 seconds to play to close out a wild
shootout. The two teams went back and fourth, after an early 14-0 Michigan lead
coming from a 45-yard Brandon Minor touchdown run and a 73-yard punt return for
a score from Martavious Odoms. Brandon Minor
scored three times for the Wolverine including a one-yard touchdown run with
1:20 to play before Purdue was able to go 73 yards in four plays for the win.
Kory Sheets ran for three short touchdowns for the Boilermakers, and he caught a
seven yard touchdown pass. The Wolverine passing game wasn’t consistent, but it
got a 51-yard touchdown catch from Darryl Stonum.
Player of the game:
Purdue RB Kory Sheets ran 30 times for 118 yards and
three touchdowns, and caught three passes for 43 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Michigan - Passing: Steven Threet, 9-21, 123
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brandon Minor, 24-155, 3 TD. Receiving: Martavious Odoms,
4-26
Purdue - Passing: Justin SIller, 21-34, 266 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 30-118, 3 TD. Receiving: Greg Orton, 8-89, 1
TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... At least the
offense worked a little bit against Purdue. Michigan is going to a bowl for the
first time in 33 years, and maybe that could take the pressure off. While this
is a lost season results-wise, there’s no reason the team can’t work on things
going into next year. It’s a learning process under Rich Rodriguez,
and at this point, simply trying to win games doesn’t really matter. The
coaching staff needs to know once and for all if Steven Threet is the type of
quarterback to build around for next year. After giving up 522 yards of Purdue
offense, who can play defense? The Minnesota and Northwestern games will be
interesting learning opportunities before facing Ohio State.
Oct. 25
Minnesota 17 … Purdue 6
Minnesota’s defense forced four turnovers and knocked out Purdue QB Curtis
Painter, while the offense got just enough to get by with a four-yard Adam Weber
run in the first quarter and a nine-yard pass to Jack Simmons in the fourth.
Joel Monroe kicked a 41-yard field goal for the Gophers in the second. Purdue
only managed 226 yards of total offense with two Carson Wiggs field goals in the
first quarter. Purdue lost two fumbles and was picked off twice.
Player of the game:
Minnesota QB Adam Weber completed 21-of-34 passes for
212 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he ran 13 times for 60 yards
and a score.
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Justin Siller, 10-17, 73
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 21-73. Receiving: Brandon Whittington, 7-37
Minnesota - Passing: Adam Weber, 21-34, 212 yds, 1 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: Adam Weber, 13-60, 1 TD. Receiving: Brandon Green, 5-100
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Purdue is battered,
bruised, and beaten. On a five-game losing streak, and with Curtis Painter
suffering an injured throwing shoulder against Minnesota, things couldn’t be
going too much worse. With just 226 yards of total offense and four turnovers in
the loss, nothing is working right for the Big Ten’s worst team. Kory Sheets and
the running game have to start doing more and they have to start controlling
games to take the pressure off the mediocre passing game. With a home game
against Michigan up next, if Purdue doesn’t win next week, the season really
will be in the tank.
Oct. 18
Northwestern 48 …
Purdue 26
Purdue led 6-0 after the first quarter on two Carson Wiggs field goals, and then
the Northwestern offense went nuts. Eric Peterman caught a 45-yard touchdown
pass to start the scoring, and then he hit Sidney Stewart on a 30-yard scoring
pass. C.J. Bacher ended up with three touchdown passes and a touchdown run as
the Wildcats went on a 48-13 run broken up by a 32-yard Greg Orton touchdown
catch and a two-yard Kory Sheets run. Sheets added a 76-yard touchdown dash when
the game was well out of reach. Purdue turned it over five times.
Player of the game:
Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher completed 20-of-33 passes
for 230 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, and he ran 15 times for
41 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 26-41, 273
yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 17-168, 2 TD. Receiving: Desmond Tardy,
8-87
Northwestern - Passing: C.J. Bacher, 20-33, 230 yds, 3 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Tyrell Sutton, 18-96. Receiving: Jeremy Ebert, 4-65
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Purdue doesn’t have
a defense, and the offense doesn’t have a chance. LB Anthony Heygood is an
All-Big Ten talent who’s trying to make every play, he made 14 tackles against
Northwestern, but the rest of the defense is getting ripped up. Curtis Painter
has to press, and it shows as he threw three interceptions trying to make big
things happen to keep up the pace. At the moment, the team is completely unable
to stop negative momentum, and that’s on the defense. Everyone’s putting up big
numbers on this group.
Oct. 11
Ohio State 16 … Purdue 3
The Ohio State offense was awful, but the defense made up for it. Purdue only
managed three points on a 53-yard Carson Wiggs field goal, and it didn’t
threaten for a touchdown until the final moments. The Buckeyes got a blocked
point for a touchdown to start off the scoring early, and Ryan Pertorius added
two short field goals to go along with Aaron Pettrey’s 49-yarder.
Player of the game:
Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis made ten tackles and a
tackle for loss
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 32-51, 228
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 20-67. Receiving: Greg Orton, 6-73
Ohio State - Passing: Terrelle Pryor, 10-14, 97 yds
Rushing: Beanie Wells, 22-94. Receiving: DeVier Posey, 2-28
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Purdue offense
has struggled against the big boys for the last few years, and on the current
three-game losing streak, the production and efficiency has gone into the tank.
Curtis Painter is winging it around, but he’s not getting much in the way of
help from the receiving corps. The defense played extremely well against Ohio
State, but the special teams and offense didn’t hold up their end of the
bargain. All of a sudden, the game next week against Minnesota isn’t a layup.
The offense will have to start putting points on the board again.
Oct. 4
Penn State
20 ... Purdue 6
Darryll Clark ran for a one-yard score and Kevin Kelly kicked the first of two
field goals to close out 72 yard drives in the second quarter, and Evan Royster
ran for a four-yard score in the third, as Penn State jumped out to a 24-0 lead.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, Purdue went on a 14-play, 82-yard drive
finishing with a one-yard Kory Sheets touchdown run, but that would be it for
the Boilermaker offense. Penn State outgained Purdue 422 yards to 241.
Player of the game:
Penn State RB Evan Royster ran 18 times for 141
yards and a touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Purdue
- Passing:
Curtis Painter, 13-22, 112 yds, 1 INT
Rushing:
Kory Sheets, 18-59, 1 TD. Receiving: Greg Orton, 5-43
Penn State - Passing: Darryl Clark, 18-26, 220 yds
Rushing: Evan Royster, 18-141, 1 TD. Receiving: Derrick Williams,
5-52
Whoopty doo. What
does it all mean, Basil? ...
Purdue couldn't get the offense going against
the tough Penn State defensive front. Curtis Painter did a fantastic job of
spreading the ball around to several different receivers, but there weren't any
yards after the catch and there was absolutely nothing deep. Kory Sheets tied
Mike Alstott for the most touchdowns all-time at the school with 40, but he
couldn't get any room to move. Penn State is playing as well as anyone in
America, but that's little solace for a Purdue team that has to go to Ohio
State. At least the team isn't making mistakes. There was only one turnover and
no penalties against the Nittany Lions.
Sept.
27
Notre
Dame 38 ... Purdue 21
Robert Blanton returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown and
Jimmy Clausen hooked up with Golden Tate for a six-yard score in the
first half as part of a 14-14 halftime, and then Notre Dame rolled
in the third quarter as Clausen threw two touchdown passes and
Armando Allen ran for a 16-yard score. Purdue pulled within seven on
a 54-yard Desmond Tardy touchdown catch, but the Irish answered with
a 30-yard David Grimes touchdown and finished it off with a Brandon
Walker 41-yard field goal. Purdue threw for 359 yards, but Notre
Dame ran for a season-high 201.
Player of the game:
Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen completed 20-of-35 for 275 yards and
three touchdown passes, rushing five times for eight yards.
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter,
29-55, 359 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 13-87, 1 TD. Receiving:
Desmond Tardy, 10-175, 1 TD
Notre Dame - Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 20-35, 275
yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Armando Allen, 17-134, 1 TD. Receiving:
Michael Floyd, 6-100
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
202 rushing yards. That's how many
Notre Dame came up with. Notre Dame. The Purdue run defense is more
than just a big problem, it's the season. With Penn State and Ohio
State coming up next, Purdue needs to come up with a new wrinkle in
a big hurry or there won't be a bowl, there won't be a good sendoff
for Joe Tiller, and a relatively good team will be an extreme
disappointment. As this game showed, Curtis Painter can't bomb away
for wins.
Sept. 20
Purdue 32 … Central Michigan 25
Purdue RB Kory Sheets ran for a 46-yard touchdown, helped by a
tremendous open field move, with one minute to play to save the
Boilermakers from the upset. CMU got a six-yard Ontario Sneed
touchdown catch with 1:18 to play, but it took just one play, after
a big Desmond Tardy kickoff return and a facemask penalty, to get
the win. Sheets also ran for a one-yard score in the second quarter,
Desmond Tardy caught a two-yard touchdown pass, and Frank Duong
picked off a pass for a touchdown as Purdue kept pace with a CMU
attack that got a Sneed touchdown catch in the first quarter and a
Dan LeFevour 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Player of the game: Purdue RB Kory Sheets ran 17 times for 91
yards and two touchdowns, and added five catches for 23 yards.
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan
LeFevour, 25-44, 291 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 24-112, 1 TD. Receiving:
Ontario Sneed, 6-57, 2 TDs
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 27-36, 261 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 17-91, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Keith Smith, 5-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Purdue had
several chances to take a big lead and put Central Michigan away,
but couldn’t do it. Curtis Painter kept the chains moving, but he
didn’t make many plays deep, while the defense had a nightmare of a
time against the run, even if the CMU ground game was only Dan
LeFevour, a week after getting ripped up by Oregon. Fortunately,
Notre Dame is up next, so there’s no worrying about a ground game,
but Purdue has to play a clean game. It should win if there aren’t
any mistakes.
Sept. 20
Purdue 32 … Central Michigan 25
Purdue RB Kory Sheets ran for a 46-yard touchdown, helped by a
tremendous open field move, with one minute to play to save the
Boilermakers from the upset. CMU got a six-yard Ontario Sneed
touchdown catch with 1:18 to play, but it took just one play, after
a big Desmond Tardy kickoff return and a facemask penalty, to get
the win. Sheets also ran for a one-yard score in the second quarter,
Desmond Tardy caught a two-yard touchdown pass, and Frank Duong
picked off a pass for a touchdown as Purdue kept pace with a CMU
attack that got a Sneed touchdown catch in the first quarter and a
Dan LeFevour 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
Player of the game: Purdue RB Kory Sheets ran 17 times for 91
yards and two touchdowns, and added five catches for 23 yards.
Stat Leaders: Central Michigan - Passing: Dan
LeFevour, 25-44, 291 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 24-112, 1 TD. Receiving:
Ontario Sneed, 6-57, 2 TDs
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 27-36, 261 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 17-91, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Keith Smith, 5-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Purdue had
several chances to take a big lead and put Central Michigan away,
but couldn’t do it. Curtis Painter kept the chains moving, but he
didn’t make many plays deep, while the defense had a nightmare of a
time against the run, even if the CMU ground game was only Dan
LeFevour, a week after getting ripped up by Oregon. Fortunately,
Notre Dame is up next, so there’s no worrying about a ground game,
but Purdue has to play a clean game. It should win if there aren’t
any mistakes.
Sept. 13
Oregon 32 ... Purdue 26
2OT
Oregon got a three-yard touchdown run from LeGarrette Blount in the
second overtime to finish off the comeback. Purdue jumped out to a
20-3 lead helped by Kory Sheets touchdown runs from 80 and two
yards, and had a chance to win in regulation but Chris Summers badly
missed a 44-yard field goal. The Ducks roared back in the second
half with an
87-yard Jairus Byrd punt return for a score and a five-yard Blount
touchdown run, but they could only manage a 38-yard Matt Evenson
field goal in the fourth quarter to tie it at 23. Summers hit a
22-yarder in the first overtime but missed a 47-yarder in the
second.
Player of the game:
Oregon RB
LeGarrette Blount ran 12 times for
132 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 26-50, 207
yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 29-180, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Orton, 9-82
Oregon - Passing: Justin Roper, 20-48, 197 yds, 2 INT
Rushing:
LeGarrette Blount,
12-132, 2 TD. Receiving: Ed Dickson, 7-93
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Purdue let one slip
away. The Boilermakers got up early on Oregon and had a chance to
win in regulation, but couldn't close. Curtis Painter, for him, had
a rough day completing 26-of-50 passes with two interceptions, and
while he had help from the running game, he couldn't come up with
the big plays needed in the second half. This was Purdue's chance to
make a huge statement on a national scale, and it blew it. The team
has to get over this in a hurry, or there might be a major upset
issue against Central Michigan.
Sept. 13
Oregon 32 ... Purdue 26
2OT
Oregon got a three-yard touchdown run from LeGarrette Blount in the
second overtime to finish off the comeback. Purdue jumped out to a
20-3 lead helped by Kory Sheets touchdown runs from 80 and two
yards, and had a chance to win in regulation but Chris Summers badly
missed a 44-yard field goal. The Ducks roared back in the second
half with an
87-yard Jairus Byrd punt return for a score and a five-yard Blount
touchdown run, but they could only manage a 38-yard Matt Evenson
field goal in the fourth quarter to tie it at 23. Summers hit a
22-yarder in the first overtime but missed a 47-yarder in the
second.
Player of the game:
Oregon RB
LeGarrette Blount ran 12 times for
132 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 26-50, 207
yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 29-180, 2 TD. Receiving: Greg Orton, 9-82
Oregon - Passing: Justin Roper, 20-48, 197 yds, 2 INT
Rushing:
LeGarrette Blount,
12-132, 2 TD. Receiving: Ed Dickson, 7-93
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Purdue let one slip
away. The Boilermakers got up early on Oregon and had a chance to
win in regulation, but couldn't close. Curtis Painter, for him, had
a rough day completing 26-of-50 passes with two interceptions, and
while he had help from the running game, he couldn't come up with
the big plays needed in the second half. This was Purdue's chance to
make a huge statement on a national scale, and it blew it. The team
has to get over this in a hurry, or there might be a major upset
issue against Central Michigan.
Sept. 6
Purdue 42 ... Northern
Colorado 10
Purdue only held on to the ball for 22:40, but it made the most of
its time with Curtis Painter throwing two touchdown passes, Kory
Sheets running for two scores, and Mike Conway taking a blocked punt
for a touchdown. Northern Colorado moved the ball, but only managed
ten fourth quarter points with Jason Caprioli catching a three-yard
pass from Bryan Waggener for the lone touchdown.
Player of the game:
Purdue QB Curtis Painter went 15-of-28 for 286 yards and two
touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Northern Colorado - Passing: Bryan
Waggener, 27-42, 216 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Andy Muns, 6-49. Receiving: Ryan Chesla,
9-99
Purdue - Passing: Curtis Painter, 15-28, 286 yds, 2
TDs
Rushing: Kory Sheets, 16-81, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Keith Smith, 6-67, 1 TD
Rushing: Andre Callender, 15-96, 1 TD. Receiving: Rich Gunnell,
9-135
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It might not have
been a rock-solid performance in the win over Northern Colorado, but
the Boilermakers scored early, showed plenty of balance, and got a
chance to tune up for Oregon. There will have to be even more
offensive explosion to stay with the Ducks, and the penalties, eight
for 54 yards, have to slow down. Curtis Painter did his normal great
job of spreading the ball around with Keith Smith and Greg Orton the
main targets. No one was the No. 1 man, but that should be Orton
going forward.
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: You know exactly what you're getting, and
that can be a good thing. QB Curtis Painter will throw for a bazillion
yards, there will be more offensive balance with RBs Kory Sheets and
Jaycen Taylor, and the defense, which improved after a few horrible
years, will be decent. Even if the defense needs time to replace some
key players, which it will, Painter and the attack is built to keep up
in shootouts. Missing Wisconsin and Illinois is a plus.
Why to be grouchy: Greg Orton is a good receiver and Joe Tiller
always finds productive targets, but losing longtime playmaker Dorien
Bryant and top catching TE Dustin Keller isn't a plus. In Tiller's final
year before passing the reins to Danny Hope, the defensive players
aren't there to come up with big days against offenses with a pulse. On
the non-conference schedule is Oregon, an even better Central Michigan,
and a trip to an improved Notre Dame, while the opening Big Ten road
game is at Ohio State.
The number one thing to work on is: Getting the offense going
against the good teams. Oh sure, it blew the doors off the MAC teams,
Eastern Illinois and Minnesota, but when it came time to playing Ohio
State and Michigan, the production went bye-bye. Basically, Purdue beat
the teams it was supposed to and, with the possible exception of
Indiana, it lost to the teams it was supposed to. To get to a bowl and
be in the Big Ten upper-division, it'll have to pull off an upset or
two. That hasn't been Tiller's forte.
Biggest offensive loss: WR Dorien Bryant
Biggest defensive loss: CB Terrell Vinson
Best returning offensive player: QB Curtis Painter, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Anthony Heygood, Sr.
2007 Recap
2007 Recap:
The Boilermakers were a product of their competition in 2007, winning the games
they were supposed to, and losing to the better opponents on the schedule. As
has been the case for the past few seasons, Purdue went only as far as its
quarterback, Curtis Painter, would take them, often struggling when the defense
allowed too many long drives and too much real estate on the ground. The
Boilers’ only two wins against bowl qualifiers were versus Central Michigan,
once in West Lafayette and once in a Motor City Bowl shootout.
Offensive Player of the Year: WR Dorien Bryant
Defensive Player of the Year: DE Cliff Avril
Biggest Surprise: Purdue was supposed to beat Iowa on Oct. 20, but not by
25 points. The Boilermaker defense delivered its best game of the season,
limiting the Hawkeyes to 254 yards and a pair of Daniel Murray field goals, the
fewest points scored by Iowa in this series since 1976.
Biggest Disappointment: The Boilermakers went 0-for-November, losing to
Penn State, Michigan State, and Indiana in successive weeks to settle for the
Big Ten’s least desirable bowl slot. Losing the Old Oaken Bucket to the
Hoosiers on a last-minute field goal was easily Purdue’s most painful loss of
the 2007 campaign.
Looking Ahead: Pulling a Wisconsin, Purdue has already decided on Joe
Tiller’s successor in 2009, former Eastern Kentucky head coach Danny Hope.
It’ll give the players and coaches a full year to get acclimated to the new
sheriff in town. With Painter back for one more season, the Boilermakers will
once again be an offensive-driven team that needs more support from Brock
Spack’s defense.
2008
Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Kawann Short, DT,
6-4, 280, East Chicago, Ind. (Central)
Three-star prospect ranked as No. 24 defensive tackle nationally and
No. 6 player in Indiana by Scout.com ... selected to play in Indiana
North-South All-Star Game ... totaled 85 tackles, including nine
sacks, with two fumble recoveries and two blocked punts as senior
... had 80 tackles, including 15 for loss and 8.5 sacks, as junior
... coach was A.J. Rodriguez ... also played basketball and was
teammate of Purdue men's basketball freshman E'Twaun Moore when East
Chicago won Class 4A state championship in 2007.
Potential Instant Impact Players
Chris Carlino, LB,
6-2, 215, Fishers, Ind. (Hamilton Southeastern)
Three-star prospect ranked as No. 27 middle linebacker nationally
and No. 14 player in Indiana by Scout.com ... runner-up for
Indiana Mr. Football and first team all-state, all-area and
all-conference after totaling 136 tackles, including five sacks,
with four interceptions, three pass breakups and three fumble
recoveries as senior ... named to Indiana Football Coaches
Association list of top 50 players in the state ... member of
Indianapolis Star's Super Team and Daily Herald's list of top 33
players in Indiana ... runner-up for Indiana's Linebacker Award ...
academic all-state selection ... had 24 receptions for 368 yards
(15.3 average) and five touchdowns ... recorded 103 tackles as
junior.
Ralph Bolden, ATH,
5-9, 185, Folkston, Ga. (Charlton County)
Ranked as No. 64 running back nationally and No. 43 player in
Georgia by Scout.com ... named Region 2-AA Offensive Player of the
Year ... member of Florida Times-Union Super 24 and all-state
running back as senior ... rushed for 1,572 yards on 154 carries
(10.2 average) with 17 touchdowns ... had 1,963 yards of total
offense ... also recorded 13.5 tackles, three interceptions and one
blocked kick ... recorded 902 yards of total offense with 771 yards
rushing on 64 attempts (12.0 average) and eight touchdowns as junior
... also had 27.5 tackles and four interceptions (three returned for
touchdowns) and recovered two fumbles ... first team all-region as
defensive back and second team all-region running back ... timed at
4.43 in the 40-yard dash
Rest of the Class
| Dwayne Beckford |
LB |
6-3 |
210 |
Irvington, N.J. (Irvington) |
| Alvin Blackmon |
WR |
6-1 |
190 |
Corinth, Texas (Lake Dallas) |
| Ralph Bolden |
ATH |
5-9 |
185 |
Folkston, Ga. (Charlton County) |
| Andrew Brewer |
C |
6-4 |
250 |
Huntington, W.Va. (Cabell Midland) |
| Jordan Brewer |
WR |
6-5 |
220 |
Carmel, Ind. (Carmel) |
| Monroe Brooks |
DE |
6-6 |
240 |
Palatine, Ill. (Palatine) |
| Chris Carlino |
LB |
6-2 |
215 |
Fishers, Ind. (Hamilton Southeastern) |
| LaSalle Cooks |
DE |
6-3 |
225 |
Orlando, Fla. (Pine Castle Christian
Academy) |
| Arsenio Curry |
WR |
6-4 |
210 |
Rufkin, Fla. (Fresno [Calif.] City
College) |
| Peters Drey |
OT |
6-6 |
275 |
Theodore, Ala. (McGill Toolen) |
| Albert Evans |
RB-DB |
6-0 |
195 |
Gary, Ind. (Portage) |
| Nnamdi Ezenwa |
LB |
6-2 |
210 |
Acworth, Ga. (North Cobb) |
| Kevin Green |
CB |
5-10 |
180 |
Tallahassee, Fla. (Rickards) |
| Derek Jackson |
LB |
6-2 |
215 |
Glen Allen, Va. (Deep Run) |
| Robert Maci |
DE |
6-4 |
225 |
Fishers, Ind. (Cathedral) |
| Eric Mebane |
DE |
6-4 |
225 |
Grand Prairie, Texas (Bowie) |
| Gavin Roberts |
S |
6-1 |
205 |
Somerset, N.J. (Franklin) |
| Kawann Short |
DT |
6-4 |
280 |
East Chicago, Ind. (Central) |
| Caleb TerBush |
QB |
6-5 |
210 |
Metamora, Ill. (Metamora Township) |
| Tommie Thomas |
S |
6-2 |
175 |
Robbins, Ill. (Richards) |
| Carson Wiggs |
P-K |
6-0 |
200 |
Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand
Prairie) |