2010 Purdue Football Predictions

July 30, 2010

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Danny Hope’s first season as the Purdue Boilermakers head football coach ended in a disappointing 5-7 record, as his team lost five games by seven or less points in 2009. The Boilermakers however finished the year 4-4 in Big Ten conference play. Purdue has 11 returning starters back for the 2010 season, as they look to surprise a lot of people with a strong finish in the Big Ten. Check out my 2010 Purdue Boilermakers season preview below.

Offense:

The Boilermakers  lose starting quarterback Joey Elliot, but bring in Miami transfer Robert Marve, who figures to win the starting job over sophomore Caleb Terbush and red-shirt freshman Rob Henry. Marve brings some experience to the table, as he started 11 games for the Hurricanes in 2008.
Sophomore running back Al-Terek McBurse has likely found himself as the feature back of the Boilermaker’s offense in 2010, as he replaces 2009 top rusher Ralph Bolden, who will likely miss the season after tearing his ACL in the spring.

The Boilermakers will feature one of the top receivers in all of the Big Ten this season in senior Keith Smith, who led the way with 91 catches for 1,100 yards and six touchdowns in 2009. Also back in the mix is senior wide out Cortez Smith and senior tight end Kyle Adams. Red-shirt freshman Gary Bush figures to get in on the action this season as the team’s No.3 receiver, and the hope is he will be a threat for many years to come for the Boilermakers.

Purdue has a lot of work to do to sure up an offensive line that returns just two starters from the 2009 season. The two starters back are junior left tackle Dennis Kelly and junior right guard Kyle Plue, and both figure to be two of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten this season.

Defense:

The Boilermakers figure to be the strongest up front on the defensive side of the ball, as they return two of the conference’s best at their respected positions in senior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan and sophomore defensive tackle Kawann Short. Kerrigan was a sack machine for the Boilermakers in 2009, taking home a team best 13 sacks. Purdue also brings back junior defensive end Gerald Gooden, who finished tied for third on the team with 4.5 sacks in 2009, and figures to improve on those numbers this season.

All three starters are back at linebacker for the Boilermakers this season, and you have to think this unit will be even better in 2010 with improved play up front. Junior weak-side backer Joe Holland is the leading tackler back from the 2009 season, while senior strong-side linebacker Jason Werner and junior middle linebacker Chris Carlino were also at the top of the tackle board in 2009.

The Boilermakers will have four new starters in the secondary this season, and that figures to be a big concern for this defense heading into 2010. Juniors Mike Eargle and Charlton Williams are the front runners for the two starting corner spots, while junior Albert Evans and sophomore Gavin Roberts appear to be headed into the starting lineup at the two safety positions. This unit could perform better than people think if the Boilermakers continue to put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

PREDICTION: 8th in the Big Ten: I had a hard time picking the Boilermakers this low in my Big 10 conference standings, but outside of home games against Minnesota and Indiana there aren’t any other conference games where I can see the Boilermakers being favored.  I think another 5-7 finish is in store for Purdue this season.

For a complete look at the Big Ten Conference, check out Jimmy Boyd’s 2010 Big Ten predictions. If you plan on making money betting on college football this season, be sure to check out our live college football odds feed each week.

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Posted by Jimmy Boyd · Filed Under Football Picks, Football Predictions, Football Rankings 

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