2010 Purdue Football Predictions
The Purdue Boilermakers finished up the 2009 season at just 5-7, but were 4-4 in Big Ten play, including a huge upset over Ohio State at home. The Boilermakers head into the 2010 season looking to make their first bowl game since 2007, but it won’t be easy as they have just 11 starters back from last year’s squad. Here is a look at what the Boilermakers will bring to the table on both sides of the ball in 2010, plus my prediction on where they finish up the season in the Big Ten.
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Offense: The Boilermakers will have to replace starting quarterback Joey Elliott this season, and all signs point to University of Miami transfer Robert Marve to win the job this fall. Marve started 11 games for the Hurricane back in 2008.
The Boilermakers suffered a huge blow to their offense when starting running back Ralph Bolden went down with an ACL injury in the spring. Bolden was coming off a season where he racked up 935 yards and 9 touchdowns. Sophomore Al-Terek McBurse will take over the starting job while Bolden is out, with senior Keith Carlos serving as the primary backup.
At wide receiver the Boilermakers bring back their top threat from 2009 in senior Keith Smith, who led the Boliermakers with 91 catches for 1, 100 yards and six touchdowns. Smith is one of the elite receivers in the Big Ten this season, and I expect Marve to look his way early and often this season. Senior Cortez Smith and red-shirt freshman Gary Bush figure to round out the starting receiving corps. The Boilermakers do bring back senior tight end Kyle Adams, who hauled in 29 passes for 249 yards in 2009.
Their are some concerns up front for the Boilermakers in 2010, as they return only two starters from last year. Junior left tackle Dennis Kelly is back to protect the blind side, while fellow junior Ken Plue is back at right guard. Sophomore Rick Schmeig is the projected starter at center, while junior right tackle Nick Mondek and sophomore left guard Peters Drey are also expected to start.
Defense: The Boilermakers bring back three starters up front, led by senior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, who had a team best 13 sacks in 2009, and figures to be one of the top defensive players in all of the Big Ten this season. Junior Gerald Gooden is back at the other defensive end spot, and is coming off a solid 4.5 sack total in his sophomore season. At tackle sophomore Kawann Short is expected to join forces with red-shirt freshman Brandon Taylor.
At linebacker the Boilermakers welcome back all three starters from last year, led by senior strong-side linebacker Jason Werner. Junior Chris Carlino is back at the middle linebacker spot, while fellow junior Joe Halland is back to man the weak-side spot. Overall a pretty solid and experienced group.
The big concerns for the Boilermaker’s defense this season comes in the secondary, as Purdue will have to replace all four starters from the 2009 season. Juniors Charlton Williams and Mike Eargle are expected to take over the two starting corner spots, while sophomore Gavin Roberts and junior Albert Evans are the projected starters at the two safety positions.
Big Ten Prediction – 8th: I believe their are five games on the schedule that the Boilermakers will have a very good shot at winning this season, meaning this team will likely have to pull off another upset if they want to make a bowl game this season.
For a complete look at the conference, check out Jimmy Boyd’s 2010 Big Ten Predictions.
Looking for some help with your college football betting this season? Be sure to stop back for Jimmy Boyd’s expert college football picks this season.