The Way Too Early Purdue Preview

Over the next several weeks, Charlie's Nasties will be giving readers previews of the 2008 Irish opponents.

2007 record: 8-5

2007 conference record: 3-5

Returning starters: 7 on offense - 5 on defense

After an excellent trip (ignoring the loss) to West Lafayette last season, I’m looking forward to hosting the Boilermakers in South Bend this year; Purdue’s offense and lack of defense should make for a fun and exciting thriller on September 27th.

Longshot Heisman candidate Curtis Painter will return under center, looking to build off of a season where he threw for 3,800 yards and 29 touchdowns. Fortunately for the Irish, top receiver Dorien Bryant and well utilized tight end Dustin Keller will both be in the NFL next season, leaving Greg Orton to step up as Painter’s main target. The Boilermaker’s may have graduated a lot of talent at the position last year (they also lost WR Selwyn Lymon), but Orton hauled in over 60 receptions (3 TDs), and seniors Joe Whitest, Desmond Tardy, and JUCO Aaron Valentin should be able to bring a decent deal of experience to fill the void. None of the new receiving corp may impress on paper, but then again, Matt Ryan didn’t need a lot to work with in order to win with BC last season.

A week after facing Javon Ringer, the Notre Dame front seven will be challenged again to stop the run as talented senior Kory Sheets will return for another year. Sheets ran for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns last year, and with capable backups filling out this position, Painter should be able to hand off when he needs to pick up yards on the ground.

That is, however, if Purdue can field an offensive line this year. Three starters return along the front five, but all three players are recovering from offseason surgery. Seniors Zach Jones (OT) and Zach Redman (OG) both had work done on their shoulders in the offseason, and season left tackle Sean Sester, arguably the best pro prospect on the team, is coming off of back surgery. It can be tough for any player to fully recover from surgery, and extensive injuries like these can be especially nagging on linemen over the course of a season. The lack of depth at the position could aid to this problem as the three starters will likely be banged up for the game against Notre Dame, facing Oregon and Central Michigan before traveling to South Bend.
An offense that could put points on the board last season (423 yards/game, 32.9 points/game) looks like it might have the capability of having another good offensive year, but a defense that gave up 385 yards/game and nearly 25 ppg has some room for improvement heading into 2008. Four members of the 2007 secondary (2 CBs, 1 SS, 1 LB) tried to make it to the NFL through free agency and tryouts this spring, but the loss of OLBs Cliff Avril and Stanford Keglar through the draft probably hurt this team the most. Anthony Heygood is a legitimate all-Big-Ten player at the Mike position, registering 80 tackles in his first season with playing time. The question is whether or not some talented young players can join Heygood and aid an above average defensive line in applying pressure up front.

By this point in the season, our offensive line should be able to win the battle against Purdue's front seven, allowing the Irish to open up a decent running game and give Jimmy enough time rack up some passing stats. While students should be able to count on doing some push ups in the stands, whether or not our defense can stop the Boilermaker offense is a bigger question mark. If Purdue's offensive line is healthy, Sheets could have a big day on the ground, and Painter will have time to set his feet and pick apart our secondary. What's most scary about facing a good quarterback like Painter is that if TAN-NOOH-TAH's blitz packages don't land, he has the ability to make the defense pay.

Fortunately, I think that after two tough ground games against Michigan and MSU, our defense will be up to the task of winning the battle at the defensive line of scrimmage, forcing a turnover or two, and giving fans something to cheer about with a 35-24 win, and thankfully the Irish will be able to witness victory without 10,000 megawatt advertisements blaring in their ears.

Go Irish!