First and 10: Indiana at Purdue
As we start the week, 10 items of interest as Purdue hosts Indiana on Saturday (noon, BTN) in the Old Oaken Bucket matchup at Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Boilermakers opened as a 3-point favorite, but the line dropped to 2.5 as of Monday morning, according to vsin.com.
• Does winning the Bucket salvage the first season under Ryan Walters? Victories at Virginia Tech and against Illinois and Minnesota are nice, but beating the in-state rival carries more weight. The Boilermakers need a good vibe heading into the offseason.
• Will Hudson Card be available on Saturday? The backup quarterback rotation between Bennett Meredith and Ryan Browne didn’t produce great results. The passing game was non-existent. Browne’s running ability gives him an edge if Card isn’t ready.
• The running game has produced back-to-back 300-yard games, but the struggles remain in short-yardage situations. There are more defenders in the box on third-and-fourth down and short, but no one has solved the season-long issue.
• Will we see a lot of points on Saturday? Purdue and Indiana rank No. 13 and No. 14 in scoring defense in Big Ten games, allowing an average of 30.4 and 33.6 points, respectively.
• Two weeks in a row, the defense has given up a touchdown on the opening drive. Against Minnesota, it was four plays and a score. Against Northwestern, it was four plays and a score.
• Devin Mockobee’s goal of reaching 1,000 rushing yards is likely over. He’ll need a monster performance – 231 yards to reach the milestone – but rivalry games bring out unexpected results. In eight conference games, the Hoosiers are allowing 145.3 rushing yards.
• Don’t act surprised when you learn Purdue has a Big Ten-high 27 fourth-down attempts. But the Boilermakers have converted only 10.
• The defense had a good day from a pressure standpoint against Northwestern and should continue against the Hoosiers. The Boilermakers had five sacks and six tackles for loss, all without standout Nic Scourton. Scourton still leads the Big Ten with eight sacks.
• Perhaps Purdue’s offense can take advantage of a struggling Indiana defense that has failed to close out the last two games. The Hoosiers lost in overtime at Illinois, allowing 48 points two weeks ago, and gave up a late touchdown to Michigan State on Saturday during a 24-21 setback. Indiana did hold on to defeat Wisconsin three weeks ago.
• It would take a string of mild surprises, but six of the seven teams in the Big West could be bowl eligible by the end of Saturday. Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota each have five victories. It’s not impossible since the Illini play Northwestern, the Huskers face Iowa and the Gophers take on Wisconsin. Purdue could be the only team from the Big Ten West left out of a bowl.
