First and 10: Purdue at Virginia Tech

As we start the week, 10 items of interest to track as Purdue travels to Virginia Tech on Saturday:

The line is all over the place. FanDuel opened the Boilermakers as a 2.5-point favorite, but Circa Sports in Las Vegas listed the Hokies as a 1-point favorite, which is the consensus at vsin.com.

• Pick one area that needs to take a major step forward following the season-opening loss to Fresno State. Short-yardage situations? Third-down conversions on both sides of the ball? More pressure on the quarterback? What’s next for quarterback Hudson Card? Plenty of choices on the checklist.

• How long before the offensive line becomes a cohesive unit? It may take time since injuries have removed key players from the lineup and there are plenty of new faces. The rotating centers due to injuries didn’t help Saturday but let’s see where this group stands once Gus Hartwig returns to center and they gain more experience playing together.

• While Deion Burks flashed plenty of big plays in the opener, he’s now the No. 1 target for opposing defenses. Burks was targeted nine times against the Bulldogs and made four catches. Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen stepped up as an option along with TJ Sheffield. They’ll need to produce and stay involved in the offense for this group to find consistency. The return of tight end Garrett Miller would provide another option for Card.

• What are the chances Miller, Hartwig and Josh Kaltenberger will be available against the Hokies? Any new injuries from Saturday’s loss?

• What does freshman Dillion Thieneman do for an encore? Ten tackles and a key interception is an excellent start to a promising career.

• The offense wasn’t sharp but here’s the positive – no turnovers and no sacks allowed. It was the first time Purdue didn’t commit a turnover in a season opener since 2014 against Western Michigan. With a first-time head coach, a new staff, and a host of newcomers who’ve never played together, avoiding turnovers is a good sign.

• Interesting comparison between Purdue and Virginia Tech. The Boilermakers generated 363 total yards and scored 35 points. The Hokies totaled 368 yards and collected 36 points. We’ll see what it means – if anything – on Saturday.

• Will the return game become a strength for the Boilermakers? Two big plays by Sheffield and Tyrone Tracy in the punt and kickoff return game, respectively, helped put points on the scoreboard.  

• Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells didn’t put up Mikey Keene’s numbers in the win over Old Dominion but pieced together an impressive outing. Wells was 17 of 29 for 251 yards and accounted for four scores in sparking the Hokies to their biggest point total under second-year coach Brent Pry. In fact, Tech didn’t score 30 points during its 3-8 season in 2022. Another test for Purdue’s secondary.

• Purdue and Virginia Tech played the first game of this home-and-home series in 2015, two years after it was announced. Here we are 10 years later, and the Boilermakers finally make their return trip to Blacksburg, Va. The legendary Frank Beamer brought the Hokies to Ross-Ade Stadium eight years ago and walked out with a 51-24 victory. Darrell Hazell was in his third season as Purdue’s head coach and the lopsided loss was part of a 2-10 campaign where the victories came against Indiana State and Nebraska. To show how much has changed in conference realignment, the Big Ten had 12 schools in 2013 and the Atlantic Coast Conference had 14. Next year, both leagues will have 18 schools.