Gold and Black Radio: Purdue-Indiana State preview show

GoldandBlack.com takes a comprehensive look at Purdue’s season-opening matchup with Indiana State. Host Derek Schultz talks with beat writer Tom Dienhart, editor Brian Neubert, and publisher Alan Karpick, breaking down the matchup, looking at the 2024 season, a little Boilermaker history, Big Ten predictions, and much more. Thanks to GBR sponsors Purdue Federal Credit Union, Whittaker Inn, Ripple and Company and East End Grill for making it all happen. 

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More on the Purdue-Indiana State matchup

Indiana State running game versus Purdue against the run

Justin Dinka and Plez Lawrence formed a one-two punch in the backfield in Terre Haute last season. The duo combined for over 100 yards per game on the ground. While Dinka departed, Lawrence returns as the projected leading rusher in an offense that likes to run the ball. Despite a 1-10 record and trailing for most snaps, the Sycamores ran the ball 389 times to just 266 pass attempts last season.

Projected starting quarterback Elijah Owens did demonstrate the ability to run with the ball. While he only played in four games, he ripped off a 20-yard run and kept the ball 18 times. As a whole, though, the Sycamores did not run the ball well in 2023. Indiana State averaged just 3.4 yards per carry and scored less than 14 points per game.

Purdue sat in the middle of the pack in 2023, allowing 140 rushing yards per game. The Boilermakers bid farewell to two key cogs of the run defense in Isaiah Nichols and Malik Langham, but the linebacker play should remain solid. Kydran Jenkins’ move to inside ‘backer should allow him to rack up tackles. Yanni Karlaftis will join him, but he’ll miss the first half on Saturday due to a targeting penalty in the second half of the 2023 season finale.

The question for Purdue? The interior of the defensive line. Purdue likes the nose tackle combination of Cole Brevard and Mo Omonode, but it needs the rest of the front to step up if it wants to stop the run with strength. Can Jeffrey M’ba step up in his second year as a Boilermaker? How about Jamarius Dinkins? Joe Anderson? Time will tell, but the Sycamores should make a nice opponent to rotate liberally against.

Indiana State passing game versus Purdue against the pass

Owens saw action in four games as a true freshman with mixed results. A former all-state quarterback from downstate Illinois, Owens completed just under 50% of his passes last season. He threw for 310 yards with two touchdowns to three interceptions. Indiana State hopes for a sizable leap from freshman to sophomore year, as it desperately needs better quarterback play. In 2023, the team only threw for 143 yards per game, completed just 53% of passes and threw twice as many interceptions (14) as touchdowns (seven).

Indiana State said goodbye to its top two receivers from 2023. Kevin Barnett leads all returnees, but he caught just 15 passes for 167 yards a season ago. It’s a new-look receiving corps in Terre Haute, as transfers from Rutgers and Eastern Illinois will factor into the equation. Again, new could mean improved, as minimal production returns from last season’s crew that struggled to put points on the board.

Ryan Walters’ defense heavily emphasizes getting after the quarterback and playing suffocating man coverage. While the Boilermakers generated an intense pass rush, they still finished last in the conference in passing defense. Opponents threw for 241 yards per game through the air on the Boilermakers last season as the secondary struggled mightily.

While All-American safety Dillon Thieneman returns, Purdue will expect substantial improvement from both returnees and newcomers. Projected top cornerback Nyland Green will miss this game, so expect Markevious Brown, Botros Alisandro and Kyndrich Breedlove to line up across from Sycamore receivers. With Jenkins’ move to inside linebacker and Nic Scourton’s transfer to Texas A&M, the pass rush will look to prove itself. Will Heldt returns after a promising freshman campaign. Past him? Transfers Shitta Sillah, CJ Madden, Jireh Ojata and Trey Smith will compete for reps.

Purdue running game versus Indiana State against the run

Purdue put together its best run game in years last season, averaging 168 yards per game. While Tyrone Tracy exhausted his eligibility, Devin Mockobee returns for his third season as a starter. Now a seasoned vet, Mockobee should clear the 2,000-yard mark for his career this fall. With a big year, he could enter the top five in career rushing as a Boilermaker.

Illinois transfer Reggie Love III will replace Tracy. He played in 31 games in Champaign, totaling 1,053 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. With over 200 carries under his belt, Love is as experienced as it gets for a second running back. No questions linger about the top two tailbacks, but beyond them, questions remain unanswered. True freshman Jaheim Merriweather is the only other scholarship running back. If he’s not ready to go, Purdue will turn to a walk-on. Elijah Jackson? Addai Lewellen? Time will tell.

The run game should benefit from an improved offensive line. A rotating cast in 2023, the line never meshed together and formed a cohesive unit. With key transfer additions to bolster the group, the running backs could find more room to work with. Another benefit? Hudson Card may need to improvise less. The Boilermakers can ill-afford to lose No. 1.

Opponents averaged four-and-a-half yards per carry when running against the Sycamores in 2023. When it mattered most, they found the end zone 19 times on the ground. Indiana State will look to cut down on the 155 yards per game it surrendered to opposing rushers, but it will struggle against an overwhelming size difference this weekend.

Purdue passing game versus Indiana State against the pass

Card’s first season as a Boilermaker came with highs and lows. He excelled in home victories against Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana, but injuries led to volatility throughout the year. Now healthy with another year of experience under his belt, the time is now for Card to break through. The bolstered offensive line corps should help him stay upright and give him more time to find his receivers downfield.

He’ll look for a mostly new cast of characters this season. Max Klare leads all returning pass-catchers and missed all of October and November. Jahmal Edrine projects as the alpha wideout after missing 2023 with an injury. Transfers CJ Smith, DeNylon Morrissette, Kam Brown and JUCO find Leland Smith will help him out. Jayden Dixon-Veal, Jaron Tibbs and Andrew Sowinski will also see snaps with continuity in the system. Expect the Boilermakers to put lots of different wideouts on the field on Saturday to create separation on the depth chart.

Opponents easily moved the ball on the Sycamore pass defense last year, hitting 67% of their passes for 222 yards per game. Only five passes resulted in interceptions, as opponents averaged over seven-and-a-half yards per attempt. Veteran safety Maddix Blackwell picked off a pair of passes last season, while Garret Ollendieck racked up seven-and-a-half sacks. The pass rush worked well last season, but it’ll need a huge day to slow down a Big Ten opponent.

Special teams

The game’s third unit gave Purdue fits last season. After kickers made just eight of 17 field goal attempts, true freshman Spencer Porath could line up for field goals. If not, Ben Freehill hopes to build off a strong ending in 2023 after returning from injury. New punter Keelan Crimmins arrives with expectations to establish more consistency in the punting game, which has eluded Purdue in recent years.

While the return game did provide a touchdown for the first time in a decade, Purdue will replace the returner who did it (Tracy). An interesting wrinkle? All signs point to Thieneman returning punts. Can he provide a spark and house a punt? The last Boilermaker to do so was Aaron Valentin in 2009.

Former UConn transfer Jake Andjelic made all eight of his field goal tries a season ago, and he returns to handle the duties this fall. Australian import Harry Traum shared punting responsibilities last year, but the path is clear for him to do the job outright. The Sycamores lost their primary returner of both kickoffs and punts from a year ago and hope to light a spark when the opportunity presents itself.

Intangibles

A 4-8 record in year one left a sour taste in the Boilermakers’ mouths. Some positives emerged, such as keeping both rivalry trophies, but the year didn’t go as hoped. Purdue added 37 new players in an attempt to improve the talent level on the roster. We may or may not receive answers against an overmatched opponent, but Purdue will be eager to show its growth.

One new storyline to monitor in college football this season: in-helmet communication. Like the NFL, college football will now allow coaches to communicate with a radio in a quarterback and defensive player’s helmet before the play. The communication will stop when 15 seconds remain on the play clock, but it replaces the complex signaling systems from the sideline to the playing field. How much of a difference does this make?

No doubt, the Sycamores will enter this one fired up. After all, it’s the only game against an FBS opponent on the schedule this season, and it’s an in-state one, too. Once toe meets leather, though, can Indiana State hold up against a superior opponent? The Sycamores have won just three games in the last two seasons. When these two programs met last, Purdue thoroughly dominated in a 56-0 victory, out-gaining Indiana State by 376 yards.