Gold and Black Radio: Purdue-Michigan State pregame, hoops and more

Purdue-Michigan State football pregame preview and a little men’s basketball hoops talk in our Nov. 22 edition with host Derek Schultz, and GoldandBlack.com staffers Tom Dienhart, Alan Karpick and Brian Neubert. 

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Purdue-Michigan State Matchup Preview

Purdue at Michigan State from a matchup perspective.

Date/Time: Friday, November 22, 8 p.m. E.T.

Location: Spartan Stadium

Surface: Natural Grass

Capacity: 75,005 (tickets)

2024 schedules/records: Purdue 1-9 (0-7 Big Ten), Michigan State 4-6 (2-5 Big Ten)

Series notes: Michigan State leads the all-time series 36-29-3, though recent history between the two is limited. These two last met in November 2021, when the No. 3 Spartans entered Ross-Ade unbeaten. Purdue emerged with a 40-29 victory, setting off a field rush at Ross-Ade Stadium. This was Purdue’s second top-three win of the year. The Boilermakers last traveled to East Lansing in 2018, fresh off an upset victory of Ohio State. While the Spartans played backup quarterback Rocky Lombardi, they strolled past Purdue 23-13. This will mark the first meeting in the series for both Ryan Walters and Jonathan Smith.

TV: FOX (PxP Connor Onion, Analyst Mark Helfrich, Sidelines Josh Sims)

Radio: Purdue Sports Properties (PxP Tim Newton, Analyst Mark Herrmann, Sidelines Kelly Kitchel)The video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard

Line: Michigan State -13/5, O/U 47.5

Weather: Early forecast shows a high of 42, low of 35, cloudy skies and strong breeze

Purdue Roster | Purdue Game Notes

Michigan State Roster | Michigan State Game Notes

Pregame: First Look: Michigan State | First and 10: Michigan State | Purdue heads to Michigan State looking for first win since August | The 3-2-1: Talking Ryan Walters and more | How Purdue’s depth chart was built | Opponent View: Michigan State |

Michigan State running game versus Purdue against the run

The Spartans deploy a true two-running-back system. With 106 carries for Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and 100 for Nate Carter, it’s hard to imagine a more balanced approach. Both enter with similar stat lines, averaging north of four yards per carry and around 45 yards per game.

Quarterback Aidan Chiles‘ overall numbers lack due to sack losses, but he also presents a dangerous threat with his legs. He averages over eight rushing attempts per game. Due to the offensive line’s inconsistency and lack of explosiveness, Michigan State ranks 112th nationally in rushing.

However, Purdue’s rushing defense ranks worse, entering Friday night at 119th. Opponents run for more than 200 yards per game against the Boilermakers. Tackling remains an issue for Purdue, a constant going back to the embarrassing defeat against Notre Dame. While Purdue hopes Mo Omonode can return from injury to bolster the interior, Cole Brevard’s status remains in jeopardy after leaving Saturday’s game early. In a matchup between a poor rushing offense and poor rushing defense, which will give?

Michigan State passing game versus Purdue against the pass

Smith brought along Chiles when he left Oregon State for East Lansing. A highly-touted recruit in the 2023 class, Chiles showed flashes of star potential as a true freshman in Corvallis. He’s experienced many ups and downs this year with 10 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, but he continues to show those flashes of a star quarterback periodically. Consistency evades him, but his big arm threatens opposing defenses.

He spreads the ball between three main targets: Nick Marsh, Montorie Foster Jr. and Jack Velling. Marsh provides big-play ability, averaging more than 16 yards per reception, including a 77-yard touchdown catch. Foster Jr., a small, quick receiver, has upped his production recently and reached 100 yards in the win over Iowa. Meanwhile, Velling presents a big target out of the tight end position. The offensive line struggles mightily to protect Chiles, allowing 31 sacks in 10 games.

Purdue’s pass defense woes continued. Before Penn State removed Drew Allar from the blowout, he’d completed 17 of 19 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. And the Nittany Lions hold a reputation for struggling to create separation on the outside. It’s more of the same for Purdue, who’s struggled to generate much of a pass rush recently. When the front can’t get to the passer, the secondary can’t keep up. Though Botros Alisandro should return to the lineup this week, Purdue’s 109th-ranked pass defense will likely continue to show holes.

Purdue running game versus Michigan State against the run

Against better competition, Purdue can struggle to run the ball. Purdue averaged just three yards per carry (sack-adjusted) in the loss to Penn State, as the offense remained largely stagnant. Devin Mockobee needs three yards to move into 10th place in school history on the ground. With a strong performance on Friday, he could climb up to eighth. He’s taking the vast majority of the carries at running back with Reggie Love III spelling periodically.

Purdue used Hudson Card’s legs a bit more last week, something it had rarely done before Walters took over the offensive play-calling. While he can move, Purdue prefers him to operate as a traditional drop-back passer. The running game has been the strength of Purdue’s offense over the past two seasons, but it’s just pedestrian this year, as Purdue ranks 12th in the conference in rushing.

The Spartans defend the run with moderate success, surrendering 129 yards per game on the ground. Opponents have run the ball regularly against the Spartans, but they rank inside the top 50 nationally in run defense. Veteran linebackers Jordan Turner and Cal Haladay will rack up the tackles for Michigan State, but the turnovers haven’t occurred in the run game. The Spartans only forced three fumbles in the first 10 games and recovered just one.

Purdue passing game versus Michigan State against the pass

Whether it’s Card or Ryan Browne, no matter who’s calling the plays, Purdue’s passing game has been rough. The Boilermakers rank 119th in the FBS, throwing for 181.1 yards per game. While Card can struggle to pull the trigger quickly, the combination of a porous offensive line and lack of explosiveness at wide receiver forms a tricky combination for Purdue to overcome. While both parties likely hoped for a different path during his two seasons in West Lafayette, Card does possess arm ability to help Purdue win football games.

Max Klare continues to shine. The athletic tight end has twice as many passing yards (566) as anyone else on the team (Edrine, 278), and he presents a unique matchup for opposing defenses. He’s too quick for linebackers but too big for corners. He’s the lone Purdue pass catcher who can consistently generate separation and give Card a chance to make a play downfield. The numbers tell the story, as Purdue ranks 119th in the FBS with 181 passing yards per game.

Michigan State defends the pass fairly well, ranking in the top half of the conference. Opponents do average more than seven yards per attempt, but Michigan State limits big plays and keeps the ball in front of tacklers. It defends the pass well despite a limited pass rush, generating just 15 sacks in 10 games. Turner and Khris Bogle each enter with three sacks a piece, but the Spartans could look to blitz a questionable Purdue offensive line. Michigan State has intercepted eight passes, as Charles Brantley leads the way with three.

Special teams

Purdue made a change at kicker ahead of last week’s contest, as Ben Freehill took over for the struggling Spencer Porath. He made one of two, missing a long kick before halftime. The kicking numbers aren’t pretty. Purdue ranks last in the Big Ten with a 61.5% success rate on field goal tries, and it ranks second-to-last with just eight field goals made. Outside of Keelan Crimmins’ emergence at punter, special teams have hurt Purdue more than they’ve helped.

Meanwhile, Michigan State’s Jonathan Kim enters a whopping 18-for-20 on the season. He’s 11th in the nation in field goals made, and he had a career day when he made six of seven tries in a win over Iowa. With a long of 55 yards, the Spartans can begin thinking about field goals when they cross the 40-yard line. Punter Ryan Eckley averages an impressive 48.51 yards per punt with over half his punts clearing 50 yards.

Intangibles

How much life remains in Purdue’s locker room? Purdue enters 0-7 in Big Ten play, losing by an average of 27 points per game. Just two of Purdue’s nine losses came by less than 17 points. With major questions surrounding the future of the coaching staff and the transfer portal set to open soon, what level of focus will Purdue bring to a frigid Friday night kickoff in East Lansing?

Meanwhile, while year one may not have gone as well as Michigan State fans dreamed of, bowl eligibility remains a possibility. The Spartans close with Purdue and Rutgers, games that Michigan State is projected to win. Smith’s hire earned praise, as the program needed a strong leader to return from the disastrous end of Mel Tucker’s tenure. A bowl game in year one would mark plenty of progress to appease the green and white faithful.