GoldandBlack.com Predictions: Purdue vs. Oregon

Yep, this is really a Big Ten game, as second-ranked Oregon visits Purdue Friday night.

Our GoldandBlack.com staff predictions …

MIKE CARMIN, CONTRIBUTOR

Overall Thought: The second-half onslaught of points against Illinois jumpstarted the offense, but can it be duplicated against a better defense? While Ryan Walters calls the offensive plays, his defense continues to give up points and yards and now faces one of the top quarterbacks and offensive units in the country. Can the defense prevent a third-straight 50-point outing? The long view of the program hasn’t changed, despite the one-point OT loss to Illinois. 

*The* Key To The Game: It’s unrealistic to think Purdue’s defense can slow down the Ducks, putting the onus on the offense to deliver.

Your Pick To Click (offense): Ryan Browne. Maybe he’ll follow in Aidan O’Connell’s footsteps.

Your Pick To Click (defense): Dillon Thieneman. The last line of defense against the quickness of Oregon.

Spiciest Take: Does the inflatable Oregon Duck mascot make an appearance on the Wabash River?

Predicted Score: Oregon 52, Purdue 12

TOM DIENHART, GOLDANDBLACK.COM

Overall Thought: Purdue showed a pulse—and plenty of fight—last week in Champaign. Was that a mirage? 

*The* Key To The Game: Run the ball, slow the pace, drain the clock, play keep away from the explosive Duck offense.

Your Pick To Click (offense): QB Ryan Browne. C’mon. It can’t be anyone else, right? Buy your No. 15 jersey now at University Book Store.

Your Pick To Click (defense): RE/ILB Kydran Jenkins. Big-time players step up vs. big-time foes. KJ is a big-time player.

Spiciest Take: For once, Oregon won’t be the coolest dressed team. That honor will go to Purdue and its black togs.

Predicted Score: Oregon 55, Purdue 24. 

ALAN KARPICK, GOLDANDBLACK.COM

Overall Thought: Purdue will have to play as it did in the second half last week in Champaign to make this a game at any level in the second half.

*The* Key To The Game: Sustained, time-consuming drives by Purdue. The term “shorten the game” will be the most overused phrase in the Purdue football analysis vernacular today and tonight.

Your Pick To Click (offense): Ryan Browne. Can he have a repeat performance from last week? I admit, it will be fun (and interesting) to see if it is possible.

Your Pick To Click (defense): Kydran Jenkins. For Purdue to have a chance, it needs a defensive lightning bolt or two. Maybe Jenkins will do what Will Heldt did last week and score for the defense.

Spiciest take: I don’t know if this will be spicy, and it may just be wishful thinking…but the game will be interesting after halftime.

Predicted Score: Oregon 41, Purdue 20

JORDAN JONES, CONTRIBUTOR

Overall Thought: What was real from last week’s second-half comeback? Was it a sign of better things to come, or was it flash-in-the-pan success against a familiar defensive scheme?

*The* Key To The Game: Limit possessions. Keep the ball away from Oregon’s offense.

Your Pick To Click (offense): Devin Mockobee. Lost in Ryan Browne’s much-earned praise, Mockobee put together another really nice game. He’s having a great year.

Your Pick To Click (defense): Kydran Jenkins. Purdue must find a way to disrupt Oregon’s high-powered offense, and Jenkins is the best bet.

Spiciest Take: A year ago, this would have been Purdue playing Maryland or Rutgers. Conference expansion has its positives, I guess, but matchups like these aren’t one of them.

Predicted Score: Oregon 45, Purdue 14

BRIAN NEUBERT, LOCAL QUACK

Overall Thought: This is a tough timing-and-logistics game for Oregon but it shouldn’t matter as things for Purdue are so beak. Um, bleak. Now starts the hard part of Purdue’s schedule.

*The* Key To The Game: Tackling. Purdue mustn’t be water off the Ducks’ backs. It really must flock to the ball. (I’ve got a lot more of these, you know.)

Your Pick To Click (offense): Devin Mockobee. Respect the heart this dude keeps running with during a season in which most everything has gone wrong for his team.

Your Pick To Click (defense): Will Heldt. Purdue needs him making plays but also needs its edges and whole defense not flocking to ball fakes like waterfowl to little shreds of old white bread at the park. Or else Dillon Gabriel will be running into open spaces the way he runs to different schools every year.

Spiciest Take: Awful nice of Phil to personally deliver those shoes for Zach Edey, but …

Predicted Score: Oregon 31, Purdue 6.

CHAT GTP, STAFF AI BOT

Just trying to make sure we are more interesting …