Let’s talk about it!
Welcome back to the weekly roundtable where I send out a question to the staff and share their answers with you. This week, we talk football expectations after week 1.
The question: Purdue sits at 1-0 against an overmatched FCS opponent. Did you see anything in this game that changed your pre-season expectations?
Jumbo Heroes:
I’ve been pretty clear in all my writings on this site as well as all my rantings on the Boiler Alert podcast that you can basically take nothing away from a game against an overmatched FCS opponent. But, I want to caveat that. You could take away bad things! If Purdue struggled in this game and maybe won 31-28 or heaven forbid, if they lost, then there’s certainly some things you could take away. Panic in the streets for sure. But, Purdue dominated in this game. 49-0 in case you didn’t remember. That’s a butt whooping. An expected butt whooping though.
So, what did I learn? Maybe that Purdue has talent at WR and that if given the chance they could shine. Reggie Love III is going to be a great weapon at the RB position. But did my expectations for the season change? No. I still think 5-7 is what they’ll end up with and I think 6-6 isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but neither is 4-8. Purdue’s path at getting to a bowl game are narrow and this ISU victory didn’t widen that path in my eyes.
Ryan:
I’m going to do my best to view this game without Black and Gold shaded glasses, but Hudson Card looked spectacular in this game. Even if you’re playing against air, completing 24 of 25 passes is not a gimme. You can count the mistakes Card made on one hand: his lone incompletion was on a deep throw that barely missed, he held the ball too long in the red zone that resulted in a sack, and you could say he needed to slide on a few of his runs rather than take a hit.
All of Card’s impressive play was against lowly Indiana State though, so the needle moves only slightly. What moves the needle more so for me is some of Purdue’s future opponents. Oregon State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Northwestern all failed to impress (some downright disappointed in a victory) in their season openers. Oregon did as well, but I’m much less optimistic about Purdue’s chances against the Ducks. All of this is to say that after week one, I’m more confident in Purdue’s ability to get 5, maybe even 6, victories.
Jed:
What I saw from Purdue was a more talented roster on the field than what we saw last season. The additions from the portal have bumped Purdue’s ceiling up considerably from where my expectations were but that still may not account for much in the wins and losses columns. Card’s day was as close to perfect as one could get and that’s what his level of talent should be at against inferior opponents along with a nice combination of running backs behind him. Where I was most impressed was the talent at the receiver position that now looks like it has the athletes to properly run this spread passing attack. Having three or four receivers on the field at once who are all legitimate threats to catch and get yards after the reception is a big deal. This might be the biggest and most athletic receiver room I’ve ever seen at Purdue.
The defense still causes me some concerns, notably the pass rush and Jenkins at linebacker. ISU only threw a handful of times and they didn’t really get much there outside of a few plays late in the game. The test will come next week against an ND team that is exponentially more talented and one that Purdue HAS to get pressure on the quarterback to be successful. Purdue needs two legitimate threats to get into the backfield and if they are solely relying on Heldt for that, that could ultimately be the reason Purdue lands at 4-8 still instead of 6-6.
Garrett:
I have gone on record saying how glad I was to be wrong about my prediction: winning 41-13 with the offense starting slow.
The offense looked surgical, tactful, and basically what we were all hoping a Graham Harrell semi-air raid offense would look like. Going into year two, Harrell has had the opportunity to find players that fit his offensive mentality more so than having to arrange puzzle pieces that didn’t necessarily fit together last season.
The experienced offensive line was organized, the guys who rotated in looked solid, and that’s going to be a necessity to ensure a dual threat gunslinger like Hudson Card has the time necessary to be the playmaker he’s shown he can be. I know I’ve said this maybe a million times this week, but Card just went out and tied an NCAA completion percentage record with four touchdowns and no interceptions. I know it’s Indiana State, but he’s showing that when he has the time to put the ball where it needs to be, he throws dimes.
Defensive line looked great and the kicking appeared to be a bit more solid with Porath.
So yes, my expectations have changed. I was a bit of a negative Nancy and predicted 5-7 with this season’s rough schedule, but from what I saw in how Purdue CAN execute (albeit against a much less talented team) shows more 7-5. This team could get to 8-4. We’ll have to wait and see how they function against more talented teams, and Notre Dame is going to be one heck of a barometer for that, but I really like what I saw on Saturday.
Drew:
I didn’t see anything that changed my pre-season expectations, but I had higher pre-season expectations than most people to begin with. The offense looked great in a glorified scrimmage and the new receivers opened up the offense. I don’t think Purdue looks like that against Indiana State last season (even though they still win big). If nothing else, both sides of the ball look well coached and the team looks bigger and stronger in general. Oh, and the kicking game looks functional. That alone gives Purdue at least 1 if not 2 extra wins last season. 6 wins doesn’t seem out of the question.
Kyle:
Purdue accomplished what they should have against Indiana State, beating the Sycamores 49 to 0.
With the variety of starters that did not play that game, I cannot say it changed my mind on how I think the season will go. Hudson Card was nearly perfect in the game, breaking a FBS completion percentage record, but Indiana State made it easy for Purdue with their lack of talent.
Purdue still faces an uphill battle, starting with Notre Dame next week, who looked outstanding against Texas A&M. If Purdue plays the Irish close, that would persuade me more than what they did against Indiana State.