The Gold and Black of West Lafayette (birthplace of Axl Rose) head into 2009 looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2008 campaign. Gone are legendary head coach Joe Tiller and QB Curtis Painter. Danny Hope takes over for the Boilermakers and I think it's safe to say the only hope in West Lafayette this fall will be Danny.
End Ryan Kerrigan did a fine job getting into the backfield as a sophomore and Purdue will have to rely on him to consistently disrupt the opposing offense. They also need tackle Mike Neal to use his experience and help the rest of the young line do a better job of stopping the run. Having Chris Carlino and Joe Holland, and possibly Jason Werner if he can stay healthy, back in the middle of the defense should make things a little better for the run defense. The best unit on the defense last year was the secondary. Free safety Torri Williams is a superstar in waiting and corners Brandon King and David Pender are quality players.
The only good news on the offensive side of the ball is the return of four starting linemen. Quarterback Curtis Painter is gone and so are his three best receivers in Greg Orton, Desmond Tardy and Brandon Whittington. And even running back Kory Sheets, who tallied 1,131 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground has run out of eligibility. That leaves a whole slew of holes to fill. Joey Elliott is the most experienced quarterback, but Caleb Terbush is an interesting option who took advantage of Elliott’s shoulder injury in the spring and did a decent job filling in for him. It is still Elliott’s job to lose, but Terbush will give him a good push in the fall. Receiver Aaron Valentin and Keith Smith are the likely candidates to be the team’s top receiver. Valentin came on strong at the end of last season, but the senior has still only caught 11 passes during his collegiate career at Purdue.
I expect Purude to go 2-2 in non-conference play, 2-6 in the Big 10 to finish with an identical record as 2008, 4-8, good for 10th in the Big 10.
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