Purdue v. Northwestern Prognostications

No slump-busting SBF needed this week as the Boilers are coming off of a victory that stopped a two-game slide. But, can the Boilers keep a good thing going in spite of their woes under Tiller in the month of October?

The weather forecast doesn't look too good heading into tomorrow's contest between our Boilers and the 5-3 Northwestern Wildcats. In the past, Northwestern was more of a run-first spread option, sloppy, wet conditions used to favor those clad in purple. This season though, it's not the case since Purdue's offense is extremely balanced, especially with the re-emergence of one tough S.O.B., Jaycen Taylor...so, what will happen tomorrow in God's Country?

Here are our predictions:

J Says:

CJ Bacher could prove to be a thorn in the side of the Purdue defense. Neither team can stop the pass so this one really does have all the makings of a 45-42 shootout and NW has been involved in a few games like that already this season. That proves to me that not only can their defense not stop teams, but their offense doesn't get bothered by that and just keeps on coming. I have to believe that if both teams play their typical game that Purdue should win, simply because I think the Purdue offense is a little bit better and the Purdue defense is more than a little bit better. That said, it's not anywhere near out of the realm of possibility that Purdue plays weakly and is down 21-7 in the second quarter. But I don't think that'll happen. I think this year, more than any in recent memory, Purdue plays according to the script. As boilerdowd has said many times, we never win games we're not supposed to win and we very rarely lose games we're supposed to win. Purdue has played strong at home this year and last week was proof that the team still has focus and drive to win 9/10 games this season. Let's hope there's no looking ahead to PSU and that the Boilers come to play. I'm confident they will, despite the fact the NW has kind of had our number in recent years.

Purdue 38
NW 31

Tim says:

Cold. Rainy. Sucky offenses. Purdue eeks one out.

Purdue 18
NW 16

Ryan says:

I think Purdue's balance, and specifically an ever-healthier Jaycen Taylor will help Purdue control the game and put Northwestern in a position which they have to do some things they don't want to do. I think Purdue's lack of depth at free safety is a big concern, and might come into play during this one. But, Purdue's defensive front seemed to have pressure on Iowa all last week and should be able to do the same again this week since NW's offensive line isn't one of the biggest they'll face this season. I also think the Boilers' offensive line will control the trenches on the other side of the ball. On top of that, Northwestern has one of the worst kickoff coverage teams in the nation...Purdue is one of the best while returning the ball...look for Bryant and/or Tardy to make their mark on this game quickly. The 40-point rule is in effect this week as the Boilers roll and beat their first winning-record team in two seasons.

Purdue 42
NW 28