Tuesday, July 27, 2010

T-Minus 39 Days: Quick Look at the Leathernecks


Not quite as flashy of a matchup as the first game, Purdue welcomes the Western Illinois Leathernecks to Ross Ade in the second contest of the season. Here's what you need to know about them:

-They got dumptrucked by Northern Illinois last season, 41-7
-Brock Spack's squad whipped them late in the season, 25-7
-Their only win in '09 was Sam Houston State
-They helped ISU snap out of their 33-game losing streak by throwing last season's contest
-They had a pretty solid running back in '09 who averaged about 4.5 yards/carry...he's gone.
-The two quarterbacks who started in '09 and combined for one win both return
-Their defense had a good three-game stretch in the middle of the season where they didn't allow more than 17 points...but they allowed 30+ five times in '09
-Like Brian Kelly, Mark Hendrickson (WIU's HC) parts his hair from left to right...and is in his first year as their head coach. That's about where the similarities stop. Hendrickson's offenses are typically run-first systems as he's produced a ton of 1000 yard+ rushers as an OC. They might have trouble running against Purdue's front 7.

Robert Marve should put on a bit of a display in this one...as should the entire Purdue offense. Hopefully TerBush takes most of the snaps in the fourth quarter.

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