2008 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview

2008 Purdue Boilermakers season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Purdue Boilermakers football preview as well as the 2008 Purdue Boilermakers Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's free college football picks on the weekly college football odds from the #1 sports handicapping team.

Coach: Joe Tiller (12th year at Purdue)
Team Name: Boilermakers
2007 Overall Record: 8-5
Returning Starters: 12

In 2007, the Boilermakers of Purdue (8-5 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) finished tied for 7th in the conference. In the post-season, they played and beat Western Michigan 51-48 in the Motor City Bowl.

QB Curtis Painter (569 ATT, 356 COMP, 3,846 YDS, 29 TDs, 11 INT) can air it out—overall he’s a top performer. Last season, Purdue put an average of 34.3 PPG on the scoreboard and Painter’s 307.2 YPG in the air was 12th in the nation. But the quarterback has struggled against the elite teams in the conference and that has to change for this team to compete in the league. Senior Greg Orton (67 REC, 752 YDS, 3 TDs) returns as the club’s leading pass catcher. He’s the only wideout with any experience. Senior running backs Jaycen Taylor and Kory Sheets are both solid starters. The offense line, which fields just one starter with deep experience, is questionable.

The Boilermakers’ frontline is the strong and seasoned. Senior tackles Alex Magee and Ryan Baker are two of the best around. Their backups, senior Jermaine Guynn and junior Mike Neal are solid performers. The defensive ends are quick. Anthony Heygood (80 tackles, 47 solo), a senior, is the linebacking unit’s leader. The secondary is questionable, lacking depth and experience.

A total of five swing games will define this team’s season. On September 20, Central Michigan visits Purdue and one week later the Boilermakers are on the road playing Notre Dame. Both contests are toss-ups, as are away games versus Northwestern (October 18) and Michigan State (November 8). On November 22, they play their final regular season game at home against Indiana. That one is a tough call too.

In 11 years as Purdue’s head coach, Joe Tiller has led the club to an 83-54 record. With two more wins, he’ll surpass the Boilermakers’ Jack Mollenkopf for most wins. Over the past two seasons, Purdue has put a talented team on the field that has underachieved. QB Painter could be the difference-maker. If he finally has a breakout season against the top clubs so too will the Boilermakers.

Purdue Boilermakers Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Sep 6	N. Colorado	Home
Sep 13	Oregon	Home
Sep 20	Central Michigan	Home
Sep 27	Notre Dame	Away
Oct 4	Penn State	Home
Oct 11	Ohio St	Away
Oct 18	Northwestern	Away
Oct 25	Minnesota	Home
Nov 1	Michigan	Home
Nov 8	Michigan State	Away
Nov 15	Iowa	Away
Nov 22	Indiana	Home

 

For more info on the 2008 Purdue Boilermakers football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.