Purdue head coach Joe Tiller announced that his 12th season would be his last, and Boilermakers fans everywhere will miss him. With a record of 84-54 (51-37 Big Ten Conference) and 10 of the school’s 15 bowl berths, Tiller is one win away from becoming Purdue’s winningest football coach. His spread offense – one of a more conservative variety than that practiced by the Ducks – has brought him to three bowl games in the last four years and has helped produce two starting NFL quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.
The heir apparent to Brees and Orton is Curtis Painter, a drop-back passer widely touted as a likely first-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft. The redshirt senior is on a collision course with Purdue’s all-time passing records. Currently, Painter is fourth in passing yards (9,049) and fourth in passing touchdowns (56). On September 6, in the Boilermakers’ first game against Northern Colorado, Painter’s performance was measured but well-executed, completing 15 of 28 passes for 286 yards while throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions. Last year, the Boilermakers called 380 passing plays to 235 rushing plays on offense, and while Painter is not a mobile threat on par with Jake Locker or Diondre Borel, sufficient quarterback pressure will be the top defensive priority. That won’t be an easy challenge against an offensive line that starts four seniors, including stalwart offensive tackle Sean Sester, who missed the 42-10 win last Saturday with a back injury.
Top targets Dorien Bryant and Dustin Keller are gone, but three seniors (two of them fifth-year seniors) will start at wide receiver for the Boilermakers: Greg Orton, Desmond Tardy and Brandon Whittington. Orton is considered Painter’s favorite target – he is 6-foot-3 and has good leaping ability, if not elite speed. The Ducks also caught a break in this game before the season, as Purdue running back Jaycen Taylor was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Taylor had split carries with starter Kory Sheets for the better part of two years, racking up 560 rushing yards and four touchdowns last year.
The Boilermakers’ defense is somewhat of a work in progress one game into 2008. Northern Colorado accumulated 338 yards – but only 10 points were managed – and five of the top six tacklers from last season have graduated, along with sack master DE Cliff Avril, now with the Detroit Lions. The top returning tackler is fullback-turned-linebacker Anthony Heygood, who recorded 94 tackles (15 for loss) last season. He recorded six total tackles and half a tackle for loss against Northern Colorado.
Tiller is 52-18 in games played at Purdue’s 84-year-old Ross-Ade Stadium. While it is not among the most celebrated venues in the Big Ten, it is expected to provide a home-field advantage for the Boilermakers that will serve as an excellent warm-up to a challenging Ducks road schedule.
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