Preview: Purdue (1-0) at Oregon (0-1)
Posted September 09, 2009
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FACTS & STATS: Site: Autzen Stadium (54,000) -- Eugene, Oregon. Television:FSN. Home Record: Purdue 1-0, Oregon 0-0. Away Record: Purdue 0-0, Oregon 0-1. Neutral Record: Purdue 0-0, Oregon 0-0. Conference Record: Purdue 0-0, Oregon 0-0. Series Record: Series is tied, 1-1.
GAME NOTES: Chip Kelly's head coaching debut at Oregon was a nightmare. Kelly and the Ducks will now try to avoid any further turmoil and put last week's embarrassment behind them, as they face off against the Purdue Boilermakers at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks' 2009 opener turned into a disaster last Thursday, as they were handled by Boise State, 19-8, and suffered the loss of their star tailback LeGarrette Blount. Following the poor performance in coach Kelly's debut, Blount punched a Boise State player that had been taunting him and was subsequently suspended for the rest of the season. Blount has no more eligibility left, so his career is done at Oregon, but Kelly is allowing him to remain part of the program to help provide some structure for the troubled player.
While much of the focus has been on Blount, the fact remains that Oregon was pushed around all night by Boise State and will need to rebound quickly with a lot of football still left. Now out of the Top 25, the Ducks kick off a four- game homestand this weekend, which includes games against Utah and California.
As for Purdue, it's opener also marked the debut of a new head coach in Danny Hope, and the Boilermakers were able to back him with a 52-31 triumph over Toledo last weekend. Hope became just the second head coach at Purdue to win his debut since 1977 and the performance surely gives the Boilermakers some confidence heading into this matchup.
Purdue and Oregon have split two prior meetings on the gridiron, with the Ducks claiming a 32-26 overtime victory in the most recent encounter just last season.
The Boilermakers came into this season with lots of uncertainty surrounding their offense which returned just three starters, all on the offensive. Some of those uncertainties were put to rest after last weekend's opener in which Purdue rolled up 535 yards of total offense in a 52-31 victory over Toledo. Tailback Ralph Bolden headed the charge with 234 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 78-yard scamper to paydirt early in the opening quarter. The sophomore back nearly tripled his career total of 28 yards from last season on the play, as he posted the third-best rushing total in school history in his first start. Quarterback Joey Elliott, making his first career start as well, completed 17-of-28 tosses for 220 yards and three touchdowns. The fifth-year senior however, was also picked off three times and that is an area he will need to work on. Keith Smith was clearly his go-to-guy, as he finished the game with eight receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. Smith had 49 catches from a year ago and appears ready to emerge as a playmaker. Kicker Carson Wiggs even got involved and he set a new school-record with a 59-yard field goal just before the half.
With all the new faces on offense, Purdue's defense was expected to carry this team, but the unit certainly didn't look the part in the opener. The defense was torched for 493 total yards by Toledo, with 432 of those yards coming through the air. The unit did limit Toledo to just 70 rushing yards, while forcing three turnovers, but it also gave up 31 points and that is far too many. Linebacker Jason Werner, who missed the 2008 season with a back injury, had a successful return, leading the Boilermakers with 13 tackles, including 11 of the solo variety.
One of the most explosive teams in 2008, the Ducks had virtually no success moving the ball against Boise State last week, totaling just 152 yards of offense and a mere six first downs. It was quite a surprising effort from a team that averaged 41.9 ppg and 484.8 total ypg in 2008. Oregon also averaged 280.1 rushing ypg last season, but managed only 31 yards on 17 attempts in the opener. Blount, who went over a 1,000 yards and set a school-record with 17 touchdowns last season, was held to negative-five yards and he took out his frustration on a Boise State player. Despite an apology, Blount is no longer a factor for the Ducks and redshirt freshman LaMichael James figures to be his replacement after carrying the ball twice for 22 yards in the opener. Lucky for Oregon, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is an effective runner in his own right, gaining 718 yards last season. Masoli, however, managed just 14 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in the opener, while completing only 14-of-27 tosses for 121 yards and an interception. It certainly wasn't a great beginning for the second-year starter, but Masoli has the talent and experience to move on from that performance.
Oregon's defense more than held its own in the opener and did a solid job limiting Boise State to 361 total yards. The effort was especially good when considering the unit spent over 42 minutes on the field, as the Oregon offense was unable to pick up first downs consistently. The defense surrendered just a pair of touchdowns, while forcing three turnovers. It was a nice start from a unit that gave up 28.2 ppg a year ago. T.J. Ward led the way with 11 stops and two PBUs, while Kenny Rowe notched six stops and a pair of sacks. Last season, Ward paced Oregon with 101 tackles and, so his effort in the opener was no surprise.
The Ducks have a lot to prove after their opener and they still have the talent to turn this season into a successful one. Expect Oregon to play with a lot of passion and use its home crowd support to get back on track with a win over Purdue.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oregon 38, Purdue 21
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