Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
2015 RECORD 2-10, 1-7 Big Ten SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 13-3-1. MOST RECENT MEETING Zach Zwinak rushed for a career-high 149 yards and three touchdowns, and Penn State trounced the visiting Boilermak- ers, 45-21, on Nov. 16, 2013. OFFENSE Like Penn State, the Boiler- makers have been plagued by offensive line woes in recent years. Unlike Penn State, they haven't had a five-star quar- terback to help make up for their defi- ciencies on the ground. Purdue fielded only 10 healthy linemen this past spring, three of whom were walk-ons. Even with talented tailback Markell Jones re- turning, the Boilers may have trouble improving substantially on last year's meager average of 131.3 rushing yards per game. Elsewhere, the QB position remains in flux, with sophomore David Blough trying to hold off redshirt fresh- man Elijah Sindelar. Blough hit 57.7 per- cent of his passes for 1,574 yards last year, with 10 touchdowns and eight in- terceptions, but Sindelar looks to have a shot. He's a three-star prospect from Kentucky who might have played last year as a true freshman had he not been recovering from a high school knee in- jury. DEFENSE Purdue's biggest problem on this side of the ball has been a porous run defense. In 2015 the Boilermakers surrendered 215 yards per game on the ground. That's a season-wrecking kind of number. It's hard to imagine the situ- ation getting any worse this coming fall, as everyone from last year's front seven returns. But it's also hard to imagine things getting dramatically better. While the defensive line isn't short on experi- ence, there aren't a lot of proven differ- ence-makers on hand. The linebackers should be OK, and MLB Ja'Whaun Bent- ley could be a lot better than OK. But the key here is the line. After finishing last in the Big Ten in rush defense and 11th in sacks a year ago, Purdue won't be suc- cessful until it finds some run stuffers and pass rushers. SPECIAL TEAMS Punter Joe Schopper is back after averaging 40.2 yards per at- tempt last season. Kicker Paul Griggs is gone, but he wasn't very effective in 2015, hitting only 5 of 11 attempts, with his longest being a 34-yarder. The Boil- ermakers really need to improve in this department. OUTLOOK Coach Darrell Hazell was holding down the No. 4 spot on CoachesHotSeat.com as of June. That's speculation, sure, but it's not exactly baseless speculation. Hazell has gone 6- 30 in his three seasons in West Lafayette. During that span, the Boiler- makers have compiled more wins against opponents from the FCS (three) than from the Big Ten (two). Consider- ing that his predecessor, Danny Hope, lost his job after a 6-6 season that in- cluded an appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, there are few reasons to feel good about Hazell's longevity. He over- hauled his staff in the off-season, bringing in five new assistants and reas- signing another, but that's not going to fix the talent disparity that is at the heart of Purdue's problems; since 2014, the Boilermakers have not finished higher than 71st in Rivals.com's final re- cruiting rankings. On a more hopeful note, the Big Ten did them a favor by nixing Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the league schedule. With the Big Ten's reigning superpow- ers nowhere in sight, the Boilers have probably the most manageable schedule in the league. Their first two conference games are against Maryland and Illinois, albeit on the road, and two of their re- maining three road trips – to Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana – appear winnable. Then again, Purdue has won exactly one road game in the past three years, so this could be another tough slog. 2015 RECORD 12-2, 8-0 Big Ten SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 13-12. MOST RECENT MEETING Matt Mc- Gloin threw for 291 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Penn State thrashed the Hawkeyes, 38-14, in Kinnick Stadi- um on Oct. 20, 2012. OFFENSE Iowa fielded one of the Big Ten's best offensive lines last year, and it's back mostly intact this fall. That should give tailbacks LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley a chance to put to- gether big seasons. They combined for 1,142 yards last year playing behind Jor- dan Canzeri, as Iowa ranked fifth in the conference with an average of 181.7 rushing yards per game. Senior C.J. Beathard is a dual-threat quarterback who can make things happen with his feet as well as his arm. His first season as a starter was a big success, as he com- pleted 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,809 yards. Equally impressive was his touchdown-interception ratio of 17-5, and he added 237 yards and six TDs on the ground. DEFENSE A big part of the Hawkeyes' success last year was due to their oppor- tunism. Their 27 takeaways ranked sec- ond in the Big Ten behind Michigan State, and while those sorts of breaks tend to even out over time, Iowa has the personnel to continue forcing opponents into making mistakes. Senior cornerback Desmond King had eight interceptions and broke up 13 passes last season and is being touted as a potential first-rounder in next year's NFL Draft. Two other starters return in the secondary, along with four members of last year' starting front seven. One player to watch is junior linebacker Josey Jewell, who ranked first on the team last year with 126 tackles and was second with four interceptions. 2 0 1 6 P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L W E E K 8 PURDUE T i m e T BA , O c t . 2 9 @ R o ss -A d e St a d i u m W E E K 9 IOWA 7 : 3 0 p. m . , N o v. 5 @ B e av e r St a d i u m