Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATChUPS P E N N S TAT E V S . P U R D U E | B Y E R I C T H O M A S W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. RUN DEFENSE PURDUE PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. PASS DEFENSE PURDUE PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 134.6 YPG, 3.4 YPC PURDUE RUN DEFENSE 194.5 YPG, 4.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State tried to overpower Ohio State at the line of scrimmage last week and it didn't work. Eventually, Matt McGloin tried to rally the Nittany Lions with his arm and that didn't work, ei- ther. Expect Penn State to strike a better balance against Purdue. That means a nice mix of Bill Bel- ton, Zach Zwinak and Michael Zordich. Purdue's defense was gashed by Minnesota for 212 yards. The Boilermakers are surrendering nearly 200 rushing yards per game, so unless they've made sub- stantial improvements this week, Penn State should have some success here. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 265.9 YPG, 11.1 YPC PURDUE PASS DEFENSE 213.9 YPG, 12.1 YPC THE LOWDOWN Ohio State kept McGloin under heavy pressure, baiting him into a costly pick-six in the third quarter. Expect a sharper, more controlled passing attack this week. McGloin will take some chances against the Boilermakers, and he should, because it's unlikely they will be able to duplicate the job Ohio State did against the tight ends in the second half. Safety Landon Feichter is a ball- hawk for Purdue, coming into the game with four interceptions. As a team, the Boilermakers have 11 interceptions, but they have not been physical enough to stop top receivers. EDGE Penn State W H E N P U R D U E H A S T H E B A L L RUNNING GAME VS. PURDUE PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE PURDUE PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE PURDUE RUNNING GAME 249.6 YPG, 5.6 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 113.0 YPG, 3.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN Akeem Shavers and Akeem Hunt lead the rushing attack with 432 and 328 yards, re- spectively, but neither averages more than 54 yards a game. When it tried to run out the clock against Ohio State a few weeks ago, it wasn't able to keep the chains moving and ended up losing in overtime. Penn State's front seven looked gassed at the end of its matchup with the Buckeyes, but Purdue isn't Ohio State. The way defensive tackle Jordan Hill is playing right now, it might not mat- ter who is running the ball for the Boilermakers. EDGE Penn State PURDUE PASSING GAME 189.0 YPG, 12.9 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 209.7 YPG, 10.0 YPC THE LOWDOWNRobert Marve gets the start this week. It's an overdue change as far as many Purdue fans are concerned, but you can understand Danny Hope's reluctance. After all, Marve did tear an ACL in September. Suffice it to say, he won't pose the same running threat that Braxton Miller did. Purdue could also be without receiver O.J. Ross, who has missed the past two games with a toe injury. Penn State's secondary has been effective this season, but if Marve gives the Nittany Lions some early chances as Miller did last week, they need to capitalize. EDGE Penn State O T H E R M A T C H U P S SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Penn State's kicking game appears to be getting better. Alex Butterworth did a nice job against the Buckeyes, pinning them deep a few times. Purdue's kicking game looks iffy. The Boilers blew two chances at field goals against Ohio State and the kicking game was a nonfactor in the loss to Minnesota. Purdue's Paul Griggs is 3 of 5 on field goal attempts. EDGEEven THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN The big game on PSU's schedule is over, and it was a dud. While Saturday's matchup with Purdue doesn't have the sizzle that the Ohio State game did, it will give Penn State a chance to re- bound and set the tone for the season's homestretch. Purdue is playing out the string, after which it might be looking for a new head coach. How much fight do the Boilers have left? EDGE Penn State COACHING STAFF THE LOWDOWN Bill O'Brien's challenge this week is to find a way to help his players regroup. He's done this before, leading Penn State to five wins in a row after back-to-back season-opening losses. But the catalyst for its earlier turnaround was a game against overmatched Navy. Purdue is a conference opponent, and as it showed at Ohio State, it can match up with anyone in the league. EDGE Penn State O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 2 3 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

• Cover