Key Players:
Purdue:
QB Elijah Sindelar: 18/30 60% 196 yards 1TD 3INT 105.9 rating
WR Rondale Moore: 2 att 79 yards 11 rec 109 yards 2 TD's 125 total KO return yards (leads NCAA in All Purpose yards)
WR Jared Sparks: 6 rec 76 yards
RB DJ Knox: 7 att 77 yards
LB Markus Bailey: 7 solo 2 assist
CB Tim Cason: 2 solo 3 passes defended
S Jacob Thieneman: 6 solo 2 assist
DL Lorenzo Neal: 3 solo 1 assist
Eastern Michigan:
QB Tyler Wiegers: 18/21 85.7% 238 yards 2 TD 0 INT 212.3 rating (former QB at Iowa-stats from 2018)
WR Blake Banham: 8 rec 103 yards 1 TD (2018)
RB Ian Eriksen: 12 att 44 yards
LB Kobie Beltram: 3 solo 6 assist .5 sack .5 TFL (2018)
DB Justin Moody: 5 solo 3 assist (2018)
DE Max Crosby: 11 sacks in 2017 as a sophomore
Eastern Michigan appears to have a very solid offensive line that features some bigger bodies with an ability to give QB Tyler Wiegers time in the pocket to find his receivers (evidence from the near 86% completion percentage against Monmouth (yes, I know Monmouth is terrible). Purdue needs to have more success in generating a pass rush if they want to disrupt the timing of Wiegers.
Schedules:
On EMU's schedule, this is the big opponent for the MAC team to make a statement leading in to their MAC season and hopefully finding a bowl game. EMU now plays 3 consecutive home games after opening with Monmouth (Purdue, Buffalo, SDSU).
Purdue can ill afford to lose this game, let alone struggle, if it wants to see a second consecutive bowl bid under Coach Brohm. Cleaning up the penalties and the poor decisions from Sindelar are a must to get a win against a quality MAC program only two years removed from a 7-6 season and a bowl game.
Questions Leading in to EMU:
Purdue will look to use the extended week to answer some questions:
1. Can Elijah Sindelar clean up his poor decisions to continue to push what appeared to be a very good offensive attack with him at QB (3 INT's)
2. Will Purdue clean up the sloppy play that negated a lot of good things on both sides of the ball and cost Purdue a chance at going for the win near the end of the 4th quarter (9 penalties for 95 yards)
3. How will Purdue grow from game 1 to 2 under the direction of DC Nick Holt, specifically how to generate a more consistent presence in the backfield (zero sacks & 3 TFL's)?
4. How will Coach Brohm continue to use Rondale Moore to get him matched up against inferior athletically players (that would pretty much be everyone on the field) like LB's and S's?
5. Will the CB's take another step forward in what was a very strong second half showing against NU to shut down the EMU passing attack?
Prediction:
The issues fans saw with the Boilers against NU should be correctable by one of the best overall staffs in college football. The issues of poor decision making by Elijah Sindelar, poor effort by the defense in the first half, and silly mistakes and penalties are ones that a good HC with a good staff can easily make. This is why many people say the most improvement you will see from a team is between week 1 and week 2 and the positives from the NU game lead me to believe Purdue will be able to stretch the lead in the first half and allow some younger players a chance to get their feet wet.
Purdue: 44
EMU: 23
Purdue:
QB Elijah Sindelar: 18/30 60% 196 yards 1TD 3INT 105.9 rating
WR Rondale Moore: 2 att 79 yards 11 rec 109 yards 2 TD's 125 total KO return yards (leads NCAA in All Purpose yards)
WR Jared Sparks: 6 rec 76 yards
RB DJ Knox: 7 att 77 yards
LB Markus Bailey: 7 solo 2 assist
CB Tim Cason: 2 solo 3 passes defended
S Jacob Thieneman: 6 solo 2 assist
DL Lorenzo Neal: 3 solo 1 assist
Eastern Michigan:
QB Tyler Wiegers: 18/21 85.7% 238 yards 2 TD 0 INT 212.3 rating (former QB at Iowa-stats from 2018)
WR Blake Banham: 8 rec 103 yards 1 TD (2018)
RB Ian Eriksen: 12 att 44 yards
LB Kobie Beltram: 3 solo 6 assist .5 sack .5 TFL (2018)
DB Justin Moody: 5 solo 3 assist (2018)
DE Max Crosby: 11 sacks in 2017 as a sophomore
Eastern Michigan appears to have a very solid offensive line that features some bigger bodies with an ability to give QB Tyler Wiegers time in the pocket to find his receivers (evidence from the near 86% completion percentage against Monmouth (yes, I know Monmouth is terrible). Purdue needs to have more success in generating a pass rush if they want to disrupt the timing of Wiegers.
Schedules:
On EMU's schedule, this is the big opponent for the MAC team to make a statement leading in to their MAC season and hopefully finding a bowl game. EMU now plays 3 consecutive home games after opening with Monmouth (Purdue, Buffalo, SDSU).
Purdue can ill afford to lose this game, let alone struggle, if it wants to see a second consecutive bowl bid under Coach Brohm. Cleaning up the penalties and the poor decisions from Sindelar are a must to get a win against a quality MAC program only two years removed from a 7-6 season and a bowl game.
Questions Leading in to EMU:
Purdue will look to use the extended week to answer some questions:
1. Can Elijah Sindelar clean up his poor decisions to continue to push what appeared to be a very good offensive attack with him at QB (3 INT's)
2. Will Purdue clean up the sloppy play that negated a lot of good things on both sides of the ball and cost Purdue a chance at going for the win near the end of the 4th quarter (9 penalties for 95 yards)
3. How will Purdue grow from game 1 to 2 under the direction of DC Nick Holt, specifically how to generate a more consistent presence in the backfield (zero sacks & 3 TFL's)?
4. How will Coach Brohm continue to use Rondale Moore to get him matched up against inferior athletically players (that would pretty much be everyone on the field) like LB's and S's?
5. Will the CB's take another step forward in what was a very strong second half showing against NU to shut down the EMU passing attack?
Prediction:
The issues fans saw with the Boilers against NU should be correctable by one of the best overall staffs in college football. The issues of poor decision making by Elijah Sindelar, poor effort by the defense in the first half, and silly mistakes and penalties are ones that a good HC with a good staff can easily make. This is why many people say the most improvement you will see from a team is between week 1 and week 2 and the positives from the NU game lead me to believe Purdue will be able to stretch the lead in the first half and allow some younger players a chance to get their feet wet.
Purdue: 44
EMU: 23
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