Maryland moved to 4-1 after a 27-213 win against Michigan St on Saturday. Now the Terps move onto the Boilermakers as they welcome them this weekend for a 12 PM kickoff. After Maryland opens as a 3 point favorite against Purdue. Maryland is 4-1 against the spread through the first five weeks of the season. ESPN gives Maryland a 67.9% chance to top Purdue this weekend.
Purdue Boilermakers Preview
Head Coach: Jeff Brohm, 28-29, 6th year at Purdue
9th year overall, 58-39,
2021 Record: Overall: 9-4, Conference: 6-3
2022 Record: 3-2, losses to Penn State and Syracuse
The offense worked just fine … at least through the air.This is how Purdue football is used to rolling with the nation’s fifth-best passing attack that can hit from anywhere on the field, but the ground attack that stalled too often needs to be a bit more efficient.
Do the Boilermakers have the No. 1 receiver to replace David Bell? He caught 93 passes and was the main man in key spots, and losing Jackson Anthrop and his 53 grabs hurts, too.
Making things worse, No. 2 target Milton Wright, a big threat who led the team with seven touchdown catches is academically ineligible for the season.
On the plus side, Payne Durham is among the Big Ten’s best pass catching tight ends, and Iowa transfer Tyrone Tracy is a good one. It also helps to have a veteran quarterback like Aidan O’Connell going into his sixth year with the program to make all the young parts of the receiving corps work.
The former walk-on didn’t do anything for two years, but he rose up, took over, and made the job his. Last year he threw for over 3,700 yards and 28 touchdowns hitting 72% of his passes.
The running game averaged under three yards per carry and only hit 100 yards three times, but King Doerue and the backs are there to rotate. Devin Mockobee leads the RB room with 37 attempts for 249 yards and three touchdowns.
The offensive front was functional, not great. The veterans are in place around all-star center Gus Hartwig, and there’s enough versatility to move some of the parts around. Getting transfer Daniel Johnson from Kent State helps the tackle options.
The defensive front is a good-sized group that runs 275 pounds or more across the entire line. Brandon Deen is a good all-around tackle and Lawrence Johnson is a nice-sized veteran on the nose.
With no George Karlaftis, though, Kydran Jenkins has to be even more of a factor after tying for a team high with five sacks.
Leading tackler Jaylan Alexander is gone from the linebacking corps, but Kieren Douglas is back in the middle and Jalen Graham is an interesting hybrid on the outside.
Getting Cory Trice back from a knee injury is a big boost to an already good secondary situation. Second leading tackler Marvin Grant going to Kansas hurts, but Cam Allen is one of the Big Ten’s better safeties who led the team with four picks, and 6-3, 205-pound corner Jamari Brown is coming off a decent year.
WR Tyrone Tracy, Jr.
It’ll be hard to replace some of the lost stars for the passing game, but at least the Boilermakers are bringing in a veteran who knows what he’s doing in the slot.
Tracy is a running back-sized tough target who made 65 catches over the last three seasons at Iowa for 871 yards and five scores.
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