Friend of the White Boy, Joe Pasquali, starts off his 2009 Big Ten Preview with the lowest teams on the totem pole, Indiana and Purdue. One team starts out with a new coach (Purdue) and the other is stuck with an inept coach (Indiana). The 2009 season may be lost for these teams, but is there any hope for the near future, Joe discusses this and much more in this post.
Finishing #10 and #11 in the Big Ten
Indiana and Purdue (Predicted finish combined 5-19)
Summary– All twenty of you Purdue and IU football fans will surely be angry I combined your two storied (hahahaha) programs in my Big Ten breakdown, but I did for good reason. Both teams share so much in common that I couldn’t separate the two and was continually mixing them up as I tried to write. Both teams will not win a game September 19th EXCEPT for when they play each other November 21st. One of them has to win that game.. I hope..
Offense (D)– Purdue will once again throw the ball fifty times a game but all Boilermaker fans will be talking about what could have been since Justin Siller was suspended for the season. Purdue will be the worst team offensively in the conference…besides IU who could be worse. Dual threat QB Kellen Lewis was dismissed from the team and Ben Chappell will be taking over in his place. IU’s offensive line is very sketchy, and though Chappell has a strong arm he is not very mobile and will get hit. A lot.
Defense (C)– IU has two of the best defensive ends in the conference with Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, both who received some national attention on All American lists. Austin Thomas and Nick Polk add legitimacy to the linebacker core and IU should actually be decent at stopping the run this season. Purdue is the exact opposite, with a weak front seven that should roll over like an obedient dog but a secondary that ranked 2nd in the Big Ten last season. The question is, did they rank so well because everyone just ran the ball on them? Probably, but I am trying to give them SOME credit.
Special teams (C)– Both teams have below average return games and place kickers who either did not get a chance to kick a lot of field goals (Purdue) or just missed a bunch (IU). Considering they have returning starters on special teams, this could prove to be a strong point. (insert applause)
Coaching (C-)– I am not saying Danny Hope (Purdue) and Bill Lynch are bad coaches, they will do as best as they can with the players they have, but they are not part of the Big Ten’s elite. Danny Hope is taking the reins from Purdue legend Joe Tiller and will catch a lot of flak for probably have a losing season, something Tiller only did twice in 12 seasons. Lynch had a great first season with IU at 7-5 but does not have the horses to make a dent in the Big Ten. Start hitting the recruiting trail.
