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Purdue will try to get its offense moving while Ball State goes for its second ever win against a BCS opponent.
Hammer & Rails has already published its Open Thread for this afternoon’s game between the Cardinals and Boilermakers. For the true fan experience head on over and join in with the comments.
Purdue's football history is not full of many series where the Boilermakers completely dominate an opponent. One notable exception is the series with Ball State, where the Cardinals are 0-7 all-time against Purdue and have never lost by less than double digits. The series renews tomorrow afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium with both sides looking to gain momentum going into the conference season.
For Purdue it is simple: Their offensive line has struggled int he first two games against Notre Dame and Western Illinois. it must show improvement this week or the offense will continue to stall. They must also find a replacement for Keith Smith, who will miss the rest of the year with a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. Hammer & Rails is still optimistic about replacing Smith:
We don't have a guy with Smith's strength. I have often thought of him as a smaller version of Dustin Keller because of his tendency to break tackles. We won't replace Smith with one player, but if several players band together the hurt can be eased a little bit. Already Cortez Smith and Justin Siller will likely see more passes as starting receivers. I wouldn't be surprised to see the sure-handed and speedy O.J. Ross become the starter in the slot with Smith and Siller remaining outside. Antavian Edison and Gary Bush will also see time in the rotation.
Coach Hope hinted today that Gabe Holmes, a tight end, may get worked into the offense more. Tommie Thomas, Waynelle Gravesande, and Xavier Reese could also see a little bit of time and get a catch or two per game. Keith Carlos could conceivably return at receiver if he gets healthy. The options are clearly there.
Over the Pylon is hoping for the opposite effect, as the Cardinals had plenty of injury troubles last season in finishing 2-10:
Remember that injury bug that struck the Cardinals last year? Perhaps it has found a new nesting place in West Lafayette, IN. Boilermaker WR Keith Smith, a fifth-year senior and the leading receiver on the Boilers so far in 2010 is expected to miss not only the Ball State game, but also the rest of his final year of eligibility. It’s a tough loss for the Boilers and as someone who followed a program absolutely decimated by injuries last year, this isn’t the best news to get on a random Tuesday, but does give a bit of hope to any of us worried about Purdue’s offensive firepower against the Cards this Saturday.
The Cardinals must also deal with Ryan Kerrigan, who has turned in an All-American level performance so far. The senior defensive end has 19 tackles, 6.5 for loss with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a safety. He is getting close to Purdue's all-time sacks record as well as the Big Ten's all-time forced fumbles record.
Kickoff is set for noon on the Big Ten Network.
Purdue Defeats Ball State 24-13
The Boilermakers started off well today and had a career day from Cortez Smith as htey cruised to a 24-13 win over the in-state Cardinals. Smith caught six passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns as Purdue showed some signs of improvement according to Hammer & Rails:
Ball State had some positives too. the Cardinal offense generated 150 yards on the ground and MiQuale Lewis earned his first touchdown of the season. Eric Williams had 67 yards rushing, but Purdue’s defense only allowed points on drives of 32 and 33 yards after an interception and a big kickoff return.
Sep 18 8:36p by Travis Miller - 0 comments