The season is just two games old, and Purdue already finds itself staring down adversity.
The Boilermakers opened the campaign with a tough 31-27 loss at home to Northwestern that stung. That was followed by a 20-19 defeat in Ross-Ade Stadium to Eastern Michigan that stunned. After the rain-soaked defeat to a MAC team last Saturday, Jeff Brohm said he was "embarrassed."
Now what?
Few envisioned the Boilers opening 0-2. But, here we are. Purdue will look to notch win No. 1 when it welcomes Missouri (7:30 p.m. ET) for a third consecutive home game to open the 2018 season. The Tigers visit Ross-Ade Stadium for the first time since 1956 in a series in which the Boilers hold a 7-2 edge and have won the last four meetings.
Boiler fans still are reveling in last year's annihilation of Mizzou, when Purdue waltzed into Columbia, Mo., and ambushed the Tigers. The Boilers dominated from start to finish in taking a 28-3 halftime lead and cruising to a 35-3 triumph. Purdue out gained Mizzou, 477-203, in what was perhaps the Boilermakers' most dominating effort of the 2017 season—and the Tigers' worst. A year later, the fortunes of each team are markedly different with Saturday looming.
Brohm's crew is at a crossroads of sorts as it welcomes the 2-0 Tigers, who have won eight of their last nine games dating back to last season and have one of the most potent offenses in the SEC under third-year coach Barry Odom. The to-do list for Purdue is lengthy as it looks to avoid its first 0-3 start since 1996 when the Boilermakers finished 3-8.
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Among the issues plaguing the Boilers have been penalties, turnovers, red-zone woes, scoring and pass defense.
- Just three Big Ten teams have committed more penalties than Purdue's 16. And fourth-quarter personal foul penalties on the defense in each of the last two games have been devastating.
- The Boilers' minus-four turnover margin is the Big Ten's worst.
- In seven red-zone appearances in 2018, Purdue has tallied just two TDs—a 28.5 percent touchdown success rate. Every other league team is cashing in touchdowns at a 66 percent clip inside the red zone.
- Only one Big Ten team is averaging fewer points than Purdue's 23.0 average.
- The pass defense ranks 12th in the conference, as Purdue is allowing 291.0 passing yards per game. Foes are averaging a staggering 8.2 yards per attempt, the highest among Big Ten squads.
This week, Brohm stressed playing smarter and with more discipline. Self-inflicted wounds have to end. Better special teams play is needed, too, as Purdue has missed two field goals and a PAT while getting little from the return game.
And it also goes without saying that Purdue needs more consistency from its quarterbacks. Elijah Sindelar (8-of-14 for 87 yards and a TD last week) and David Blough (6-of-10 for 48 yards last week) showed flashes of momentum, but stalled out for 135 yards vs. EMU, Purdue's lowest total since 2015.
The offense has not yet been effective in carrying out one of Brohm's offensive commandments: Throw the ball down field. How tough has the vertical passing game been? Last year, Purdue averaged 5.15 pass attempts of over 20 yards. Through two games in 2018, the Boilers have combined for just seven. Last week, Purdue completed just three passes over 10 yards. Wideouts combined to catch just five of the team's 14 completions vs. Eastern Michigan.
One a positive note, Purdue has developed an edge in the run game behind running backs D.J. Knox and Markell Jones, while also improving at stopping the run. The pass rush showed a pulse last week with six sacks, and the defense notched its first turnover. And this is the best news of all: The program has a legit breakout star in true freshman wideout Rondale Moore, a could-go-all-the-way talent each time he touches the ball.
Here is a look at the key matchup, key player and key position for the Boilermakers vs. Missouri.
Key matchup: Purdue pass defense vs. Missouri QB Drew Lock. Boilermakers senior cornerbacks Antonio Blackmon and Tim Cason endured rough days vs. Eastern Michigan, which passed for 347 yards. How will the Purdue secondary perform vs. a Heisman contender who is hitting 74 percent of his passes for 687 yards and eight touchdowns? Lock had his worst game of 2017 vs. Purdue, hitting just 12-of-28 passes for 133 yards with no TDs and two picks. He went on to toss an SEC single-season record 44 touchdown passes to go along with 3,964 passing yards. Can the Boilers again stifle the 6-4 Lock, a projected first-round NFL pick who flirted with turning pro? Will Purdue make any personnel changes in the secondary? Lock must be pressured. But know this: Mizzou has yet to yield a sack in 2018.
Key player: Purdue DE Kai Higgins. Last week, the former JC transfer led the charge of a fired-up defensive line that was maligned after notching no sacks in the opening defeat to Northwestern. Higgins tallied one of the Boilers' six sacks vs. Eastern Michigan. The junior also knocked down a pass, had a tackle for loss and an interception—the team's lone takeaway this season. Higgins needs to keep playing well and get heat on Mizzou star signal-caller Drew Lock.
Key position: Purdue offensive line. The big, strong veteran Boiler front had its way with Eastern Michigan, paving the way for 341 yards rushing, averaging 8.1 yards per tote. It was Purdue's most yards rushing since October 2014. D.J. Knox (career-high 152) and Markell Jones (109) both ran for over 100 yards. It was the first time Purdue had two backs eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark in a game since 2002. The Boilers need to pound the rock again, looking to wear down the Mizzou defense and keep the ball away from its explosive offense that has scored an aggregate 91 points in season-opening wins at home vs. UT-Martin (51-14) and Wyoming (40-13). While the run blocking has been good, the Boiler line needs to button-up its pass protection on the edges and avoid penalties that have been costly the first two games.