The emotion still pulsates from last Saturday night's 49-20 victory over No. 2 Ohio State in Ross-Ade Stadium. It was one of the biggest wins in school annals, a watershed moment in the still burgeoning Jeff Brohm era. It's time to dream big in what's shaping up as a magical season.
Now, the question: Can the Boilermakers keep the mojo going after such a momentous game fueled by No. 1 fan Tyler Trent? A trip to Michigan State looms this Saturday.
The Spartans (4-3 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) have dominated this series of late, winning the last seven meetings. In fact, MSU coach Mark Dantonio is 7-0 vs. the Boilermakers. Purdue last won vs. Michigan State in 2006, when it took a 17-15 decision in East Lansing vs. a MSU squad led by John L. Smith. These schools haven't met since 2015.
The Boilermakers (4-3 overall; 3-1 Big Ten) are in the teeth of their schedule, taking on a dangerous and desperate Michigan State team followed by a visit next week from Iowa. No doubt, these next two games are key to Purdue's dream of winning the Big Ten West, which seemed like a pipe dream after an 0-3 start.
?? Time in @B1Gfootball history all 4?? Players of the Week are from the same school!!! ?????? #BoilerUp #LetsPlayFootball #Sweep pic.twitter.com/pPp5c0310e
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) October 22, 2018
The offense has been on fire. How good has it been? The Boilermakers have scored at least 30 points in each of the last five games and at least 42 in each of the last three. No quarterback in the Big Ten is playing better than David Blough, who is averaging 390 yards passing in the last five games with 13 TD tosses. And no player in the nation is more deadly than wideout Rondale Moore, who paces the Big Ten in catches (57), receiving yards (728) and big moments as he has eased into the Heisman race. Brohm is pushing all the right buttons.
The Purdue defense also is coming on under coordinator Nick Holt. Yes, the unit bleeds yards—especially in the pass game, ranking last in the Big Ten (296.4 ypg)—but the Boilers have the No. 4 rush defense (136.7 ypg) in the Big Ten and the No. 6 scoring defense (22.7 ppg).
Michigan State has struggled of late at home, losing its last two in East Lansing in falling to Northwestern (29-19) and Michigan (21-7). In between, the Spartans scored a big victory at No. 8 Penn State (21-17). The offense has been struggling. How bad was it last week vs. the Wolverines? MSU had just 94 yards of offense with only 15 yards rushing. MSU is 13th in the Big Ten in scoring (23.4 ppg), 13th in rushing (107.6 ypg) and 12th in total offense (351.6 ypg).
Michigan State has had to deal with a plethora of injuries, with the offensive line being especially hard hit. More bad news arrived last week, when star wideout Felton Davis was lost for the year with an Achilles injury. The Spartans got back running back L.J. Scott, who had been out since the second game, but he was largely ineffective vs. Michigan with just 25 yards rushing on 10 totes. Quarterback Brian Lewreke has been dealing with a shoulder injury, hitting 5-of-25 passing for 66 yards vs. the Wolverines. Add it all up, and MSU is a wounded team, a desperate team ... and a dangerous team.
Here are the key matchup, key player and key position for Purdue.
Key matchup: Purdue offensive line vs. Michigan State defensive line. The Boiler front has been a pleasant surprise, led by center Kirk Barron and guard Dennis Edwards. The unit will battle a strong Spartan line that is difficult to run against, ranking No. 1 in the Big Ten vs. the rush (79.6 ypg). While Purdue figures to throw early and often, it still will need some semblance of a ground game to keep the MSU defense a bit off balance. The Boilermakers need to get the ball to senior D.J. Knox, who is playing well coming off a back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts. The last two games, he has rushed 33 times for 278 yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry with three TDs. His 40- and 42-yard TD jaunts in the fourth quarter last week broke Ohio State's back and spirit.
Key player: LB Markus Bailey. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week is a force on the edge of the Boilermaker defense. He needs to help this improving defense sit on a Michigan State rushing attack that has floundered most of this season. If the Spartans struggle to run, Purdue defensive coordinator Nick Holt can dial up some of his blitzes to come after MSU quarterback Brian Lewerke.
Key position: Receivers. Yes, Purdue wants balance in its attack. But if the Boilers struggle to run vs. The No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing defense, Jeff Brohm figures to go over the top of the Michigan State defense. Pass, pass, pass. Why not? QB David Blough is one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation. And he has two deadly targets in Rondale Moore and Isaac Zico, along with a strong tight end duo of Brycen Hopkins and Cole Herdman. Bottom line: The offense could look a lot like it did vs. Missouri last month, when Purdue passed for 572 yards and ran for only 42 in a last-second 40-37 defeat.