Purdue expert gives his take and prediction on Saturday's game in Lincoln
Purdue will travel to Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2018 to take on Nebraska.
To get some more perspective on the Boilermakers, HuskerOnline caught up with Gold and Black's Tom Dienhart in this week's "Ask the Expert" breakdown.
How does this Purdue team stack up vs. other Jeff Brohm teams in West Lafayette in terms of overall talent?
"This team is on-par talent-wise with Brohm’s others. He does have two of his best in DE George Karlaftis and WR David Bell. Other potential pro players: LB Jalen Graham, S Marvin Grant, TE Payne Durham, CB Cory Trice, who is out for the season with a knee injury, and RB Zander Horvath, who is out with a broken leg but may play (likely not) on Saturday."
Playing a schedule that features 11 Power Five games, what were the expectations for this season, and how close are they to those expectations?
"Expectations were to show tangible win-loss progress for a program that hasn’t been to a bowl since 2018. Six wins are the minimum expectation. Best-case is 7-5/8-4. Ever since the big win vs. No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, this program has struggled, going 12-19. It never built off that transcendent night vs. the Buckeyes. And Purdue followed that big win at No. 2 Iowa earlier this month with the home loss to Wisconsin."
Running back Zander Horvath has been out for several weeks with a leg injury. What are the chances he comes back this week and how could his presence change things for Purdue’s offense?
"Jeff Brohm said on Monday he wasn’t optimistic that Horvath would be ready. He got hurt in the second game way back on Sept. 11. The fifth-year senior is a hard runner and more nimble than you think. He’s also a nice pass-catcher. This is the second-worst rushing attack in the nation. Horvath could provide a nice spark, as Purdue has just one scholarship running back: King Doerue. The staff has been using backup QBs Jack Plummer and Austin Burton as designated runners as a way to spark the run game. It has had mixed results."
The Bob Diaco defensive coordinator experiment at Purdue went about as well as it did for Nebraska. Now it appears the Boilermakers have found something this year using three defensive coordinators. Why has this unorthodox model worked so well?
"This is an entirely new defensive staff. And, it has come together well and been the strength of the team. Yes, Purdue has three co-coordinators: Brad Lambert (linebackers), Mark Hagen (line) and Ron English (secondary). But Lambert is the one who calls the defense from the booth on Saturdays. This is an aggressive base 4-3 defense that likes to take chances. It has been good vs. the run and pass, as well as third down. Getting sacks has been an issue. But takeaways are starting to come, as Purdue has six in the last two games."
What areas do you think Purdue has the advantage in on Saturday, and what concerns you the most about this match-up?
"I think the Purdue defense has a shot to contain Adrian Martinez and the Husker offense. I look for the Boilermakers to attempt to stop the run and make Martinez try to pass to win. Keep him in the pocket, have him read defenses and make decisions.
"Concerns for Purdue are on offense. Can the Boilermakers run well enough to give the offense balance? There is no pop, explosion or physicality in this rushing attack. And can WR David Bell get back on track after Wisconsin shut him down last week? He must excel if Purdue wants to win."
What is your score prediction and breakdown for Saturday’s game in Lincoln?
"Nebraska will have had two weeks to prep, but I think Purdue will be motivated coming off an embarrassing loss at home vs. Wisconsin in which little went right. The defense will want to strut its stuff, and I look for the Purdue passing game to click for some big plays in a close, low-scoring game."
Purdue 24, Nebraska 23