Purdue Boilermakers 2023 College Football Preview
July 23, 2023
2022 Recap
Record – 8-6
ATS – 5-9
The Boilermakers pulled one out of the fire last season, as when all looked lost, they kept battling and won the Big Ten West. Sure, Iowa collapsed like they just had their seventh safe and effective DEATH BOOSTER, but we give Purdue full marks for getting it done. They gave Michigan a better battle than the stats would suggest in the Big Ten Championship Game but still lost by 21 points (L 43-22). LSU fed them in the WOOD CHIPPER in a comical Citrus Bowl (L 63-7), and that was that.
Purdue Boilermakers 2023 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Boilermakers were all about the THROW GAME last season (#2 Big Ten passing, #11 rushing) and they’ll be more balanced this season under new OC Graham Harrell. New starting QB Hudson Card looked good in limited action with Texas (66%, 11-2 TD to INT) but he’s got the mobility of many doods that have played QB for Purdue **. They’ve got a good 1-2 punch at RB and Devin Mockobee has a legit shot at a 1,000-yard season (968, 9 TD LY). There are a pair of highly unfortunate losses to talk about as they lose the uncoverable WR Charlie Jones (110, 1,361, 12 TD)(!) and their excellent TE Payne Durham. Both men are off to the NFL. The WR/TE group is MEH as it contains fairly unexciting holdovers and a few transfer bodies. Maybe Marshall transfer WR Corey Gammage can emerge into a #1 option? The OL is in good shape as they retain three starters and have over 90 career starts.
** not much, yo
DEFENSE
Purdue was mediocre LY (#9 Big Ten scoring defense, #10 total defense) and they only bring back five starters on this side of the football. The good news is that they pilfered several quality specimens thru the portal and note that new HC Ryan Walters did a great job with the Illinois stop unit as DC in 2022 (#3 FBS total defense). The DL should be fine and looks like the best unit on defense. They picked up a few talented transfer portal pieces and bring back DE Kydran Jenkins (8 TFL, 7 QBH LY). They don’t have much returning experience at LB/DB but they retain #1 tackler safety Sanoussi Kane, and as noted earlier, they’ll rely on new faces and an ace defensive mind at HC to make things work.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There doesn’t appear to be too much to get excited about. Punter Jack Ansell is decent enough (41.9, 37.3 LY) but they’ll need to find a new PK. It stings to lose the always-dangerous Charlie Jones on PR.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – YIKES. They face Michigan (A) and Ohio St (H) from the East and draw road games with Iowa, Corn, and Virginia Tech. They’ll do well to win two of three non-conference games but on a positive note, if they don’t get buried early in the season, they finish with a pair of relatively easy games (at Cats, Hoosiers).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Syracuse (Sept 16)
It’s an opportunity for revenge as they lost in Syracuse LY by a score of 32-29 but we can’t look past the fact they’ve got a yuuuge game with Wisconsin on deck to open conference action. They’ll also be coming off a road test at Virginia Tech which might have taken some starch out of them.
Season Win Total
Market consensus July 23
Over 5 -120
Under 5 +100
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Under
That schedule is nasty and it would be a fine accomplishment to get to a bowl game. There are several winnable games on the docket but they’ll have to bag almost all of those BAD BOYS to hit six wins.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
Purdue is coming of a pair of good seasons in which they won 9 (2021) and 8 games (2022). You have to got way back to 2006 and 2007 to find the last time the Boilermakers won eight games, and both of those seasons came under the tutelage of the great Joe Tiller.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
It’s difficult to repeat as division champs under regular circumstances but it seems like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE for Purdue given all the changes on the roster and in the coaching ranks. The overall talent level looks acceptable but it’s gonna be a tough grind dealing with the hand dealt to them by the schedule-maker. Purdue should find out who makes the schedule for Michigan and see if he/she/they/them can be bribed, but we digress. We’ll call for four or five wins with an outside shot of getting to 6-6. BOILER UP!