The Sidelines

Photo courtesy of Hannah Foslion Can Purdue Bounce back? Purdue has had a bye week to prepare for Minnesota who also had a bye week prior to this one. Purdue v Minnesota  Purdue had a terrible game against TCU as we saw a young team get pushed around by a physical TCU O-line and run game. The Boilermakers averages over 370 yards through the air, but its glaring weakness is 51 yards a on the ground. Purdue has a decent passing game, but not a good run defense. Minnesota averages over 230 yards through the air and close to 125 yards on the ground. This could be a back and forth game as both teams can easily win it. I think Purdue has a slight edge mostly because I think Sindelar will play, and that will be pivotal for this team. and I think Anthrop will provide life to this dismal run game. This will be very close, but with Sindelar back, Purdue gets a nice win heading into the Penn State game. Purdue

Photo courtesy of Carmen Mandato Purdue is off this week, but there is always football Purdue has a bye week that they desperately need so instead of the usual four teams a week. We're adding another team to fill that slot #3 Georgia v #7 Notre Dame Georgia averages close to 300 yards a game in both the passing and rushing which is not too bad.The Irish averages over 300 yards in passing and close to 200 in the running game. But the one area where I think the Irish will have a problem will be the run game, where the Bulldogs are suffocating teams to only 60 rushing yards a game. Georgia will force the Irish to go through the air, but that won't be enough to secure a victory in Athens. Georgia  Kansas v West Virginia  With Sean Ryan and Tevin Bush both questionable for the Mountaineers, this could hurt their passing game slightly. The problem with West Virginia is their run game, which they average 80 yards a game. Kansas on the other hand averages around 200 yards

A under the lights showdown against TCU Can Purdue continue this momentum? W'll see Saturday night when Purdue plays TCU in prime time. Purdue v TCU The Horned Frog's defense got it done against Arkansas Pine Bluff as they kept them under 115 yards in both the passing game and the run game. And the offense seems pretty balanced with 280 yards and 200 for the pass and run game respectively. But the problem I see here is that its very hard to judge what this TCU team can do since they have only played 1 team, and that was and FCS squad. Purdue has a very good run defense (even though they don't have a run game to save their life) which can work to their advantage as we saw in the Vanderbilt game. Even if Sindelar plays or not, this is a very explosive offense that averages 470 yards passing a game. I have confidence that this banged up Purdue team can squeak out a win, It will be close and it will be nerve racking, but Purdue gets it done. And hey if I'm wrong, I&

Photo courtesy of Tim Warner. Getty Images Another week, another slate of games  Lets just jump into it shall we Nebraska v NIU The Huskers come into this match up unranked after a collapse against Colorado. The Huskers have a nice balanced attack on offense while the defense is not very good stooping the pass, but stifles the run game, only allowing 86 yards a carry. NIU has no run game so they are forced to beat teams through the air, and against the Huskers, it could work. But unfortunately, Nebraska will be seeking redemption after Colorado. Nebraska Tennessee v Chattanooga  Good news Vol fans, Tennessee will finally get their first win. Both teams come into this matchup almost identical stats, The major difference is Tennessee's passing game, which they can utilize well against this FCS team. And while Tennessee has struggled over the last two weeks, unless your a team like UConn, they wont struggle against and FCS school at home. Tennessee Mis

Photo Courtesy of Chris Johnson, Purdue Athletics That game sucks, but you know what else does? Cancer. Purdue did not have a good game in Reno. But I believe Purdue will get things turned around before they play Vanderbilt. Purdue v Vanderbilt  Purdue will most likely continue their success in the passing game as they threw 423 yards against the Wolfpack. Unfortunately, we have no run game as we put up 96 yards last week. The Commodores seem like a pretty balanced team having above 100 yards in both rushing and passing yards. But their defense got gashed by Georgia letting them run all over them. This could be a close game. But as long as Purdue limits the turnovers, and if the team that played in the first half against Nevada shows up, this might be a very convincing win for the Boiler.  Purdue 

Photo courtesy of Ronald Martinez Football is Back College football is back and after a wild week one week 2 should be less chaotic. Kentucky v Eastern Michigan  Both teams come into this game with a pretty balanced offense, Kentucky is holding teams to below 200 yards in both receiving and rushing. but Eastern Michigan is holding teams to under 75 yards in the run game. EMU is not very good against the pass as they allowed Coastal Carolina to rack up 307 yards through the air. This game could end up being a shootout until late in the game. But like we saw last year, EMU is not a team to be taken lightly. Kentucky  #23 Washington St. v Northern Colorado If Wazzou won't beat Northern Colorado on the ground, they will sure as hell beat them through the air, as the Cougars 507 total yards last game through the air, as well as forcing three turnovers. This is an offense, and defense that will just obliterate UNC. Washington St. Oklahoma St. v McNeese OSU did not do a