Three reasons why Penn State Football will beat Purdue on Thursday
2. Strength vs Weakness
Penn State will have one of the best defensive line units in the Big Ten this season thanks to P.J. Mustipher, Adisa Isaac and Hakeem Beamon returning from absences in 2021.
Additionally, they brought in former 5-star Chop Robinson and added 5-star Dani Dennis-Sutton from the 2022 recruiting class.
This is bad news for Purdue because that team has a really hard time running the ball.
Purdue averaged just 85 rushing yards per game last year and did nothing to change the look of its running back room in 2022. King Doerue, who averaged just 3.9 yards per carry last year, is back as the starter.
There’s even more trouble with the Boilermakers run attack as well, as coach Jeff Brohm noted that he expects to play eight to nine offensive linemen on Thursday. This means Purdue really doesn’t feel good about its starting group and is still trying to figure it out on the fly.
Jeff Brohm says he has about eight offensive linemen that could play for #Purdue, and it wouldn't shock him if nine got into the game.
— D.J. Fezler (@DJFezler) August 29, 2022
What we’re getting at here is that Purdue will be a one-dimensional offense on Thursday. Penn State’s defensive tackles are pretty good at stopping the run, and Purdue is pretty bad at running the ball.
This will make Purdue’s offense predictable and allow the likes of Isaac and Robinson to pin their ears back and go after Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
Purdue’s strength is its passing attack, but if O’Connell is constantly getting hit or rushed, they won’t be able to successful throw the ball.