Outside of their non-conference matchup with Kent State, no. 4 Penn State is unlikely to face a weaker foe all season than they will this weekend. Saturday afternoon the Nittany Lions will travel to West Lafayette to face a woeful Purdue team (1-8, 0-6).
Year two for Ryan Walters at the helm has been a disaster for Purdue. The Boilermakers are averaging just 18.0 points per game, a figure that drops to 14.1 PPG if you takeaway their season-opening 49 point performance against an FCS opponent in Indiana State.
With Purdue's struggles and the Nittany Lions taking dead aim at College Football Playoff berth, this is a game that *should* be a lopsided one. However, the games are still played for a reason. To get perspective from the Boilermakers we go behind enemy lines from our sister site at BoilerUpload, we talk to Happy Valley Insider contributor, and BoilerUplaod staff write, Dub Jellison.
JOIN TODAY AND GET 30 DAYS FREE! | THE LIONS DEN FORUM | PENN STATE FOOTBALL 2025 RECRUITING CLASS | PENN STATE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
HVI: Purdue has been among the worst teams in the FBS this season. From the outside looking in, it appears things could not be going much worse for Ryan Walters and the Boilermakers. What kind of fight, if any, does this team have left?
DJ: No matter where you are, things are as bad as they could have been in West Lafayette. Just one win this season, over a bad FCS team in Indiana State, was the worst case scenario coming into the year and has now become the reality for these Boilermakers.
Purdue has shown fight this year, battling back from big first half deficits to Illinois and Northwestern, although neither resulted in a victory. Ryan Walters has complimented his players' willingness to fight and compete throughout the year, but the question is how much longer than will hold up.
I could see the Ohio State loss being the one that demoralizes the group, who will be in for a rough few weeks to close the season, and potentially relegate themselves to a 1-11 record.
HVI: Will Walters get a year 3 in West Lafayette?
DJ: Despite being in just his second season at the helm, this is about as hot of a seat any Purdue coach has been on over the last 20 years. Walters showed promise in year one despite a 4-8 record, having several one score games that the Boilermakers just gave away in the second half.
It has been an utter disaster in year two. Most notably is the fashion in which they've lost. Purdue has had two one-score games, both overtime losses, while losing by 35 or more four times.
With that being said, I think it's a 50/50 shot Walters returns for a third season with the Boilermakers, as a very young roster and Purdue's potential unwillingness to pay a $9 million buyout as the main reasons he could stay.
HVI: Quarterback Hudson Card and running back Devin Mockobee are two solid players that it appears opposing defenses need to account for. Who else on the Purdue offense does Tom Allen's defense need to be aware of and account for?
DJ: The number one player Penn State should have circled on its scouting report is tight end Max Klare. While Tyler Warren has cemented himself as perhaps the best at the position in the country, Klare has risen to the top tier of tight ends in the Big Ten and has been the one steady contributor in the pass game. Klare has 32 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Boilermakers in all three categories.
As far as receivers go, Jahmal Edrine and Jaron Tibbs have flashed moments where you think they can be serviceable, but are lacking consistency on the outside. The pair has 230 yards and two touchdowns apiece.
HVI: On the flip side, who are some key names to know for the Boilermaker defense?
DJ: Purdue's defense has been the worst in the conference, by far, and one of the worst in all of college football. Despite that, the Boilermakers have a solid core on that side of the ball.
Linebacker Kydran Jenkins and safety Dillon Thieneman headline that unit. Jenkins ranks in the top ten in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5) while moving between edge rusher and middle linebacker. Thieneman is eighth in the conference in total tackles with 75, on the heels of his Freshman All-American campaign last season. The sophomore standout hasn't matched his interception output from a year ago, but is constantly around the football.
Sophomore edge rusher Will Heldt is another guy that has flashed at times this season, having five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss, both in the top ten in the conference this season.
HVI: What is your prediction for Saturday?
DJ: This could very well be the worst team in Purdue history when all is said and done. While it struggled, those woes have been glaring when playing top tier competition, being outscored 146-7 against Notre Dame, Oregon and Ohio State, with two shutout losses against the latter two.
As another top five team comes into Ross-Ade Stadium, I don't see any path to victory for these Boilermakers, especially with how Penn State came out against Washington last week. I'll go with Penn State 49, Purdue 0.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
