Week One Predictions for Penn State versus Purdue
It is gameday, which means it's time for kickoff between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Purdue Boilermakers out in West Lafayette, Indiana.
But before kickoff, our staff over here at Nittany Nation makes their game predictions on the final score for today's matchup.
WHO: Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers
WHEN: Thursday at 8:00 EST || FOX
WHERE: Ross-Ade Stadium (57,236) -- West Lafayette, Indiana
SPREAD: Penn State -3.5 || Over/Under 53.5pts
SERIES RECORD: PSU leads the series (15-3-1) || PSU on 9 game winning streak
PREDICTIONS FOR PURDUE GAME (ESPN FPI: 60.2% CHANCE FOR PSU TO WIN)
Dylan Callaghan-Croley - Nittany Nation beat writer (Penn State: 35 / Purdue: 24)
This should be a great game to start off the season and one that is high scoring as well. I have Penn State walking out of Ross-Ade Stadium with the victory. I think the Nittany Lions offense will take a big step up this season and it will be too much for Purdue to handle for four quarters. The Boilermakers offense will put up their fair share of points, Aiden O’Connell is one of the conference’s best signal callers and he does it in an incredibly efficient way. That being said, I think Penn State’s secondary does enough to slow down the Purdue vertical passing game.
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Sam Woloson - Nittany Nation Staff Writer (Penn State: 27 / Purdue: 24)
This will be a very tight game between two solid B1G teams that are looking to turn some heads this season. Both have experienced quarterbacks, but I believe the real X-factor will be the running game. If Penn State can establish its new look ground attack, including freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, they should give the Boilermakers plenty of trouble.
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Richie Schnyderite - Nittany Nation Publisher (Penn State: 35 / Purdue: 17)
How do you not pick the Nittany Lions in this one? They are a pretty experienced team through and through, have a top tier defense led by probably the Big Ten's best group of defensive backs and added some significant talent via the portal this offseason.
Now add in the fact that Purdue has lost a lot this offseason including their top two receivers in David Bell (NFL) and Milton Wright (Academics) and I think PSU gets the ball rolling early and makes this a statement game that the Nittany Lions are back.
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Justin Morganstein - Nittany Nation Staff Writer (Penn State: 27 / Purdue: 20)
Penn State opens up the season in a hostile Big Ten road environment for the second year in a row.
While the Nittany Lions are an experienced group on both sides of the ball there is no doubt the crowd in West Lafayette should be a factor.
Sean Clifford should be able to throw the ball effectively with a banged up Boilermaker secondary and the Penn State defense will need to hone in on stopping the aerial attack.
Purdue is one of the more on dimensional offenses in the Big Ten so forcing them to run the football makes a lot of sense.
Ultimately, Penn State’s playmakers will come up when needed most and the Nittany Lion defense will get a late stop to seal a victory to go 1-0.
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Josh Taylor - Nittany Nation Contributor (Penn State: 31 / Purdue: 20)
Aiden O’Connell lost too much production from last year and will lean heavy on TE Payne Durham and transfer WRs. Penn State’s defense will be ok brand and be aggressive the whole game. The running game will be much improved for Penn State, which will open up the passing game for a healthy Sean Clifford.
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Alex Murphy - Nittany Nation Staff Writer (Penn State: 27 / Purdue: 23)
It’s going to be a close one to start out the season, but I think Penn State with more offensive weapons, edges out Purdue, 27-23.
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Ryan Cinque - Nittany Nation Staff Writer (Penn State: 31 / Purdue: 27)
Penn State will kick-off their 2022 season on the road against Purdue at Rose-Ade Stadium. The Nittany Lions have won each of the last 9 meetings against the Boilermakers dating all the way back to 2004. Although this matchup has been dominated by Penn State for almost two decades, I expect a close game Thursday night. Purdue finished last season winning five of their final six games and comes in with much higher expectations than usual. The Boilermaker offense will be clicking but Penn State should be able to match them in that regard. This game can set the tone for the season and I think Penn State has just enough firepower to come out on top.
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Tom Dienhart - Purdue Beat Writer (Penn State: 30 / Purdue: 28)
A battle between two sixth-year QBs makes this interesting. Which defense can step up? That may be the key to victory. I think Penn State finds a way to make a few more plays and pull out a tight victory.
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