Purdue Boilermakers 2010 Review

Purdue Boilermakers
2010 Record: 4-8 (2-6), 9th Big Ten
2010 Bowl game: None

     Purdue has totally gone down the drain. The Boilermakers, who were very competetive under former coach Tiller, have completely slid under the surface under Danny Hope. Here's the thing...Hope barely survived after last season, and many folks around the team wanted him out after last season ended. If he has a repeat in 2011, he certainly will not survive. In my opinion, he is in over his head here.
     The passing game, usually a strong staple with Purdue, was awful in 2010. Robert Marve was supposed to be the savior of the passing game after having transferred from Miami, but he went down after 4 games, and quite frankly, he sucked before getting knocked out. Marve passed for 512 yards and 3 TDs with 4 picks before getting hurt, and he only averaged 128 yards per game. Enter freshman Rob Henry, who was a bit bleak himself, having passed for 996 yards and a 8/7 ratio, while completing only 53.1% of his passes. Henry only averaged 90.5 yards per game, so there is not too much to look forward to, w=even with both players returning.
      Individually, the Boilermakers lacked star power in the run game as well. Nobody was a standout, as Henry led the team in rushing with 547 yards in 11 games played. Senior Dan Dierking was the leading back, as he rushed for 529 yards as well, but neithe rplayer averaged even 50 yards per game rushing. This backfield is just a mess.
     Only four receivers caught as many as 20 passes last fall, with Cortez Smith, a senior, leading the way with a post of 33-434-4. That's not great, and he was followed by Antavian Edison (32-316-4), Kyle Adams (36-244-0), and Dierking (20-173-2).
     Purdue was not good against the pass last fall, having given up 231.1 yards per game, but they were decent against the run, giving up 137.9 yards per game. Five defenders hit the 5 tackle per game average last fall, led by Logan Lonk with 91 (7.58). Also averaging 7 tackles per game was Dwayne Bickford, who finshed with 84 tackles on the season as a sophomore. He was followed by Ricardo Allen (73, 6.08), Joe Holland (72, 6.0), and Ryan Kerrigan, the star of the defense, who had 70 tackles as a DE (5.83 average). Josh Johnson finished with 53 tackles on the season as well.
     Kerrigan was one of the most electrifying defenders in the country last fall, as he finished with a bone crushing 26 TFLs on the season, a total that led the nation and won him our All-Bilo Defensive Lineman of the Year award. Kawann Short also hit double figures, as he finished with 12.5 TFLs on the season, and Jason Werner just missed, finishing with 9.5. Purdue finished with 91 TFLs on the season as a team. Kerrigan was also the sack master for Pursue, as he finished with 12.5 sacks on the season.
     Short was the team leader when it came to defending passes as well, as he collected 8 passes that he knocked away. Josh Johnson finished with 6, while Jason Werner finished with 5. Ricardo Allen led the team with 3 picks.
     Carson Wiggs was solid at PK last fall, as he hit 15 of his 19 FG attempts, which was good for 78.9% on the season. Wiggs returns to man the position next fall as a senior. He also hit on all 27 of his PAT tries. Cody Webster was one of the best punters in America last season as a freshman, having averaged 43.28 yards per punt. The kick return game was about as mediocre as it got, but was not awful.
Final Notes
     Danny Hope is in trouble here, and anything short of a bowl bid in 2011 will get him ousted. If he fails to repair a weak passing and rushing attack, he'll be toast anyway. Purdue is a mess, and Joe Tiller did nobody any favors by hand picking Hope as his replacement. While so many clubs in the Big Ten are on the rise, Purdue is definately on the decline.