Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten Conference)
Location: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (51,802)
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2016
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: Big Ten Network, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 1-0 Maryland

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Opponent Preview

The Boilermakers come to College Park, Maryland for the first time ever this week, fresh off of a 24-14 victory over Nevada last weekend. They are 2-1 on the year so far, with wins over Eastern Kentucky and Nevada, and a 38-20 loss to Cincinnati. Darrell Hazell is in his fourth year with Purdue, and has posted an 8-31 record with the team. After a two-win season in 2015, he fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators. He promoted former tight ends coach Terry Malone to offensive coordinator, and hired former Lincoln Southwest High School assistant coach Ross Els as his defensive coordinator. Prior to that, Els served as Nebraska’s linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator for four years. Hazell and his staff recruited the 77th-best recruiting class in the nation last year, according to 247Sports.

Hazell is situated firmly on the hot seat this season, with his team still struggling to reach bowl eligibility. He is likely on a very short leash, and a loss to Maryland could seal his fate. After a solid opening victory over Eastern Kentucky, his team performed very poorly against Cincinnati. There were very few signs of improvement since the first time his team played the Bearcats in 2013, as the Boilermakers turned the ball over five times. They were able to follow up that loss with a narrow victory over Nevada last week.

Offensive Preview

As I mentioned above, Malone is in his first season as Purdue’s offensive coordinator after spending the 2015 season as the team’s tight ends coach. The scheme is essentially the same from last season, as the Boilermakers will run a no-huddle offense that is relatively similar to the one that Maryland saw a few weeks ago when they played Florida International. The offense’s goal is to move the ball down the field with the running game and short, easy completions before taking the occasional shot down the field. Purdue is averaging about 30 points per game so far this season. They are also averaging 317 passing yards per game, and 177 rushing yards per game. They are converting 58% of their third-down attempts. While those numbers are fine, these numbers tell the story: Purdue is averaging over 2.5 turnovers per game, and are only scoring 62% of the time that they are in the red zone.

Players to Watch

Quarterback: David Blough (Redshirt Sophomore)
Blough is in his second year as Purdue’s starting quarterback, after taking over the job early in the 2015 season. He had a very solid freshman campaign, completing over 57% of his passes for 1,574 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Naturally, a lot was expected of him as the team entered the 2016 season. He had a good debut against Eastern Kentucky, but faltered against Cincinnati, throwing five interceptions. His best game of the season so far came against Nevada, where he completed 21 of his 30 attempts for 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. He isn’t a huge threat with his legs, but will get involved in the zone-read game a bit, especially near the goal line.

Running Back: Markell Jones (Sophomore)
Much like Blough, Jones is looking to improve on an impressive freshman season. He is also entering his second season as a starter, after taking over the job midway through last year. He led the team in rushing last season with 875 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 239 yards and a touchdown on receptions. He had a poor outing against Cincinnati, but has run for well over 100 yards in each of the team’s other two games. Last week against Nevada, he carried the ball 22 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. He is the only player on the roster with over 100 rushing yards, and Blough is the only other player with over 10 carries. Jones will receive most of the carries, but the Boilermakers will cycle in a few freshmen behind him in each game.

Wide Receivers: Domonique Young (Redshirt Senior), DeAngelo Yancey (Senior)
These two senior wideouts make up one of the better combinations in the conference. Each of them have racked up over 200 yards so far this season, and average over 12 yards per reception. Young is in his second year with Purdue after transferring from Cerritos College. His best game so far this season came against Cincinnati, where he caught 8 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. Yancey is in his fourth season with the team. His best game so far this season also came against Cincinnati, where he caught 7 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also performed well against Nevada, catching 7 passes for 78 yards. Since Purdue doesn’t use their tight ends much in the passing game, these two players are the primary threats in the passing game.

Defensive Preview

As I mentioned above, the Boilermakers have a new defensive coordinator this year as well. Hazell hired Els to run the defense alongside Marcus Freeman, who spent the previous three years as the team’s linebackers coach. They will operate out of a base 4-3 defensive scheme, but will also utilize plenty of nickel and dime formations against spread offenses. Against an offense like Maryland’s, Purdue will operate out of a 4-2-5 nickel formation for the majority of the game. So far this season, the Boilermakers’ defense has shown some improvement over last season. They are allowing about 25 points per game. Their pass defense has been very solid, allowing just 219 yards per game through the air. Their run defense has struggled a bit, allowing 167 yards per game on the ground. They are allowing opposing offenses to convert 57% of their third-down attempts, and are forcing about 2 turnovers per game.

What to Watch For

Pass Rush: Purdue’s defense combined for 5.0 sacks last week against Nevada. Senior defensive end Evan Panfil led the way with 2.0 sacks, as well as an additional 2.0 tackles for loss. Sophomore defensive tackle Eddy Wilson recorded 1.5 sacks in the game. The Boilermakers seem to have found a way to pressure the quarterback in their game last weekend.

Linebacker: Ja’Whaun Bentley (Junior)
Bentley is a DeMatha Catholic High School product who leads Purdue’s defense in just about every possible way. In addition to leading the team in tackles so far this season with 24, he also serves as one of the captains. He mans the middle linebacker spot for Els, meaning he will be on the field for just about every snap, regardless of formation.

Interceptions: The Boilermakers recorded three interceptions in their season opening game against Eastern Kentucky, including one that was returned for a touchdown by junior defensive end Gelen Robinson.

Kicking Game: Purdue’s starting kicker is a freshman (J.D. Dellinger). He has already missed 2 field goals on the year.

Maryland Preview

The Terrapins are off to their best start since 2013, and will look to improve to 4-0 against the Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon. The coaching staff has increased the intensity of practices even more over the course of the past two weeks, emphasizing the importance of performing well in conference play. A win over Purdue would put Maryland in an excellent position to reach a bowl game in head coach DJ Durkin’s first year at the helm.

The biggest question for this game was whether or not starting quarterback Perry Hills would be healthy enough to play. He injured his shoulder during overtime of the team’s win over Central Florida two weeks ago, and was replaced by freshman Tyrrell Pigrome, who scored the game-winning touchdown on the first snap that he took. The bye week could not have come at a more perfect time, as Hills had time to rest up and will start against Purdue. While it’s certainly a luxury to have a player like Pigrome on the roster, Hills’ leadership and experience give the Terrapins the best chance to win.

Another face will be added to the team’s already crowded backfield this week when Wes Brown returns from serving his three-game suspension. Durkin expects him to be a part of the rotation at running back. So far this season, offensive coordinator Walt Bell has done a good job of spreading carries among all five backs. However, the clear hot hand through the first three games has been freshman Lorenzo Harrison, who has received the most carries (32), rushed for the most yards (208), and scored the most touchdowns (3) of all the backs on the roster. Senior Trey Edmunds and sophomore Ty Johnson have each received 21 carries, with the other two backs (Kenneth Goins, Jr., and Jake Funk) bringing up the rear. Where Brown fits into this group is unclear, especially since all five backs are performing well.

Defensively, the Terrapins have lost one of their starters for the season. Safety Denzel Conyers suffered a torn ACL, and will be replaced by Josh Woods. The team will get defensive end Melvin Keihn back, after he missed the Central Florida game due to an injury. His presence at the Buck position is key, as defensive coordinator Andy Buh will swap him in for Jesse Aniebonam in order to have a fresh pass-rusher on the field at all times.

Maryland’s run defense has been shaky at times this season, but they will need to be ready to stop Jones and Purdue’s rushing attack. With Blough’s 7 interceptions so far this season, the Boilermakers may look to lean on what has been a rather strong running game. Moreover, they will be playing without both of their starting offensive tackles, leaving Blough susceptible to Maryland’s defensive ends.

Zack’s Keys to the Game

  • Score Quickly – The Terps will be at home, with a big Homecoming crowd behind them. It’ll be important to get off to a fast start and force Purdue to respond.
  • Stop the Run – It’ll also be important for the defense to stop the run and force Blough into passing situations. Do that, and you can take advantage of Purdue’s two backup offensive tackles.
  • Run the Ball – For Maryland’s offense, find the hot hand and ride it at running back. Run downhill, run fast, open holes, score touchdowns.
  • Play Smart – Purdue will shoot themselves in the foot. A lot. Don’t let them get away with it. Let Darrell Hazell be Darrell Hazell and you should be fine. #RandyEdsallMidwest
Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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