Ahead of Auburn's matchup with Purdue in the Music City Bowl, The Plainsman posed questions for Becca Schneider, sports editor for the Purdue Exponent. Here's how she sees the action playing out Friday inside Nissan Stadium.
1. It seems Purdue won't have to worry much about motivation in a bowl game as the team is playing for a winning season and its head coach. What's the mindset of the Boilermakers heading to Nashville?
The mindset is work hard and focus on the future. The team understands that a win over an SEC team, especially one with a history of Auburn's, could bring a lot of momentum to the already growing program. With a top-25 recruiting class on the way, home sellouts and the upcoming Jeff Brohm contract extension, things are looking bright at Purdue and the players can feel it. After beating Ohio State, the team fully believes they can beat anyone in the country. They have yet to see a team as physical and tough as this Tigers team, but they have a feel for that and are preparing like so.
2. Besides Rondale Moore and David Blough, what other offensive weapons should Auburn fans be on the lookout for?
A couple. Fifth-year running back D.J. Knox is best described as a human bowling ball. At 5'7" and 210 pounds, Knox is all muscle and forces his way through any defensive line. He had three touchdowns against Ohio State. Deeper in the field, the pair of senior wide receivers, Isaac Zico and Terry Wright are dangerous when left open. Both can make big plays and grab some incredible catches, and have experience doing so when the defense only focuses on Rondale. All three of those are hard to stop, even without a consensus All-American on the field.
3. Auburn's offense has fallen well short of expectations this season. What might Purdue's defense be able to do to keep those frustrations going?
The defense will need to pressure Stidham and force him to scramble. Some different defensive lineups and schemes will be seen, due to the loss of defensive tackles Lorenzo Neal (torn ACL) and Keiwan Jones (did not travel). That means the depth of the thin line will be tested all game long. Sophomore defensive end Giovanni Reviere will shift in, and senior Ray Ellis and sophomore linebacker Derrick Barnes will split time there as well. However, the team will have fifth-year safety Jacob Thieneman back after losing him for three games (shoulder/staph infection). In all honestly, this defense is very unpredictable right now, so if they can play a solid, clean 60 minutes, they should be effective. The talent is there, but this mix is unproven.
4. Final thoughts and game prediction?
This will be one of the best tests for a young Purdue football team. They have experience in big games (Ohio State, Boston College, Iowa), but also have lost games due to inexperieced mistakes and play (Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota). If David Blough and Rondale Moore can connect for a pair of touchdowns, and the defense can hold off Malzahn's playcalling, the Boilermakers will leave Nashville with a win. Boilers over the Tigers, 28-24.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
