2009 Purdue Boilermakers Betting Recap
Online betting specialists probably have more questions than answers about the direction of Purdue football under head coach Danny Hope after watching his team go 5-7 in his first year at the helm. After Purdue missed out on a bowl game for the second straight season, uncertainty fills the air in West Lafayette, Indiana. Bowl games give college football teams extra weeks of practice, and that December practice is part of what enables teams to grow and develop before Spring Ball, which in turn enables teams to be just a little fresher and more knowledgeable when training camp arrives every August. You need to be making bowl games on an appreciably consistent basis in college football, if only for the extra practice time. Purdue didn’t gain this benefit, so the Boilermakers will be a little bit behind the curve thanks to their so-so 2009 showing.
2009 had both flashes of what might be as well as frustrating losses that kept fans up at night. After an impressive opening win over Toledo, Purdue lost its next four games by a combined 18 points, including a two-point loss at eventual Pac-10 champion Oregon (38-36) and a 28-21 loss to MAC foe Northern Illinois. For only the third time ever, the Boilermakers managed to win against Michigan and Ohio State in the same season. However, they coupled those triumphs with embarrassing losses to Minnesota (35-20) and Wisconsin (37-0). The Boilers never seemed to get on track and find a rhythm in Hope’s new offense. For example: They lit up Oregon for 451 yards and 36 points on the road while being shutout and held to just 141 yards on the road at Wisconsin.
One bright spot in 2009 was the play of running back Ralph Bolden. In Hope’s new offense, which emphasizes a more physical running game than previous head coach Joe Tiller’s pass- happy spread offense, Bolden rushed for 1000 yards and had 9 TDs which helped the Boilers control the clock in many of their close games.
2010 Preview To Bet Purdue Boilermakers
Quarterback Joey Elliott didn’t do a lot to upset NCAA football betting experts who watched Purdue in 2009. In fact, he had a solid season with 3,026 yards and 22 TDs against just 13 interceptions. But Elliott is gone this season and now all eyes turn to Miami transfer Robert Marve. The new signal caller in West Lafayette is a former Mr. Florida who had to sit out 2009. Now he’ll get his chance and Purdue coaches cannot help but be excited about what Marve brings to the offense. He’s a true dual threat who can tuck it and run just as easily as he can make all of the throws. At Marve’s disposal will be the team’s leading receiver Keith Smith, who had 1,100 receiving yards in 2009. The bad news for Purdue is that Robert Bolden, who made the ground game go in 2009, tragically tore his ACL in Spring Ball and will try to recover in time to play this fall. Without him, the balance this offense so desperately seeks will be hard to attain, and sports betting junkies will have to pick against Purdue on most Saturdays this fall.
Defensively, six of the front seven return and will provide an anchor for Purdue as the secondary tries to settle into place. However, this was an inconsistent unit to begin with in 2009. It flourished against Ohio State in the team’s big upset, but it lost ground in the second half of the season and had a very difficult time containing the likes of Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Purdue’s defense isn’t physical or imposing enough; if the six returning starters on the front seven can be more authoritative in the trenches, perhaps this team can take the extra step and turn 2009’s 5-7 record into 7-5 and a postseason spot.
A bowl game is not out of the question for the 2010 Boilermakers, especially if Bolden is somehow able to come back and provide production at running back. After opening at Notre Dame, there are three winnable home games (Western Illinois, Ball State, and Toledo). If they want to make the postseason, the Boilers must win games at Illinois, and at home against Minnesota and Indiana. If they take care of business in those games, they’re going to be bowl bound. Moreover, the confidence found from wins in those contests may give them the belief they’ll need to pick off some of the top-tier Big Ten teams and improve their bowl standing in 2010.