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The Purdue Boilermakers had a very promising start under new head coach Jeff Brohm. Purdue was expected to get creamed by Louisville and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, but made it a game and only lost by a touchdown at the end. Now there is real hope in Purdue for the first time in the past few years, but now they must navigate a very tricky opponent in their second game of the season, the Ohio Bobcats.
This contest in Week 2 of the regular season will go down Friday, September 8, 2017, at 8
p.m. ET at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. This game will be broadcast on FS1.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Ohio +3.5
Purdue -3.5
Odds Analysis
Ohio cruised to a 59-0 win over lowly Hampton in its season opener. The Bobcats were absolutely dominant in the game, taking control early and slowly crushing the life out of the Pirates. They were a 36-point favorite in the game and picked up an easy cover after holding Hampton to 108 total yards of offense.
The Boilermakers were somewhat fortunate to stay close against the Cardinals if you delve into the stat sheet. Where Purdue averaged just 4.4 yards per play, Louisville averaged 6.6 yards per play and moved the ball all game long against this defense. Turnovers and special teams were a huge factor for Purdue as the Boilers started two touchdown drives in Cardinals territory and another at their own 48-yard line.
Matchup to Watch
Purdue will face a much different style of offense this week in Ohio. The Bobcats are running a two-quarterback system with Quinton Maxwell and Nathan Rourke splitting the duties. Maxwell is more of a passing threat, but can take off when needed. He was great as a freshman in 2016 and looks even better this season. Rourke is more of a running threat and picked up three touchdowns on the ground against Hampton.
Neither quarterback is anything close to what Jackson is, but Purdue’s defense will be tested by the duo all the same. The Boilermakers allowed 38.3 PPG in 2016 and had trouble with dual-threat quarterbacks of lesser Big Ten teams in addition to the more common names.
Coaching Angle
These two coaches have completely different styles. Frank Solich is one of the longest-tenured coaches in college football at this point. He is old-school to a T and relies on running the ball and playing good defense in order to win games. His Bobcats are remarkably consistent with their statistical numbers and he constantly wins time of possession battles with his slow, methodical offense.
Jeff Brohm is his polar opposite. Brohm is the newest offensive guru on the block and was the mastermind of high flying offenses at Western Kentucky. He is all about throwing the ball all over the place and doesn’t focus on the run. The Boilermakers threw the ball 57 times and ran it just 21 times against Louisville and he will try to throw it all over the Bobcats defense.
Free ATS Pick
The Boilermakers were way too quick to dink and dunk against the Cardinals. David Blough and Elijah Sindelar pretty much split the snaps at quarterback and Sindelar especially was checking down way too often. Sindelar averaged less than four yards a pass on 31 attempts and it’s a wonder Purdue kept it so close with numbers like that.
Boilermakers fans should be wary of this line. Seeing Ohio as a scant 3.5-point underdog means Vegas thinks the Bobcats have a great chance at winning this game. This defense will pin its ears back and go after the quarterback and that will spell trouble for Purdue. The line is very telling, so don’t think twice and back the Bobcats to pull off the upset.
College Football Odds: Bobcats 27, Boilermakers 24
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