Rutgers football will hit the road this week to take on Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game is set for a 12:00 p.m. EST, 11:00 a.m. Central kickoff.
The Scarlet Knights are coming into this game
after four straight losses and a 56-10 drumming by a top-10 Oregon team. If there was any game remaining on the schedule for Rutgers to get back on track, it’s this one, as this is the first Power Four team the Knights have played so far with a losing record. However, that goes both ways. If Purdue can pull off a win here, that would be tangible proof that the Boilermakers have improved in their first season under Barry Odom after going 1-11 last season and 0-8 in Big Ten play.
Purdue will likely be forced to start backup quarterback Malachi Singleton, as starter Ryan Browne is listed as doubtful for this game. From what we have seen so far of Singleton’s game, he is a very mobile quarterback who doesn’t quite have the arm capability to be a starter just yet. During his limited playing time, he has often been used as a runner, not a passer. That still doesn’t bode well for the Knights, who have been gashed repeatedly by mobile quarterbacks.
The Boilermakers’ running back room has been underwhelming so far this season, as their leading rusher, Devin Mockobee, only has 430 yards and 4 touchdowns on 109 carries, averaging about 3.9 yards per carry. However, the main weapon the Knights will have to look out for is in the passing game. Wide Receiver Michael Jackson III may not have a lot of yards, but he does have 41 catches, 24 more than the next highest receiver, which shows that he has become the favorite target. He currently sits at 390 receiving yards and 1 touchdown.
On defense, Purdue has two players who stand out. DL CJ Nunnally IV and LB Charles Correa. Nunnally has totaled 20 tackles and four sacks so far this season, while Correa has 59 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended on the year.
To win in this game, Rutgers’ offense must play smarter football, and that leans a lot on quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. If the play is not there, throw it away. Too many times recently, Kaliakmanis has either held onto the ball for too long or tried to force it to a receiver who wasn’t open. Better decision making should pave the way for this offense to get back on track.
As for the defense, they need to be able to take away Singleton’s legs. However, this is a task they have had to do all season with various running quarterbacks, and so far, they have failed. Regarding the defense, Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano did mention that personnel changes have been made both on the field and on the sideline. Whether that amounts to any improvement or not is yet to be seen.
