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| Sunday, August 12 Updated: August 13, 10:40 PM ET Ten defensive starters return for Purdue By Jeff Potrykus Special to ESPN.com |
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Purdue Boilermakers 2000 record: 8-4 (6-2). Coach: Joe Tiller (5th year, 33-16). Starters returning: 5 offense, 10 defense, 2 kickers. Outlook: Why is Tiller smiling despite the fact he must replace a record-setting quarterback? Does he know something the rest of us don't? What he believes is that redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Hance will direct the Boilermakers' spread offense much more efficiently than anyone outside of West Lafayette, Ind., expects. Hance, who is more of a running threat than Brees, will need assistance, though. There appears to be sufficient talent at wide receiver and running back. It is the offensive line, which lost four starters, that is the most critical area. During Tiller's tenure the quarterbacks have been sacked only 62 times out of 2,131 passes, an average of once ever 34.4 attempts, so the new faces have much to prove. Hance and Tiller should find comfort in the fact that with nearly everyone back on the other side of the ball, the Boilermakers' could field the stingiest defense in the Big Ten. Coordinator Brock Spack has built a unit predicated on speed, from front to back. The Boilermakers started five freshmen on the unit last season and still finished third in the conference in total defense (346.8 yards) and fifth in scoring defense (22.2 points). Keep an eye on: QB Brandon Hance. Despite the fact this team has several budding stars on defense, the fate of the season could rest in the hands of Hance. The Boilermakers have improved their running game but they still aren't geared to jam the ball down a foe's throat on the ground. Hance has to spread the ball around as Brees did. Hance, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, prepared for his opportunity by graduating early from high school and participating in spring practice in each of the last two years. Key game: Brees' first trip to Michigan's Big House came in 1999 and the Wolverines crushed Purdue, 38-12. Will Hance fare better in his first visit to Ann Arbor, set for Oct. 13? The Boilermakers could be 5-0 entering the game. It is a safe bet that the Michigan players haven't forgotten blowing a 28-10 halftime lead and losing by one, 32-31, last year in West Lafayette It's a good year if... The Boilermakers make a run at the Big Ten title. In four seasons at Purdue, Tiller has led the Boilermakers to four bowls and four winning seasons. No other coach accomplished either of those feats. Purdue's defense in 2001 certainly should be of championship quality. Whether the Boilermakers can successfully defend their share of conference title will depend upon how quickly the offense gels under Hance's guidance. A fifth consecutive bowl game and winning seasons appear to be certainties. With trips to Michigan and Ohio State, though, a second consecutive conference title might be a stretch. Jeff Potrykus covers the Big Ten for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. |
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