Purdue Boilermakers Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

Nov 29, 2014; Bloomington, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Austin Appleby (12) passes the ball during the first quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Breakdown

Last year the Boilermakers averaged less than 200 passing yards per game and less than 24 points. That’s the bad news. But Hazell’s slow-it-down, Jim Tressel-style of coaching makes that less surprising.

Junior quarterback Austin Appleby is back and should be the full-time starter this time without somebody hovering over him. Overall, his numbers were terrible, but remember what he has to work with. Appleby should be good enough to manage the offense this year.

Both running backs from last year are gone, but sophomore Keyante Green has some experience, and there are three newcomers including Markell Jones, who was Mr. Football in Indiana. While both backs are gone, receiver Danny Anthrop is back and will be a premier skill player if he can recover from surgery he needed in December.

The best news for Purdue is the offensive line, where they return everybody. For Hazell, who wants to play power football, that is perfect, and what is even better is most should be back next year, spelling potentially big things for the program in the future.

The offense overall will still be bad this year, but it could improve a lot. A Top 70 scoring unit is not too much to ask for, which could mean for a couple of close wins and some more close games.

To help the offense even more, place-kicker Paul Griggs is back, and last year he was very consistent, going perfect under 40 and seven of 11 beyond 40.

Next: Defensive Outlook