Purdue Football: Nevada will be sneaky test for Boilermakers in Week 1

Purdue football are looking to start off its 2019 season with a win. Will the Nevada Wolfpack make it easy for Jeff Brohm’s team?

Both Jeff Brohm and Jay Novell are in their third season coaching their respective teams. While neither coach is particularly on the hot seat, one has much high expectations from their school.

This offseason, Brohm signed a seven-year contract for $36.8 million. So, you could say Purdue is expecting a lot from him. This simply comes with the territory of being a head coach in the Big Ten.

The Purdue Boilermakers went 6-7 in 2018, which included a terribly bad loss in the Music City Bowl against Auburn. Purdue lost the game 63-14, but not before getting in a handful of scuffles with the Auburn Tigers’ players. This bowl game was the culmination of an incredibly frustrating season. At one point, Purdue lost — at home — to Eastern Michigan, 20-19. However, at another, they upset Ohio State, 49-20. 

Novell, on the other hand, took Nevada to a relatively decent season in 2018. Simply, the Wolf Pack won the games they were supposed to win and, well, they lost the matches they were supposed to lose. Their losses included Vanderbilt, Toledo, Fresno State, Boise State, and UNLV. Vanderbilt, Toledo and UNLV were all away games.

This 8-5 record took them second place in the MWC West and a win over Arkansas State in the Arizona Bowl.

Here’s how to watch this season opener between Purdue and Nevada.

Date: Thursday, Aug. 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Reno, NV.
Venue: Mackay Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stream: CBS Sports Live | Fubo TV

Keys to victory

The Nevada Wolf Pack saw a tight quarterback battle throughout fall training camp. Ultimately, redshirt freshman, Carson Strong, won the job. He will need to play a spectacular game against this Big Ten quality defense. With limited experience, Strong will likely be overwhelmed by a defense much better than he has seen in practice.

This Boilermaker defense will be looking to force turnovers and create a sense of doubt and insecurity within the young quarterback. Jay Novell will need to keep his offensive leader composed and set up for success. This means keeping the game plan simple and getting Strong into a rhythm early. Additionally, some form of running game will need to be established to prevent the Purdue defense from putting tons of pressure on the freshman quarterback.

Conversely, the Boilermakers need to do exactly that — disrupt the comfort level of the new starting quarterback. On the offensive side of the ball, starting quarterback, Elijah Sindelar, should attempt to connect with Rondale Moore early in the game. Moore is the Boilermaker’s star wide receiver who will be the most reliable offensive player this season.

If Sindelar can find Moore in open space, Purdue will have no issues dominating the Wolf Pack defense.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Line: Purdue -11
Over/Under: 59

Prediction

The Boilermakers will win big in this game. As much as it’s nice to see Mountain West Conference teams play well against Power Five opponents, it just isn’t practical in this matchup. However, each team will get off to a slow start. The first game nerves will be ever-present, and Purdue will need a quarter to adjust to playing in Mackay Stadium. However, by the second half, the Boilermakers will pull away.

Final Score: Purdue 35, Nevada 10