Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/371839
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 1 • 7 BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com L ive-wire Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck's motto is "row the boat." Well, when his Broncos face Purdue at noon Saturday in Ross-Ade Stadium, they will be fac- ing a Boilermaker team that's in much the same boat. The similarities between where the Boilermakers and Bron- cos, each in their second seasons under coaching staffs that debuted in 2013, stand today is striking. Both teams are coming off 1-11 records, eager to erase the memories of last season and re- move its failures from the narra- tive of this season, with Purdue entering Year 2 under Darrell Ha- zell and Western Michigan in Year 2 under Fleck. That's the obvious stuff. The detail of the situations is where things correlate closely. "Fleck likes to run practice very fast. I don't want to say it's demanding, but he has a certain way that he wants his players to go about their business," said Da- vid Drew, who covers the Broncos for the Kalamazoo Gazette and MLive.com, "and he wants them to talk with the new attitude that he brought in. "You get a better sense that the players have bought in now and a better vibe from the players in practice. It is clear that the play- ers have bought in and are all on the same page." That last part could have been taken verbatim from any report from the spring, summer or train- ing camp related to the Boilermak- ers' progress from their first year under Hazell to now. There are other common de- nominators between these two Week 1 opponents. Western Michigan is led by a sophomore quarterback, Zach Ter- rell, who struggled under heavy fire last season as just a freshman. Sound familiar? "I can definitely sympathize with a lot of things (Purdue starter Danny Etling) went through last year," Terrell told the Gazette. "He had a great career in high school and as a freshman he got thrown in there and I can definitely sym - pathize with that. I know we're both try- ing to turn it around this year. It will be fun for both of us to start a new season and set it off on the right note." Both teams will rely heavily on their sophomore quar- terbacks to attack through the air. Western Michi- gan is expected to rely on a short-pass- ing game to get the ball out of Terrell's hand quickly, pref- erably to wide re- ceiver Corey Davis, a 2013 Freshman All-American last season, more than anyone. Purdue, too, will look to strike quickly in the passing game, with Etling's decisiveness in getting the ball out quickly being an emphasis. Last year, he took a number of sacks that could be attributed to a young QB holding the ball too long. Against Western Michigan it may or may not matter. The Broncos recorded just seven sacks all of last season, the fewest in NCAA football by a mile. No other team recorded fewer than 11. Because of it, Hazell expects to see pressure from the Broncos, who have to generate disruptive- ness somehow. Purdue would seem — seem — equipped to use opponents' ag- gressiveness against them. It will scheme to get the ball to blazing- fast running backs Raheem Mo- stert and Akeem Hunt in the open field, whether it be via the screen or swing pass or draw handoff. "Not only in the passing game," Hazell said of his offense's potential to defeat pressure, "but also in the run game. Our run game can also beat blitzes." Purdue's offense didn't beat much of anything last season, as it was one of the least potent in all of college football, especially in that aforementioned run game. But Western Michigan was no Game 1 Opponent Preview: Western Michigan Noon ET • Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette) • TV: ESPNU FOR PURDUE AND WESTERN MICHIGAN, TURNAROUND CAN START IN WEEK 1 Western Michigan P.J. Fleck recruited very well in his first year with the Broncos, now he hopes to turn that success into wins in the near future.