Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/558473
VOLUME 25, ISSUE 6 9 Which Will Be Better: Offense Or Defense? Stacy Clardie OK, OK. So Purdue doesn't know who its starting QB is going to be, doesn't have any backs or tight ends with significant experience and hasn't had a receiver lead its team in catches for two seasons. But watching those change-of-pace, no-huddle, uptempo tweaks John Shoop added in the spring and with the group working to perfect them in the offseason, I'm kinda buzzing with anticipation for Week 1. This offensive line is legit, and it has the exact personality you'd want: Nasty, confident and wanting the load. It'll get it. And with a similarly bully-minded (in the best way) stable of running backs, don't be surprised if this team gouges defenses between the tackles in the run game. The big strides, though, will need to be made passing down field. With the line holding steady, Austin Appleby should finally have time to do it, and he can. The receivers have potential but need to prove they can play. Here's betting they will. Kyle Charters Admittedly, defense is the safer pick. It's also the right one. The Boilermakers' starting 11 is littered with solid, experienced players, many of whom can win individual matchups that will go a long way toward overall success. Cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Frankie Williams will be difficult to throw against, and good for an occasional turnover, one would think. The linebackers are the best Purdue's had in years, perhaps a decade, and Ja'Whaun Bentley has a chance to be a star. It's a big, physical group, one that could regularly compete in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have depth up the middle, with potential emerging stud Jake Replogle, and a few players with a lot to prove, like Michael Rouse and Ra'Zahn Howard. There are questions — Purdue wouldn't be where it is without them — mainly in the Boilermakers' pass rush. Where's it come from? The ends are underwhelming. Still, the Boilermakers have some known tools, and that's a forward step. Drew Brees Boiler Index: Smoking Brees made big news in June when he gave $1 million to his alma mater, directed to the football program, a few days after he hosted a three- day summit in San Diego that brought together former and current Boilermakers. The money is likely to be directed toward the football master plan, which will (if fully ap- proved by the Board of Trustees) include upgrades to locker rooms, Mollenkopf, Ross-Ade Stadium and the south end zone. Ja'Whaun Bentley Boiler Index: Steaming Only a sophomore, Bentley might already be the high- est-profile Boilermaker. In its college football preseason maga- zine, Athlon picked Bentley, a line- backer, as a third-team All-Big Ten pick, joining Frankie Williams as the highest-ranking Boilermaker. Caleb Swanigan Boiler Index: Smoldering Although this is a football preview issue, it's hard to ignore the buzz that Caleb Swanigan has created. The McDonald's All-American committed to the Boilermakers in May, then made the USA U19 squad in June. Soon, he'll be with Pur- due, joining a veteran team that hopes to make noise in March. Heck, it's making noise now. And, wouldn't Swanigan look good as a tight end? Photos by New Orleans (Brees); Tom Campbell (Bentley); McDonald's (Swanigan)