Purdue vs. Wake Forest Confidence Meter: How Will The Boilers Look in Week 2?
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It's been talked about all offseason, and now the day has finally arrived. On Saturday, Purdue has a chance to prove it is taking big strides under Barry Odom, hosting Wake Forest for an important non-conference matchup.
Yes, after this game, the Boilermakers still have 10 remaining on the schedule. A loss doesn't necessarily derail Purdue from what it wants to accomplish. But if Odom's squad comes up short against the Demon Deacons, it's going to take the wind out of the sails of many.
Before kickoff, we're throwing out our predictions and our confidence that Purdue can get the job against Wake Forest on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Nick Arvin, writer
Shortly after the Indiana State game. I felt a little bit underwhelmed about this team heading into Saturday. The pass rush has to be better in this one, but the veteran leadership at halftime last week is encouraging.
It’s a massive game for Ryan Browne, who is looking to prove a point against fellow former Tar Heel Gio Lopez at quarterback. I expect him to live up to the moment and make winning plays instead of losing plays down to the stretch.
This is the biggest game of Barry Odom’s tenure at Purdue. Odom saying they’ve prepared for Wake Forest far before Week 1 is encouraging for me, but we’ll see in due time. If Purdue is able to create chaos plays on defense and limit the Deacs playmakers, the Boilers have a great shot at their first Power Four win in two years.
- Score Prediction: Purdue 24, Wake Forest 21
- Confidence: 7/10
Dustin Schutte, publisher
I've already written about this game several times. It's not necessarily a "must-win" situation for the Boilermakers, but it certainly feels like it could be a turning point for the program. A win, and suddenly Purdue is taking confidence and momentum into next Saturday's Big Ten opener against UCLA. A loss, and there are going to be several predicting a 1-3 start for the Boilers, with Notre Dame on the schedule following the trip to Los Angeles.
Purdue didn't open the game well against Indiana State, potentially a "feeling out" process for the Boilers in the first game. The third quarter was much more promising, outscoring the Sycamores 21-0 to take complete control of the game.
This year's team seems to have better leadership from its players and more weapons offensively. This is truly a toss-up game, but one I think Purdue comes out of with a victory.
- Score prediction: Purdue 27, Wake Forest 24
- Confidence: 6/10
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Nick Arvin is a multimedia journalist who got his start covering Purdue athletics for 247Sports. He is also currently the host of the Locked On Boilermakers podcast. In addition to covering Purdue for On SI, Nick also works as a high school sports reporter for ClarksvilleNow.
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