3 Keys to Victory for Purdue vs. Wake Forest
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A massive opportunity awaits Barry Odom and Purdue on Saturday. With Wake Forest coming into Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, the Boilermakers have a chance to snap a 20-game losing streak to Power Four opponents and take serious momentum into next weekend's Big Ten opener against UCLA.
This is considered a marquee moment in Odom's tenure, his first chance to prove he has the program headed in the right direction. The Demon Deacons have eight returning starters from last year's defense, and hit on some explosive plays in their opener against Akron.
What will it take for Purdue to get a win and head into Big Ten play with a 2-0 record? Here are three keys to victory against Wake Forest.
Keep the wide receivers in check
Wake Forest's offense poses many challenges for Purdue's defense, but the thing that stood out most from its Week 1 performance was the explosiveness of the receivers. Gio Lopez threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-16 victory, with all three scoring strikes coming from explosive plays.
Kam Shanks caught a 27-yard touchdown pass, Antonio Meeks hauled in a 72-yard reception, and Carlos Hernandez turned a short pass into a 78-yard score. Those three combined for 13 catches for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Hernandez led the way with 165 yards on only five receptions.
Purdue's secondary surrendered a handful of explosive plays to Indiana State, two coming late in last Friday's game. The Boilermakers can't get beat on deep routes on Saturday, or the Demon Deacons will make them pay.
Offensive line gets a good push
Considering Purdue was without left tackle Joey Tanona in Week 1, Purdue's offensive line did a good job pushing Indiana State around in the trenches. That's what the Boilermakers were expected to do, though. As a result, Purdue racked up 177 rushing yards on 40 carries and completed 27-of-34 passes for 346 yards. The offensive line gave up just two sacks, with one coming late against backup quarterback Evans Chuba.
Wake Forest's defensive line is going to be much more difficult to block, though. This is going to be where we see how much improvement the Boilers have made in the trenches. The Demon Deacons have a pair of outstanding linemen in Langston Hardy and Gabe Kirschke. Both can get into the backfield and disrupt Purdue's offense.
Winning in the trenches is important every single week, but for Purdue, it's critical that it gets a good push up front so it can establish the run game. If the offensive line is able to pave holes for Fame Ijeboi, Travis Terrell Jr. and Antonio Harris, the Boilers are going to have success.
Touchdowns in the red zone
Last season, Purdue had the worst red zone conversion rate in the Big Ten, scoring points on 75.7% of its trips. It had the third-worst touchdown rate, reaching the end zone just 48.7% of the time. Those numbers must be better.
Purdue corrected some of those issues last Friday. The Boilers were perfect inside the red zone, converting on all six trips. Freshman kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano pulled through early in the game, making three field goal attempts in the first half to help out his team.
Scoring on all six red zone trips and getting four touchdowns is a positive. But Purdue still had some ugly moments when it got inside Indiana State's 20-yard line in the opener. To beat a team like Wake Forest, the Boilers need to score touchdowns when in a favorable position.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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