Boiler Banter: 5 Bold Predictions for Purdue Football in 2024
Purdue enters the second year of the Ryan Walters era with a chip on its shoulder. After a 4-8 campaign in 2023, the Boilermakers have been projected to finish last in the Big Ten. That's not sitting well in West Lafayette.
The Boilers get their chance to prove the doubters wrong beginning on Saturday, Aug. 31, when they host Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium (noon ET, Big Ten Network).
Before Saturday arrives, I've got five bold predictions for Purdue entering the 2024 season.
There's still no 1,000-yard rusher
It's been a minute since Purdue has produced a 1,000-yard rusher. Actually, it's been 15 years. The Boilermakers have not had a running back hit that mark since Kory Sheets in 2008.
Devin Mockobee has eclipsed 800 yards in each of his first two seasons. He has put on 12 pounds in the offseason and maintained his speed and quickness. By all accounts, he has all the traits necessary to hit the 1,000-yard milestone in 2024. But I don't think it happens.
Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell wants to run an air-raid style of offense, utilizing the run game when necessary. Plus, the Boilermakers brought in former Illinois running back Reggie Love III to pair with Mockobee in the backfield. The workload will probably be pretty balanced between the two ball carriers.
Mockobee certainly has the talent to be the first Boiler back to hit the 1,000-yard mark since 2008, but that drought will continue into the 2025 season.
One of the lengthy losing streaks ends
Purdue will carry five fairly lengthy losing streaks into the 2024 season. And while all of them will be tough to snap, I think the Boilers can exorcise at least one of the demons haunting their dreams.
The losing streaks for Purdue heading into the season:
- Wisconsin — lost 17 straight game (last win was 2003)
- Penn State — lost 10 straight games (last win was 2004)
- Notre Dame — lost 8 straight games (last win was 2007)
- Ohio State — lost 10 straight road games in Columbus (last win was 1988)
- Michigan State — lost 5 straight road games in East Lansing (last win was 2006)
It's been quite a while since Purdue has had any wins over Wisconsin, Penn State or Notre Dame. The Boilermakers have recently defeated Ohio State (2018) and Michigan State (2021), but haven't beaten those teams on the road in quite some time.
Beating Michigan State in East Lansing seems like the most likely scenario for Purdue this season. Maybe the Boilermakers could pull off an early-season upset over Notre Dame or get a road win over Wisconsin.
They certainly won't end all of these losing streaks, but the Boilers will cross one off the list.
Will Heldt cracks Big Ten's top-five in sacks
Walters and his staff have raved about the growth and development of Will Heldt throughout the offseason. We saw glimpses of his ability during Purdue's spring game in April. So, expect the sophomore rush end to make a big leap in 2024.
"He's the Terminator out there, man," defensive coordinator Kevin Kane said. Rush ends coach Joe Dineen echoed those comments, saying, "Will has kind of turned into a monster right now."
Purdue is looking to replace production on the edge that left when Nic Scourton departed for Texas A&M after the 2023 campaign. He led the conference in sacks with 10 last fall, leaving a major gap in West Lafayette. Walters said that it will likely be a team effort to replicate that type of success, but someone has to lead the pack.
Heldt finished last season with 12 tackles and just one tackle for loss as a freshman. Predicting him to be one of the top pass-rushers in the Big Ten would require some significant improvement, but that's why they call these "bold "predictions, right?
Hudson Card is a 3,000-yard passer
Considering the type of offense Harrell wants to run, this might be the least bold of the five predictions on this list. Especially with Purdue bolstering (sorry for using that terminology, Deion Sanders) its offensive line and adding depth at wide receiver.
Card will be in his second season of Harrell's offense, which should be a huge benefit. Plus, the veteran quarterback is healthy after battling shoulder and rib injuries a year ago. Even through the pain, Card threw for 2,387 yards and 15 touchdowns.
What will be interesting to see is how Card picks up yards through the air. Will the Boilermakers rely heavily on short passes, allowing their playmakers to shift and shimmy their way past defenders? Or will Harrell let his quarterback cut it loose frequently and try to take the top off of defenses?
Yes, it's probably going to be a mixture, but the percentages of short passes vs. long bombs will be intriguing to track. Either way, Card will likely rack up quite a few yards.
Boilermakers are bowl eligible
I know, I know, the schedule is incredibly daunting in Walters' second season. Purdue was picked to finish last in the Big Ten by multiple media outlets. But I'm just not buying it.
The Boilers added depth at the offensive line, brought in a plethora of talent from the transfer portal and have a "bigger" team than a season ago. Plus, Walters retained his entire staff.
Oh, did I mention Walters is using the low expectations as motivation?
"I definitely feel like there's a chip on everyone's shoulder in the building," Walters said at Big Ten Media Days. "We're all here to compete. The three things we talk most about in our program are competitive, toughness and discipline, with competitive being at the forefront.
"So, when you go 4-8, you better have a chip on your shoulder. I feel like the guys we brought in feel like they have something to prove, as well. Definitely use it as motivation. Can't really pay attention or harp on it too much, but we're not going to turn a blind eye to the elephant in the room. We definitely addressed that as a team."
Let's assume Purdue doesn't pull off any upsets and loses to the four teams on the schedule ranked in the preseason Associated Press poll (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Penn State), it would need to win six of its eight games to reach bowl eligibility.
The remaining opponents:
- Indiana State
- Oregon State
- Nebraska
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Northwestern
- Michigan State
- Indiana
There are a lot of good opponents on that schedule, but there isn't a team you'd consider "unbeatable." So, maybe I'm overly optimistic regarding the Boilers this season, but the path to six exists.
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