Northwestern, Purdue seek to end spiral
Northwestern (2-2, 0-1) at Purdue (1-3, 0-0)
When: 11 a.m. at Ross-Ade Stadium
TV: BTN; Radio: WKIE 92.7-FM, WDEK 92.5-FM, WNUR 89.1-FM
Series: Purdue leads 49-26-1
Coaches: Pat Fitzgerald (21-20, fourth year at NU); Danny Hope (1-3, first year at Purdue; 36-25 in sixth year overall)
Players to watch: Northwestern QB Mike Kafka leads the Big Ten in total offense (264.0 ypg) and accounted for 8 touchdowns the last two weeks. Alas, he also contributed 6 turnovers that helped NU dropped the last two games. RB Stephen Simmons (ankle) is out for the third week in a row, so Jacob Schmidt (128 yards, 1 TD) and Arby Fields (120 yards, 3 TDs) must carry the load against the Big Ten's worst rush defense (177.5 ypg). WR Andrew Brewer not only leads the Wildcats with 280 receiving yards and 3 TDs, he's a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy that goes to a top scholar-athlete.
Purdue RB Ralph Bolden remains the Big Ten's rushing leader with 488 yards, but he hasn't found the end zone since Week 2 at Oregon. With defenses keying on Bolden, QB Joey Elliott (963 yards, 7 TDs, 6 INTs) has found a new threat in senior WR Keith Smith. He caught 11 passes for 136 yards and a TD last week against Notre Dame. Minnesota's tight end burned Northwestern last week, so watch out for junior TE Kyle Adams (14 catches, 111 yards).
The skinny: Both teams are caught in a painful spiral that wasn't exactly anticipated. The Boilermakers showed some gumption by rebounding from the Northern Illinois loss to take Notre Dame to the wire, while the Wildcats must prove they're not doubting themselves after surrendering fourth-quarter leads to Syracuse and Minnesota. Northwestern hasn't owned the line of scrimmage in recent weeks, which wasn't expected since the Wildcats retained four starters on the O-Line and two on the D-Line from last season. Maybe the defense's fortunes will change as DE Corey Wootton and DT Corbin Bryant continue to regain confidence in their surgically repaired knees. It doesn't help that MLB Nate Williams has a knee that's less than 100 percent as well.