Back to Back

For the first time since 2007, Purdue has won back-to-back games in the same season. If you would have asked me before the season to pick out where Purdue could have consecutive wins, I definitely would not have pointed to victories against Ohio State and Illinois, but that's why they play the games.
The Juice is good? No.- Wow, this kid Juice Williams is just flat out bad when he doesn't have Rashard Mendenhall in the backfield with him. I remember watching him when Purdue went to Champaign in 2006, his freshman year, and thinking that he was quick and had a strong arm and could become a real threat with a little bit of development. Well, his sophomore season was aided by a fantastic running back and veteran offensive line, but other than that magical Rose bowl run, Juice's time at Illinois is marred with failure. I never thought I would call a quarterback who led a "little 8" school to a Rose Bowl a bust, but this guy is a total bust.
Gettin' physical up front- For the second week in a row, Purdue's defensive line flat out dominated the opposing offensive line. Mike Neal is playing his way up NFL draft boards by fighting and beating constant double teams, and Ryan Kerrigan is making his case for the All-Big Ten team. This past week, though, the best of the line may have been sophomore Gerald Gooden who used his speed and balance to be a constant presence in the Illini backfield. Add in the fact that freshman Kawann Short has been better than solid starting oppositte Neal, and that sophomore Nick Mondeck has been coming off the bench and playing like a starter, and you have to be excited about what this line can do next year with experienced linebackers coming back behind them.
Halloween Horror Nights- Purdue's troubles in Camp Randell are not as well documented as their troubles in the Big House, where they have not won since 1966, are. In fact, Purdue went in to Madison and knocked off a Top-15 ranked Badger team in 2003 on their way to the Capital One Bowl. Still, this is one of the most difficult venues in the Big Ten to play in, and the Badgers have a style that fully takes advantage of a riotous home field advantage that should be even louder because everybody knows how nuts they get in Madison for Halloween. This style consists of a heavy dosage of the Big Ten's leading rusher, sophomore John Clay, to control the clock and wear out the opposing defense. The Badgers also do not make a lot of mistakes, but are very opportunistic on defense. This is where Purdue could get into trouble, much like they did at Autzen Stadium earlier this year against Oregon.
Prediction- This team needs this win in a bad way. A loss here would send Purdue to Ann Arbor with no margin for error, and effectively end any chance of making a bowl game. Look for Purdue to play with great energy, but also look for Wisconsin, who had a bye and two weeks to prepare for the Boilermakers, to make less mistakes and take this one 27-17.