Welcome to the first game of the season! It’s the Purdue Boilermakers vs the Indiana State Sycamores at Ross-Ade on Saturday, August 31. Purdue will look to win their first opener since the 2021 season. While this will not be a “must watch” game on National broadcasts, it will be a fun game to watch!
Purdue vs Indiana State Matchup History
Looking back at this matchup, this will be the seventh time to Boilermakers face off against their in-state opponent. Purdue is 6-0 with the first matchup occurring back on October 30, 1926. The largest margin of victory was Purdue’s 56-0 win in their most recent matchup. The narrowest margin of victory was 20-14 both in both the 2013 and 1990 seasons. In these six previous matchups, Purdue has averaged 39 points scored and allowed an average of 13 points.
Key Players for Purdue
Looking at this Purdue roster, there are quite a few notable players. Purdue had three players named to the Senior Bowl’s Preseason watchlist, five named to the Shrine Bowl’s Preseason watchlist, and multiple players on Preseason watchlists for their positions.
The players on the Senior Bowl watchlist include center Gus Hartwig, quarterback Hudson Card, and Offensive Lineman Marcus Mbow.
Meanwhile, the Shrine Bowl watchlist includes the aforementioned Card and Hartwig, OL Corey Stewart, and linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Yanni Karlaftis. Many will recognize Karlaftis’s older brother and fellow Boilermaker George Karlaftis of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Offensive Line
This season, the Boilers have one of their best offensive lines in recent memory with Hartwig taking center stage. Hartwig has been the starting center for Purdue for the past four seasons. Through his 1,599 career snaps, Hartwig has allowed only five sacks! Given his reliability while on the field, it’s no wonder he’s been an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention all four years.
Fellow offensive lineman Mbow and Stewart join Hartwig as the two starting tackles this season. Much like Hartwig, Mbow has been a key member of the Purdue offensive line for the past two years.
Mbow started at Right Guard before playing right tackle last season, and will likely be there this year as well. In his two years as a starter, he has stopped defenders in their tracks (train pun intended) as he has allowed only one sack in his 669 snaps.
Meanwhile, Stewart is a transfer from Ball State where he started in 28 games. During his three years at Ball State, he was a part of an offensive line that allowed just 3.6 tackles for loss per game, top-5 best in the nation. He also was the anchor for not one, but three 1,000 rushers during his time at Ball State.
Needless to say, Stewart could be a great addition to the OL and help Purdue have their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2008 when CFL legend Kory Sheets ran for 1,131 yards.
The biggest concern with Stewart is his off-season injury. While he is currently listed as a starter for this game, he may miss this week along with WR CJ Smith and DB Nyland Green in order to prep for the game against Notre Dame.
Starting Roster Notes
The biggest surprise from the released starting roster for the Boilermakers are the two true Freshmen starting: Wide Receiver Shamar Rigby and DB Tarrion Grant. While both of these players are great at their position, it is shocking to see them on the starting lineup. Especially with Rigby listed as the first WR on the starting lineup. This will give both a great opportunity for starting reps and a chance to improve against other starters. This could lead to a pair of stars like last year’s DB Dillon Thieneman and Tight End Max Klare.
Key Players for Indiana State
Honestly, this roster is built off of returning players with minimal production, and transfers who mostly produced at the JUCO level.
The biggest name transfer is Shen Butler-Lawson who recorded 1,446 rushing yards at 6.6 yards per carry and scored 16 touchdowns last season. The problem is that was at Minnesota State.
While it’s true that any given Saturday can have surprises on the field, there’s a reason this Indiana State team went 1-11 last season.
Purdue’s Route to Victory
Purdue’s route to victory is pretty simple. They must run the ball well, and play solid defense. If the Boilers manager to play smart and safe football, there seems to be little to no chance of them losing.
Of course, every fan knows that the real way to win will be by watching the starters drive up the scoreboard in the first half so the backups can play the second half. If the gameplan goes right, players who will not see the field much this season could be on the field for all of the fourth quarter. This game should be a “free space” for the Boilermakers to check off and focus on Notre Dame in two weeks.
Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.