Big Ten West Power Ranking: Did Iowa Fall, Again?

By Jeremy Karll | Sep 27, 2016

Sep 24, 2016; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard (16) drops back to pass during the first half of their game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Points Solutions Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 6 – Purdue Boilermakers 2-1 (0-0)

Last Week: 7

Purdue isn’t good, but they’re 2-1 and have a legitimate shot at beating an undefeated Maryland team to win their third game of the season this week, which would already top their win total from 2015. Still, their win over Nevada this week wasn’t overly-impressive, but any win is a good win for Purdue at this point.

The Wolf Pack led 14-3 at one point and took a 14-10 lead into halftime. However, Purdue shut out Nevada in the second half and tacked on two more touchdowns to give them the win. David Blough threw his seventh interception on the season and Purdue as a team only managed to average 3.8 yards per carry, but it wasn’t all bad for the Boilermakers.

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They held Nevada to just 2.1 yards per carry and Markell Jones finished the game with 124 yards on 22 carries for the Boilermakers. Deangelo Yancey and Domonique Young also both eclipsed 15 receptions on the season. Despite Purdue owning a solid receiving core, Blough has been very turnover prone this season, and that will cost the Boilermakers against better competition.

The Boilermakers lost by 18 to Cincinnati, their only decent opponent, however, at this point, they’re just looking for wins over anyone to get their program heading in the right direction. If Blough continues to average more than two interceptions per game, Purdue will have a very hard time winning any more games this season, though.

Even though Maryland is 3-0, they haven’t faced any good competition, and their meeting with Purdue is anyone’s game. Purdue isn’t going to compete in the Big Ten this season but a win over Maryland is important for this team’s improvement, especially after their decent play over the first three weeks of the season.

Seeing how they face against their own level of competition will determine how far they’ve come this year. That being said, Purdue comes in ahead of Illinois this week based solely on the fact that they have two wins, tying their 2015 total. Markell Jones is a solid running back and they have a decent defense, but David Blough will hold this team back if he doesn’t be more careful with the ball.

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