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Through the generous donations of Knuckleheads (if you did not know, "Knuckleheads" are Purdue fans, who according to Coach Tiller, spend too much time discussing Purdue sports on The Internet) over 100 underprivileged children from the Greater Lafayette area and other areas attended Purdue sports events last year. This year, with the tremendous contributions of corporate partners such as Cargill, 25 SEASON TICKETS will be purchased for the football season and plans are in the works to purchase season tickets for men's and women's basketball games also.
Knucklehead Charities has been officially recognized by the IRS as an official tax exempt organization under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donors may deduct contributions to KHC as provided in section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
If you or your company would like to be more involved, please contact one of the board members at the following link:
http://www.knuckleheadcharities.org/Contact.htm
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Hello again everybody. My humblest apologies for some of the technical and business delays I've had in getting another edition of the OGFP Update out to you. Since we last left off, a number of newsworthy items have occured relative to a certain football game in the next couple of days. Please hit the links below if you need to get caught up on ALL of the details:
Index of Links Lafayette Journal and Courier - http://www.boilerstation.com/index.shtml Purdue Athletic Department Site - http://purduesports.collegesports.com/ Purdue Exponent - http://www.purdueexponent.org/interface/bebop/showstory.php?date=2004/08/02§ion=sports Indy Star - http://www.indystar.com/sports/boilers/ Fort Wayne News Sentinel and Journal Gazette - http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/sports/ Old Gold Free Press (MrGridiron and MrHoops message boards) - http://www.oldgoldfreepress.com/ Gold and Black Illustrated (most articles require paid subscription) - http://www.purdue.rivals.com/ Big 10 News at The Final Score - http://www.thefinalscore.net College Football News - http://www.collegefootballnews.com/big_ten/Big%20Ten.htm
A crowd of approximately 56,000 plus is expected to make it to Ross-Ade this weekend and last weather forecast I saw calls for a 40% chance of showers with high temps approaching 84 degrees and a morning low around 65%. Not the best of forecasts but not the worst either. Locally in God's Country, there is a new flagship radio station carrying the pregame/game/postgame coverage and it is 95.3 FM, "The Rocket".
Here is what you can expect from Purdue on offense this Sunday...
1) An offensive line that has seen multiple configurations over the last couple weeks, appears to have settled with starters as follows now:
C - Sr. Matt Turner LG - Soph Uche Nwaneri RG - Sr. Tyler Moore LT - Soph Mike Otto RT - Sr. David Owen
Tiller is very high on true frosh Jordan Grimes and you can expect to see him play quite a bit this Sunday. That may mean Moore moves over to tackle when Grimes is in at guard. The O-Line is the biggest concern about this year's team. The athletes are there but the experience factor is a huge issue. Orton may not have much more time than a 3 step drop unless he gets some blocking support from a TE or FB.
2) Starting at WR:
Inside - Sr. Taylor Stubblefield (soon to be the Big 10's All Time leading WR) Outside - Soph Kyle Ingraham (said to be running all routes well and at 6-9, Syracuse has no one close to matching up height wise) Outside - Jr. Ray Williams (will this burner avoid the injury bugs of year's past and have a breakout season)
The guy who should be on the field first in 4 WR sets, and in my opinion after seeing him practice he's the best looking frosh WR I've seen at Purdue in my lifetime, is #9 Dorien Bryant. Folks I saw one practice a few weeks ago where DB showed the hands, juke moves, quickness, and flat out track speed to bring shear giddyness to any Purdue fan.
Also look for JUCO Brian Hare to be a combo of Chris Daniels and John Standeford and catch quite a few balls on Sunday. Don't be surprised to see JAKE Standeford show of his skills as a solid possession receiver also. Speedster Jake Cunningham and Andre Chattams may also get some opportunities.
3) Perhaps the return of throwing to the TE:
Charles Davis has been a nice option since the spring game and his backup Dustin Keller is capable also. I'd like to see at least 7 balls thrown to the TE's this weekend.
4) The dynamic running back duo of Void and Jones:
Void is the track star who has gotten more powerful and Jones is the suprisingly swift bruiser. Should be a nice1-2 punch from giving them both a number of reps as fresh backs. Jerome Brooks may come in from time to time to add a very slippery cut back alternative.
5) QB Kyle Orton is poised to have a killer statistical season:
And I would not be shocked to see him throw for over 3500 yards and 30 TD's this year. On Sunday I could see him throwing for 350 yds and 3 TD's to kick things off well.
On Defense...
1) Everyone's wondering if starting DE's:
Big Play Ray Edwards or Anthony Spencer will be able to make up for the sacks lost with Shaun Phillips graduating. I think you will see a sack out of each of them on Sunday
2) Starting DT's are solid run stuffers:
Grover and Villareal are quick 290 lb guys but neither will rush the passer as well as Craig Terrill. The depth behind them is very supect.
3) The linebackers are young, athletic, and very inexperienced
Keglar, Hall, and Avril/Iwuchukwu will have their hands full trying to contain Syracuse 2nd Team All American RB, Walter Reyes
4) CB's should have a good day:
Rogers is about as experienced as they come in the Big 10 and Syracuse has no proven threats. Hickman has played well since his debut in The Citrus Bowl. Depth behind them is very questionable.
5) Safeties will have to help with run defense:
SS Bernard Pollard is a mean 220 lbs of steel and a proven run stuffer. He will be key to mitigating Walter Reyes from big gains. Kyle Smith appears to be given the nod over Grant Walker at Free Safety but expect Walker to play quite a bit as a nickel back.
And last but not least, Special Teams:
1) Ben Jones should do a fantastic job as our placekicker and handling kickoffs. Strong leg, accurate, and healthy again after some spring injuries.
2) Aaron Levin (consistent but not a powerful leg) and Dave Brytus (booming leg) may each get some reps as a punter but Levin gets the early nod.
3) Kick returns should feature Jerome Brooks and Dorien Bryant
4) Punt returns will be Stubblefield and possibly Cunningham
And so my prediction is... Boilers 35, Cuse 24. That could change if we see torrential downpours though, in that case, Boilers 27 - Cuse 20. The Boilers have a clear advantage with experience on offense and the more athletic defense. My early prediction on the season is 8-3 with losses to Penn State, Michigan, and Iowa. ND and OSU should be barn burners also.
Finally, in men's bball news, Coach Painter got another top 100 kid in SG/SF Nate Minnoy a 6-3, 220lb kid from Illinois who is said to be a banger for his size. Pure shooter Chris Lutz is visiting this weekend and if he commits, we could have our class of 4 for the year with no player over 6-3 in height. Apparently, Painter may be deferring on a big man this class and loading up in that area for the Class of 2006.
See you at Ross-Ade on Sunday!
Boiler UP!
-Barclay
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