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Purdue football vs. Oregon State: Scouting Report, Prediction
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Purdue football vs. Oregon State: Scouting Report, Prediction

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WEST LAFAYETTE − Dillon Thieneman stood in front of the defense, pointed directly at himself and told his Purdue teammates he dominated last Saturday and promised to get better.

That’s what all Americans do when situations like the one between Purdue and Notre Dame arise.

“Everybody had to accept what happened,” Thieneman said this week, referring to Purdue’s 66-7 loss to Notre Dame. “There was nothing we could do about it. It’s in the past now. The leaders, myself included, have to step up and continue doing what we have to do.”

Aside from the humiliation of such a major setback, things quickly returned to normal, so Notre Dame’s hangover would not affect preparation for the first away game of the season.

The Boilermakers are in Corvallis, Oregon, looking to undo last week’s humiliating loss to Oregon State.

More: Mississippi was Keelan Crimmins’ welcome to America, but Purdue football feels more like home

Scouting Purdue Football Opponent Oregon State

Beavers first-year coach Trent Bray won his first two games and was in contention for a 3-0 start until the second half last Saturday.

The Ducks outscored their in-state rival 27-0 in the second half, putting Oregon State down 2-1.

Oregon State’s strength through three games appears to be its rushing attack. The Beavers are averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 47 carries per game. Running backs Anthony Hankerson and Jam Griffin have combined for 559 rushing yards and eight touchdowns through the first three games.

Line dropout

Notre Dame was better in every way against Purdue. But the most notable was in the trenches. Purdue’s offensive line gave the backfield little room to gain yards and quarterback Hudson Card little time to make throws.

The end result was 162 yards of total offense.

The improved offensive line was a supposed strength of the Boilermakers, and the unit wants to prove that it still can be.

“We came here and attacked every day and didn’t take a rep off,” offensive tackle Corey Stewart said. “That’s all we can do to bounce back from last week.”

Prediction: Purdue football 23, Oregon State 20

Is this drinking the Purdue Kool-Aid, a terrible opinion after just watching the biggest loss in the program’s history?

If you consider last Saturday to be any representation of who the Boilermakers are, then yes, it absolutely is. Purdue head coach Ryan Walters warned people not to ignore Purdue during spring camp, during summer workouts or during fall camp. Of course, the head coach has to stay positive.

I choose to do so too. For now. Burn me again and next week it will be a different story.

Sam King writes about sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.