Purdue at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 2 at Cincinnati Sept. 15 vs. Notre Dame Sept. 22 vs. Akron Sept. 29 at Minnesota Oct. 6 vs. Iowa Oct. 13 at Michigan Oct. 27 vs. Northwestern Nov. 3 vs. Illinois Nov. 10 at Ohio State Nov. 17 vs. Michigan State Nov. 24 at Indiana 2000 results (8-4, 6-2 in Big Ten) Central Michigan W 48-0 Kent State W 45-10 Notre Dame L 23-21 Minnesota W 38-24 Penn State L 22-20 Michigan W 32-31 Northwestern W 41-28 Wisconsin W 30-24 Ohio State W 31-27 Michigan State L 30-10 Indiana W 41-13 Washington L 34-24

Besides the incomparable Brees, Purdue has to make up for the graduation loss of such standouts as WR/return man Vinny Sutherland and three key members of the Boilermakers' offensive line. Moving on to the NFL are both OTs, Matt Light and Brandon Gorin, along with underrated center Chukky Okobi.

While Brees was an exceptional collegiate signal caller, keep in mind that before he settled in as the starting QB, Billy Dicken led Purdue to a victory over Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl after Purdue finished the '97 regular season with an 8-3 record. That was Joe Tiller's first season as head coach of the Boilermakers.

OFFENSE
This season, though, definitely figures to be the most challenging for Tiller. Remember, back in '97, his imaginative and sophisticated offensive system seemed to take the Big Ten by storm. Then Brees took over in '98, completing 63.4 percent of his aerials and tossing 39 TD passes. That year, the Boilermakers closed out the regular season with a record of 8-4, then upset Kansas State 37-34 in the Alamo Bowl. Brees took Tiller's offense to a new level, even though defenses were more aware of what to expect.

In 2001, the system won't surprise anyone as was the case in '97 and Brees will no longer be exploiting defenses while bringing tremendous leadership and competitiveness to the entire Boilermakers squad. That's why the Boilermakers figure to be an extremely interesting team to follow throughout the 2001 campaign.

On center stage and taking over at the helm of Boilermakers' offense will be redshirt freshman Brandon Hance. The 6-0, 190-pounder isn't as stocky as Brees, but he's basically the same height and, like Brees, lacks a powerful arm. While he has more mobility than Brees and has shown the ability to throw well on the run, the key for a QB in Tiller's offense is accuracy. Even though he's benefited from two spring practice sessions (he came in early last year) and appears to have a firm grasp of the offense, it will take some time for an inexperienced signal caller to settle in. Compounding the problem is the loss of three key starters along the offensive line, all of whom were selected in the NFL draft.

Pete Lougheed, a 6-5, 280-pound former TE, is slated to take over Matt Light's spot at the critical LT position. Redshirt freshman Kelly Butler will replace Brandon Gorin at RT, with versatile Gene Mruczkowski stepping in for Okobi at center. With a rebuilt offensive line, Hance's mobility will figure to come into play. He'll benefit from a strong receiving corps, led by sophomore John Standeford, junior Seth Morales, sophomore Andre Henderson and senior A.T. Simpson. In senior Tim Stratton, the Boilermakers also have one of the elite pass-catching tight ends in the nation. Production at RB comes from juniors Montrell Lowe and Sedrick Brown.

DEFENSE
Things are changing with several teams in the Big Ten. Wisconsin's season figures to be dictated by the play of its QBs, while Purdue will be relying on its veteran defense to get the job done. Ten starters return, but the big news out of spring practice was the play of redshirt freshman RCB Antwaun Rogers, who garnered extremely favorable commentary.

Rogers is the Boilermakers' only new starter on the defense. He's joined in the secondary by LCB Ashante Woodyard, FS Stuart Schweigert and SS Ralph Turner. The front seven is led into battle by senior LDE Akin Ayodele, senior RDT Matt Mitrione and junior MLB Joe Odom.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Travis Dorsch will handle the kicking, punting and kickoff duties. Dorsch has a fairly strong leg but needs to get his punts off more quickly and not be as deliberate. Reportedly, he made positive strides in this area during the spring.