2 min read • August 30, 2022
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College football week one kicks off this week with a ton of great matchups. One of the biggest games on Thursday is the Nittany Lions visiting the Boilermakers, who they’ve beaten nine straight times. Both teams are dealing with injuries that could make this matchup closer than expected.
During a game against Penn State’s Big Ten rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes, PJ Mustipher went down trying to block Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum. The Iowa fans booed him off the field after reportedly thinking he was faking an injury. But, it turned out to be a torn ACL. Mustipher’s senior season was over, and he didn’t know if he would return.
“I mean, to be honest with you, if I’m better technically sound there, I’m probably not hurt,” said Mustipher at Big Ten media day. “But that’s the reality of the situation. Just gotta learn from it, move on from it, and put it in the past.” He’s returning this season with a clean bill of health, and his head coach, James Franklin, is excited to have him back. “I think he is in a really good place physically and mentally, in terms of what he is able to do,” said Franklin.
During spring training this year, Zuriah Fisher went down with an undisclosed leg injury that will effectively end his season. Fisher appeared in eight games last season, registering four tackles. This injury causes a setback to his career development and the depth of the team’s defensive line. James Franklin praised Fisher for having a good off-season before the catastrophic injury occurred. Look for Adisa Isaac and Nick Tarburton to take most of the starts at DE.
Jamari Brown is one of the projected starters for Purdue, but he’s been held out of a couple of practices this off-season with an undisclosed injury. The 6’3 205, pound corner made 11 starts last season with 32 tackles. In the team opening press conference, his head coach, Jeff Brohm, said he’s supposed to play. But he didn’t address the capacity at which he will play.
The junior transfer from Kansas State is considered a depth piece in the Boilermaker’s secondary. But, with a lot of corners recovering, his injury is concerning. He will not play this Thursday, and the injury is considered severe. “Tee Denson is going to be out for an extended period of time,” said Brohm.
One of the most talented corners on the Purdue roster is 6’3”, 215-pound Cory Trice. He started the first two games of the 2021 season before going down with a season-ending knee injury. Trice, in his career, has made 71 tackles and defended seven passes. Being a more oversized corner could limit his mobility early in the season. But, look for a full recovery as the season goes on.
In a battle of Big 10 rivals, this is shaping up to be a rock fight with Purdue sporting the better defense. Although both teams are dealing with defensive injuries, most should pull through and suit up for the first game of the season.
Penn St loses seven starters on defense going into 2022 which will greatly affect them Week 1 although Mustipher returning in the middle of the D-line is great news for Penn State. The offense will have no major injuries going in and combined with the majority of the offense returning, should be efficient Week 1 although QB Sean Clifford is nothing to write home about.
For Purdue, they have lost their last 9 meetings against Penn State (3-6 ATS) but go in with advantages at multiple positions. QB Aidan O'Connell is the better gunslinger going in but Purdue will be without their top three wideouts from last year. On defense, they have continuity with seven starters back but lose a few NFL prospects. Trice is the X-factor with him missing most of the 2021 season and if he can return to form that would be a boon for the Boilermaker defense
Purdue hold the slight advantage on offense, meaning they should be able to keep up with a better Penn State team. This is a rock fight in the making where the score could easily finish 17-14. With the extra .5 to avoid a push, take Purdue +3.5 Thursday night.
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