Purdue's Offense Posts Big Numbers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Experts questioned how Purdue's offense would perform this season with inexperience at quarterback and wide receiver.

After two games, the answers look good.

The Boilermakers are averaging 44 points and 493 yards after a 52-31 win over Toledo and a 38-36 loss to Oregon. They hope to maintain that momentum Saturday against Northern Illinois.

The offense starts with the nation's rushing leader, Ralph Bolden. The sophomore opened with 234 yards against Toledo, then followed with 123 yards on 29 carries against Oregon. He also caught three passes for 52 yards against the Ducks.

"Ralph has really impacted the offense and given us a chance to win every game," Purdue coach Danny Hope said Tuesday. "He really plays hard, and he is a warrior on the football field."

Bolden, just 5-foot-9 and 194 pounds, is best known for his breakaway speed. He has emerged as a workhorse back who has 50 carries in two games.

"Well, I throw it to him some, too," Hope quipped after being questioned about Bolden's workload. "He's an awful good player."

Hope said offensive coordinator Gary Nord has done a good job of maximizing the team's talent.

There have been problems, though.

New quarterback Joey Elliott has thrown five interceptions and lost a fumble. His mistakes were critical in the loss on Saturday. Oregon cornerback Walter Thurmond returned an interception for a touchdown, and Javes Lewis returned a fumble by Elliott 28 yards for another score.

Elliott remained positive, despite the rough moments.

"Our offense can be really good," he said. "Obviously, on Saturday, we made some huge mistakes. I mean, disastrous, actually."

Elliott has had some good moments, too. He threw three touchdown passes against Toledo, and he engineered a touchdown drive in the closing minutes against Oregon that would have tied the game if his two-point conversion pass to Kyle Adams had been caught in bounds.

Hope's assessment of Elliott's performance against Oregon was mixed.

"I thought he threw the ball very well," Hope said. "He had a lot of zip on it, stuck it in some high spots. They were some big-time throws. Made a couple of poor decisions, negated some good play, but he gave us some plays on the offensive side of the ball."

The team's success in the running game has given Elliott a chance to grow into the position without having to carry the team.

"It takes the pressure off of him," Hope said. "I don't want to have to go out there and throw it 70 times a game right now with the inexperience we have in the throwing catching part."

Even with the inexperience, the receiving corps is starting to take shape.

Keith Smith leads the team with 12 receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown. The former quarterback also threw a touchdown pass to Aaron Valentin late against Oregon.

"He's a really good football player," Hope said of Smith. "He'll catch a ton of footballs this year. He could be a leading receiver in the Big Ten."

Valentin caught eight passes for 82 yards against Oregon, a week after Smith was the only Purdue receiver to catch more than three passes. Hope said he was pleased to see Valentin emerge as a dependable target, and he believes Keith Carlos, Cortez Smith, Antavian Edison and Gary Bush are newcomers who could become dependable during the season.

"We don't just have one receiver now, but two receivers now," Hope said. "We're getting to four, five, six receivers."

Hope said the skill players have been able to excel because the offensive line has done its job. Hope said the starting unit of left tackle Dennis Kelly, left guard Zach Reckman, center Jared Zwilling, right guard Ken Plue and right tackle Zach Jones deserves credit for Bolden's success and for protecting Elliott. The line has allowed just two sacks in 70 pass attempts.

"They're fairly athletic for as big as they are," Hope said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes. Right now, our offensive line is playing well."

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