Who Is Keith Smith?

Is anyone in college sports as versatile as Purdue's wide receiver Keith Smith? Coming to Purdue as a freshman, Smith was a benched quarterback. So Keith Smith is a quarterback? No. Later in the season after Purdue had it's share of injuries to the defensive back positions, Smith was tested in the safety position where he made several appearances and recorded 11 tackles as a freshman. So Keith Smith is a safety? No. Smith did not play his sophomore year but was officially moved from safety to wide receiver later that season. During Purdue's season opener against Northern Colorado this year, Smith started the game as a wide receiver. So is Keith Smith a wide receiver? After his tremendous performance as a wide receiver last Saturday, we all hope he stays there.

Smith showed a lot of potential on Saturday in his outstanding show against Northern Colorado. Keith Smith scored the first touchdown of the season with a 26 yard reception from Curtis Painter during the first quarter. Smith is leading the team in catches with 6 receptions for 67 yards resulting in one touchdown.

Even though Smith is a former quarterback, he is still capable of taking a hit. During the game last Saturday, Smith carried a defender on his back for an extra three or four yards. He is a big target, and I expect Painter to look for him numerous times during the many games to come this season.

Kory Sheets Unstoppable

Northern Colorado was unable to stop Kory Sheets, Purdue's star running back, on Saturday. Sheets was the difference maker in the 42-10 victory over Northern Colorado. Kory Sheets and Curtis Painter kept the defense guessing all day. Whenever the defense would focus on pass defense, Sheets would run all over the defense. Likewise, when the defense switched their attention over to Sheets, Curtis Painter would pick their defense apart through the air to one of the many talented receivers on the team. It takes a good running back and quarterback to keep the defense guessing, and Kory Sheets is a great running back.

Purdue's number twenty-four, Kory Sheets, is my most valuable player in the win over Northern Colorado. He carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards resulting in 2 touchdowns for the Purdue Boilermakers. An average of 5.1 yards per carry is not too shabby for the first game of the season. Not only can Sheets run, but he can catch as well. With 2 receptions for 18 yards, Kory Sheets is one that you cannot take your eyes off of. If linebackers lose sight of him in the backfield, Painter may hit him with a pass down field. Kory Sheets is one player on Purdue's team to watch and expect to see great things from in the games to come this season.

Northern Colorado Is a Joke

The season opener for Purdue was against Northern Colorado, a double A college. To a big college like Purdue, a double A school should not even be considered a game. Did Purdue want to play a little pre-season game to boost their confidence before playing a real team? Who knows. But a win is still a win. Although Purdue is 1-0 right now, they may be in for a surprise when they face a real football team.
Even though Purdue played against a weaker Northern Colorado team, Purdue showed some strong points about their team throughout the game. The most noticeable strength of the Boilers football team is their special teams unit. Excluding the opening kick-off return where the returner dropped the ball, the runner was able to weave through defenders and almost take it all the way to the house multiple times throughout the course of the game. On the other side of the kick-offs, Purdue's kicker was able to blast the ball to the opponents end zone almost every time. One play of sure excellence on special teams was the punt block for a defensive touchdown. Special teams looked very strong during Saturday's game.
Although Purdue seemed to dominate the whole game, one thing that they could work on is their pass rushing. The defensive line did not put any pressure on the opposing quarterback until late into the second half. Purdue seemed to get all of their sacks in one brilliant set of downs where they sacked or put major pressure on the quarterback three consecutive plays during a single drive, but they need to put consistent pressure on the quarterback throughout the entire game. Overall, Purdue looks solid but will have it's first real test against the Oregon ducks this Saturday.

Curtis Painter’s Heisman Hopes

Curtis Painter has been a Heisman Hopeful for the past two years and this year is no different. During Pre-season rankings he was in the top ten to win the Heisman. Although, there are many others who may be more gifted than Curtis he is still one of the better players in college football. His first game against northern Colorado proved this because he threw for two touchdowns and had an almost perfect passer rating of 162.94. During the game Curtis showed great poise and leadership by always doing the right thing; he rarely made a mistake and never had one turnover. As with all great things there are always some bad things that may not let the person become what they want. Curtis Painters next challenge is to play the sensationally fine-tuned Oregon Ducks. There defense is lightening fast and offense is one of the best in the nations with two running backs averaging seven yards or more in their first two games and a quarterback who has a passer rating of 161.1. The Oregon ducks will be the game that makes or breaks Curtis for the Heisman because if he can have a stupendous showing against the Ducks then maybe just maybe Curtis will be in contention for the Heisman Trophy.