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Purdue caught up with long-time Indiana writer Pete DiPrimio--who works for IUHoosiers.com--to get the low-down on the Hoosiers.

GoldandBlack.com: Give us a quick rundown offensively of what fans can see from Indiana.

DiPrimio: Indiana has had a breakthrough season for them, offensively. They average around 31-32 points (31.5 actually). They’ve got a running back, Stevie Scott, who has rushed for 862 yards. He got banged up a little bit against Michigan, so I’m not sure of his availability or not, but they have some depth at running back with Sampson James and Ronnie Walker. They’ve been solid as a running team; they’re not great. They go like 3.7 yards a carry, so they need to do a little better there.

Offensively, though, the key is Peyton Ramsey, the quarterback. He is a veteran guy. He’s completing 71 percent of his passes for almost 1,900 yards. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Michael Penix had beaten him out as the starting quarterback, but he’s been banged up and had clavicle surgery. So, he’s done for the season, and that leaves Ramsey as the main guy. He has a lot of weapons to choose from. You’ve got Whop Philyor who’s been their leading receiver. He’s been banged up a little bit (concussion), so I don’t know if he’ll be available against Purdue. He was not against Michigan. He’s one of the Big Ten’s top receivers. He’s caught 61 passes for 863 yards and three touchdowns. They’ve got a guy named Ty Fryfogle, who’s got 42 catches. Peyton Hendershot, a tight end, he has 42 catches. Nick Westbrook has been a major receiver for years. He has 33; Stevie Scott has 26, They have another receiver, Donavan Hale, and he has 22. So, basically, they have six or seven receivers they can go to in terms of passing the ball. So, offensively, they are very diverse.

IU has a new offensive coordinator in Kalen DeBoer, who has really jump started things a little bit. He’s really boosted the attack. He believes in a balanced offense. They’ve really been able to deliver that this year, so there is a lot of optimism offensively for them. Michigan slowed them down, but then Michigan has an elite defense and they slow a lot of people down.

GoldandBlack.com: What are some goods and bads of the Hoosier defense?

DiPrimio: They’re an attack defense. They will blitz you, they will come after you, they want to pressure the quarterback, they want to get into the backfield. But the one little glitch is they haven’t always been able to generate that pressure with the front four. They have had to blitz and that got exposed against Michigan because Michigan’s receivers are big, strong, fast, talented. And when you go one-on-one trying to cover them, that can be a challenge.

But overall, IU has upgraded the talent all across the board defensively. They’ve been OK against the run. They’ve been decent against the pass, as well. They’ve got a sophomore linebacker in Micah McFadden, who leads in tackles with 52. They’ve got a safety, Khalil Bryant, who has 51 tackles. They’ve got a linebacker, Reakwon Jones, who has just been very solid overall. So, they have a solid defense. Not quite as good as they had hoped, but they’ve been able to make some plays down the stretch. They did that against Nebraska and against multiple teams this year. They want to upgrade it a little more, but this is a defense that has been very solid this year.

GoldandBlack.com: Does anything stand out with special teams?

DiPrimio: Logan Justus is a dynamic kicker. He’s 14-for-14 on the season, he’s 39-for-40 on extra points. Basically, he doesn’t miss. He can kick them long, he can kick them short. He’s just an elite kicker. If he’s not the Big Ten’s best kicker, he’s right in the mix. I think he’s only missed three kicks in his career.

Punter Haydon Whitehead is very solid. He has a real knack for getting the ball inside the 20-yard line, a lot of times inside the 10-yard line. They’re solid on special teams in terms of punting and kicking. In terms of return game, they’ve got a freshman, David Ellis, who is basically averaging 20 yards a return. So, they’re OK in that regard. If it comes down to the kicking game, IU is as good as it gets.

GoldandBlack.com: What are one or two keys for Indiana to leave Ross-Ade Stadium in possession of the Old Oaken Bucket?

DiPrimio: Number one, you need another solid game for Peyton Ramsey, who’s been solid all year. Offensively, they need to be diverse. They need to be able to stretch the field vertically as well as horizontally. They’ve done that for the most part very successfully this year. Defensively, they need to pressure the quarterback without blitzing. If they can get the pressure from the front seven, or maybe shoot a linebacker in there as well, that would be the key. So, can they put enough pressure on Purdue’s quarterback and really generate some turnovers and offensively? Can they be diverse?

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