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Stadium: Ross-ade Stadium
Now in its 83rd season as the home of Purdue football, Ross-Ade Stadium sports a new coat of Bermuda grass for the 2006 season. Under head coach Joe Tiller, the Boilermakers posted a 42-14 record from 1997 to 2005 — a .750 winning percentage — at Ross-Ade while the average attendance has risen from 45,306 in 1996 (the year before Tiller arrived in West Lafayette) to 65,319 in 2000 (the sixth-largest in school history).
Seating Chart:
Ross-ade Stadium Seating Chart
Team Schedule:
Sep 1 @Toledo 7:00pm
Sep 8 Eastern Illinois 12:00pm
Sep 15 C. Michigan 12:00pm
Sep 22 @Minnesota 9:00pm
Sep 29 Notre Dame TBA
Oct 6 Ohio St. 8:00pm
Oct 13 @Michigan TBA
Oct 20 Iowa TBA
Oct 27 Northwestern 12:00pm
Nov 3 @Penn St. TBA
Nov 10 Michigan St. TBA
Nov 17 @Indiana TBA
Season Preview:
Playing four straight games against Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa in midseason will make it tough to improve on last season's fourth-place finish in the Big Ten. But with an explosive offense and a seasoned defense in place, head coach Joe Tiller should secure his 10th bowl bid in 11 seasons in West Lafayette. Nine starters return from a potent offense that ranked 13th in the nation in total yards per game (415.7). But the Boilermakers lost the left side of their offensive line -- OT Mike Otto and OG Uche Nwaneri -- which makes protecting QB Curtis Painter (sacked 20 times in 2006) a major concern. Painter was in midseason form by the first spring scrimmage, completing 18 of 21 throws for 201 yards and a TD. His top six wideouts are back, including leading Big Ten receiver Dorien Bryant. Competition at running back will continue this fall between Jaycen Taylor and Kory Sheets, who combined for 1,457 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago. The good news: nine starters are back. The bad news: The unit was last in the Big Ten in total defense (432.4 yards per game). "That was last year and we are not looking back to it. It will not reflect on how we perform this year," said FS Brandon Erwin. The entire secondary is intact, with Erwin, SS Justin Scott and CBs Royce Adams and Terrell Vinson. At linebacker, Stanford Keglar and spring standout Anthony Heygood are on the outside with Dan Bick in the middle. Losing Anthony Spencer on the line represents a monumental subtraction, but DE Cliff Avril and DTs Ryan Baker and Alex Magee forge a formidable nucleus. Senior P Jared Armstrong is among the Big Ten's best, finishing second in the league last season with a 43.1-yard average. Erratic PK Chris Summers returns after missing 11 of his last 14 field goals as a freshman. His confidence may be restored after Summers worked out in the offseason in Virginia with instructor Doug Blevins, whose pupils include NFL stars Adam Vinatieri and David Akers. There is plenty of velocity in the return game, with CB Royce Adams and WR Desmond Tardy fielding punts and WR Dorien Bryant and RB Kory Sheets running back kickoffs.
Official Site:
purduesports.cstv.com