When the Purdue Boilermakers meet the Western Michigan Broncos on Tuesday night in the 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the outcome could come down to whether Purdue can stop Western Michigan's passing game.
The Boilermakers were especially poor against the pass, writes Bill Connelly, which could prove troublesome against the successful Broncos passing attack. Behind wide receiver Jordan White, who caught 127 passes for 1,646 yards and 16 touchdowns, the Broncos like to air it out and put a lot of pressure on defensive secondaries.
"Western Michigan will pass a lot on Purdue, which is alarming considering how poor the Boilermakers were at defending the pass," writes Connelly. The Boilermakers secondary managed a respectable number of interceptions, but the amount of tackles made by Purdue's top two cornerbacks (117.5) is telling: Purdue allows too many opponents easy access into the secondary, which could spell doom against a Western Michigan team designed to attack Purdue's weaknesses.
Game: 2011 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN3
Betting Odds: The Boilermakers enter the contest as 2 1/2-point favorites.
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