Purdue and Indiana have several players who are statistically comparable to each other. Leading up to the big game Saturday I'll break down several positions where the Boilermakers and Hoosiers have players with similar statistics and you can tell me who has the edge.
James Hardy Vs. Dorien Bryant
The quick tale of the tape shows physically these two are polar opposites. Hardy stands at 6'7 and weighs in at 220. Bryant is a modest 5'10 and weights 175. Despite the physical discrepencies, they are both two of the most reliable receivers in the Big Ten.
Hardy: 64 catches, 988 yards (15.4 yards per catch) and 15 touchdowns. The Biletnikoff semi-finalist has over half of the Hoosiers reception touchdowns this year and the only game he was kept out of the end zone was at Wisconsin. The junior has disrupted defenses all season with his size and ability to out leap smaller cornerbacks in the end zone.
Bryant: 73 catches, 818 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and 8 touchdowns. Also a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff award, Bryant has been quarterback Curtis Painter's go-to guy for the high scoring Boilermaker offense. Like Hardy with IU, when Bryant plays well, so does Purdue. In the teams four losses Bryant has only 1 reception touchdown.
Hardy has a big numbers edge in reception touchdowns, but an added dimension to Bryant's game is his ability to return kickoff and punts. Bryant has two kickoff returns for touchdowns and has averaged over 28 yards per return.
Both are Biletnikoff Semi-finalists. Both are the quarterbacks security blankets. Both are vital to their teams success. Who has the edge?
