At least Purdue coach Joe Tiller is honest.

He knows the success of the season rests on the arm of Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Drew Brees.

And it is obvious that even the most passive football viewer realizes that Purdue's pass-oriented offense will sputter without him.

"As Drew Brees goes, so will Purdue," Tiller said. "He's really an outstanding player."

So far, Brees is all that Tiller can ask for.

The No. 21 Boilermakers are 2-1 with wins against Central Michigan and Kent State.

The lone loss was at the hands of rival Notre Dame in a 23-21 nail-biter.

Despite attempting just 22 passes in the Irish victory, Brees still has Heisman-like numbers.

He completed 70 passes on 110 attempts with seven touchdowns and two interceptions.

Brees averages 318 yards per game and has a 153.85 quarterback rating.

But it's not as if the senior quarterback cares about the hardware.

Brees said he is more concerned about the team winning and going to a bowl game. He is fully aware of his role as the team's leader and nothing less than its heart and soul.

Brees, however, would have terrible numbers if no one caught his passes. The wide receiving corps has kept its quarterback in business.

As expected, tight end Tim Stratton is a vital part of the Boilers' offense. After three games, Stratton is the team's leading receiver with 15 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown.

"He's kind of chunky like a lineman," Brees said, "but he runs and catches the ball like a receiver.

"If there's an offense that's fit for a player, it's this offense for Stratton. We work to his strengths so much, and he's such a big part of this offense."

Stratton is complemented by Purdue's second-leading receiver, freshman John Standenford, who has 14 catches and one touchdown.

Wide receiver Vinny Sutherland has 10 catches for 198 yards and five touchdowns thus far.

The ground game takes a back seat to the receivers, but the Purdue backs are producing. Tailback Montrell Lowe scored one touchdown and gained 122 yards, and Sedrick Brown gained 155 yards.

A solid defense is led by defensive end Akin Ayodele, who said he is confident that the team has enough depth and talented personnel to complement Brees.

"Our O-line, I believe, is the best in the nation," Ayodele said.

"We have depth in our wide receiving core. I feel like we have a whole package, including our defensive line, our linebackers and a very big, aggressive secondary," he said.

Tiller said he has the correct people in the proper places, which is why he will stick with what's working. Despite the Boilermakers' previous red zone struggles, their aerial offense could win the close games that eluded them last year.

"In a passing game, you have a chance to win a lot of close games," Tiller said, "because you're never out of the game.

"Certainly we had a chance in a couple of those losses where we had the ball on the last possession.

"Last year, the chips didn't fall our way, but who knows?

It's a new year."