Last week, on the Handsome Hour, both Boilerdowd and I predicted a 4-8 season. Some people told us we were too close to the ledge, and that's fine. Others got belligerent and nasty and implied that our "negative" attitude and mindset were to blame for Purdue football's lack of recent success. Okay, that's nonsensical enough, but we'll continue.
As we tried to articulate -- and continue to try to -- we never, under any circumstances, root for Purdue to fail. Even if we disliked Coach Hope (which we do not), we wouldn't want to see him fail. We want success for our alma mater and would like nothing more than to see Coach Hope lifting trophies and hugging his players.
However, we've felt for more than a few years now that football program has been heading in the wrong direction. Maybe it started with the apex in 2004 vs Wisconsin, maybe it was sooner than that... or maybe it was later. Nobody knows for sure, of course. But things have not been heading in a positive direction in number of years now. Losses have been of the painful variety on many occasions, either because of sheer curb-stompings at the hands of OSUs and Illinois of the world, or because of losing to lesser-league foes like Toledo and Northern Illinois.
My prediction for the MTSU game was that Purdue would lose because, quite simply, recent years and experience levels in this game suggested that to me. And as we often say, we hope we're wrong with predictions like that, but until the final minute of the fourth, I didn't think I was going to be incorrect.
Which leads us to the terrific finish and the aftermath. On Twitter, there was a LOAD of Boiler-on-Boiler hate crimes.... mainly people who purport to be Purdue fans absolutely destroying us for being happy with the win. As B-Dowd noted earlier, we don't think this was a good game. In fact, it is worrisome that Purdue had the kinds of troubles they did.... but was it all that surprising? It shouldn't have been if you've been watching for the past few years.
We were told that you have to blow out teams like MTSU. MTSU has gone to two straight bowls, folks. They're not a bad team. Yes, Purdue should beat them like a drum, we agree.... but when was the last time Purdue steamrolled teams? You might have to go all the way back to the Kyle Orton days. That's a long time, people.
In perhaps the most insane thing we've ever seen on Twitter (at least directed at us), we were also likened to the holocaust for telling one supposed Purdue fan that she should support her school -- she replied and said isn't that what the Nazis said when they were killing people -- to support the government. (This exchange seriously happened.) Yes, a very lucid, rational comparison. As you might imagine, she got the rarely-used Twitter Banhammer.
The point of all this? It's okay to enjoy an exciting win. Did you see Auburn's fans and players enjoying their comeback versus Utah State? Yes, you have to keep things in perspective and understand that there's a lot to work on...and yes, maybe some of the excitement was relief. But so what? Your team won and that's what matters. Given the two positions Purdue could be in today, 1-0 sure feels a lot better than 0-1. This is not to say there isn't a lot to work on -- there is. And it's not to say they're now going to have a good season -- they might not. But you saw Caleb TerBush grow up in that fourth quarter and you saw a comeback win with the kind of passing play that, as B-Dowd alluded to, we haven't seen from a Purdue QB in a very long time.
So yes, retain your concerns. Yes, curb your optimism with caution. But also, enjoy wins when they happen. It's okay to like your school.
Herr J says so.
12 comments:
I think we can learn a lot about these games - in many ways, more than conference games. For example, especially given that Hope has really mined The South for speed, how can MTSU have been consistently faster off the ball than Purdue? And how did it happen that MTSU's line rolled us up play after play? If that happened Saturday, what's gonna happen in conference play? I don't think these are bad questions to ask, because these are the same type questions we've been asking for at least six years now.
I was thrilled when Hope was hired. I loved his fire, his positive outlook. I still do, and I want to see him succeed, because that means Purdue succeeds. But...I want PURDUE to succeed first.
Unfortunately Hope stirs up positive and negative emotions. And there are PLENTY of negative emotions in Purdueland right now. Deserved or undeserved, I do think it's the rare fan who actually wants to see Purdue lose.
Those are folks who deserve to be banned from the blogs and Twitter. They're cancer. For everyone.
I agree about the game winning TD throw being something we haven't seen in a long time from a Purdue QB.
Rob Henry probably would have bolted and tried to pick up some yards on the ground. Robert Marve probably would have tried to run too. Curtis Painter would have either thrown it into the dirt or over the receivers head right to the defense. Joey Elliot might have waited in the pocket and stepped up for time, or he may have thrown it away to stop the clock.
What did TerBush do? He stood in the pocket, seemed to even double-check his progression, stepped up to buy some time, and found a receiver breaking free. TD, win, happiness. It makes me kind of optimistic about how he can develop.
Just win. Don't care what it looks like or when it happens. Just win...
Agree with you guys 100%. A win is a win.
Also, what's with everything someone doesn't agree with being likened to the Nazis? Especially coming from another Boiler that's very disturbing.
A win is a win and this year there won't be too many.
Two things that are driving me nuts so far. Defense and the constant threat of bringing in a cold QB.
You would think that putting up 420 yards against a Sun Belt team would put you in command of the game. That is unless you give up 460 yards. All off season we heard how fast and athletic defense is. How experienced our linebackers are. Then game time comes and our defense makes the MTSU offense look like its full of blue chippers. What is frustrating is that I think that our d-backfield is talented and experienced enough to anchor this team. The playcalling however continues to be very bad, especially on third down. As a team and a fan it is demorilizing to force 3rd and 4 or 5 and then give up a 6 yard pass. Someone needs to explain to Danny that giving up one 60 yard bomb or 10 6 yard slants/outs both result in 60 yards for the opponent.
In regards to the QB situation. I hope that Robinson came in because TerBush had cramps and not because he was playing poorly. In 2 games if TerBush is still missing open receivers then pull him. But he got thrown into the starting lineup and is trying to find his rythm. Don't shake his confidence by replacing him with what would have been the 4th stringer. Instead try to adjust the offense to help him get confortable. Instead Nord and Hope continue to make our offense look like a bad Eastern Kentucky team.
This is my last season behind Hope. If we gut out 6 or 7 wins then I will remain a supporter for the time being. Anything less is unacceptable. I realize that we have had some injuries but it is part of the game and you have to be prepared to make changes. Half of the job is recruiting and if our 2 deep can barely squeek by a Sun Belt team than maybe the Sun Belt is where Hope belongs.
Godwin's Law
"Godwin put forth the hyperbolic observation that, given enough time, in any online discussion—regardless of topic or scope—someone inevitably criticizes some point made in the discussion by comparing it to beliefs held by Hitler and the Nazis."
I just wish we had the same sort of culture and supports as other large universities have. Granted, I know schools like texas and florida have national championships under their belt, but both their teams suffered subpar years last year (texas only had 5 wins for gods sake!) Yet the stands were still packed with fans who just love their university and team enough to watch them play. yeah im guilty of not sticking around to watch the whole MTSU game, but at least i made it a point to go to the game in the first place. I just want it to be a live, electric environment again, much like our basketball games
I like Coach Hope but I don't think he's the type of caliber coach to work in the Big Ten. He'd do better in the MAC or lesser conference. Personally, I think the athletic department was shopping for a coach at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. It's not difficult to find upcoming greatness. Find the successful head coaches in the leagues and hire away their offensive or defensive coordinators. Happy for the win but it's going to be a long season that will be reminiscent of the Leon Burnett or Fred Akers eras if you are old enough to remember those.
Hey now, let's compare apples to apples. Texas and Florida are in no way comparable to Purdue ... not just because they have all-around solid athletic programs (unlike what Burke believes will magically spring from the meager seeds he's sowing), but because football is not at all the same here as it is in Gainesville or Austin.
In Texas, football is king: they supposedly drew 45,000 for the state championship game ... in 1945. The Longhorns play in a 100,000-plus stadium; of course they're going to outdraw us, even in down years.
Florida is deep in SEC country, and there are two things that matter in the SEC: football and more football. The Gators play in a stadium that is fairly small compared to, say, Tennessee's. At "only" 88,548, they can barely squeeze in 90,000. Even in truly down times, they're going to draw fairly well, and the enthusiasm from a mythical national championship will carry over for several years afterward. (Not that we would know.)
To build an atmosphere like those at UT and UF, Purdue has to win a lot, raise a lot of money, expand, and repeat. Texas has 845 wins through 2009 according to Wikipedia, second only to Michigan. Florida is hanging back outside the top 20 (they had 654) ... Purdue's 571 seems like a lot, until you see that the five schools after us were Kansas, Central Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tulsa.
Mississippi and Missouri (614 and 612 wins respectively), not Florida and Texas, are Purdue's peers in those conferences. People come out to see them when things are going great, but that simply doesn't happen often enough to sustain any long-term growth. That doesn't mean we shouldn't support the football team when we can (props to those who braved near-triple-digit heat; I'm too old for that myself), but it does mean that we should set our expectations appropriately.
Takeaway from Saturday's game:
* We got a comeback win from a #3, rookie QB who last started a game in high school three years ago.
* It wasn't pretty, but the offense and play calling improved in +100 degree heat as the game went on. That is encouraging.
* If we don't tighten up the pass coverage, nothing else will matter.
* Ralph Bolden is back. If he stays healthy, he and Shavers will only improve and we will finally have a balanced run/pass attack.
* The special teams and Perfect Storm performed as advertised. Huge plus for us.
* Robert Marve, who broke several of Tebow's passing records in Florida high school football, is nearly ready to go. Meanwhile, TerBush gains much needed experience in non-conference play.
* Thank God we weren't wearing Maryland's uniforms.
Yeah, it was ugly. Just win baby...
I think there is a lot to take away from this. We had very little pass rush on the MTSU quarterback. Our O-Line was a bit shaky. Our LBs had a tought time in pass coverage. However, I thought Terbush showed some legit QB skills, that we haven't really seen for a while. The ball is really LIVE when it comes off his hand. With time he'll be hitting Siller and Company in stride. Our running game, as it was with Tiller, will be paramount to our success. We have one great RB and another that has potential. Thinking Jerod Void and Brandon Jones just not as physically imposing. Ricardo Allen, Josh Johnson played well. Ricardo make a mistake early, that lead to points on the board, but he also took points off the board at the end of the game. Some questionable play calling, and decision making. A ton of brain fart penalties, and some first game jitters, but it was an entertaining game. Personally I would like to see us attack the middle of the field a bit more, but you don't want to show all your cards on game 1.
Boiler Up!
It was good to see the boys stay in it for 4 quarters, not giving up. That comes from the coach.
What else comes from the coach is not making adjustments. The defensive backs played a soft and deep zone the entire game and MTSU kept hitting the underneath routes. MTSU controlled the tempo of the game. I thought they should have at least pressed and play man to man in the second half and dared them to go deep. We have talented DB's - use them!
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