BS Predicto: The Other Indiana School vs Purdue

Good times

Panda says:
It is that time of year again when the hatred starts to spew and the message boards are lighting up, must be time for the Purdue Basketball game against that school to the south.  If you haven’t heard yet, that school from the south is pretty decent this year at basketball, at home anyway.  One could argue that this is there first true road environment that they have played in all season, minus Iowa and Nerdwestern.

After their loss to Butler, Tom Crean decided to make the dumbass comment of the year saying that it was a road environment in Indy.  Sure Tom, that 2/3s of the stadium that was wearing red was surely cheering for Butler, just like the NCAA Tournament.

Anyway about Mackey Arena’s atmosphere tonight... It’s going to be deafening. There is a buzz about this game that I haven’t felt since being on campus for the game against aOSU in 2011. The fans are fired up and it would be a great program building win for this team to knock off the number three team in the country.

Show up, get there early and cheer loudly the whole game; I know BDowd and I will be. 

The game itself is going to be a struggle if Purdue expects to win.  Oladipo is going to be the toughest match-up for Purdue.  The cocky guard had a coming out party of sorts last weekend against MSU and with his length and quickness, it’s going to be hard for Purdue to handle him, but he can be contained.

Although some IU fans might have given up on Zeller, I haven’t.  The guy is a stud and might kind of be in a slump right now, but that’s debatable as well.  Crean doesn’t get him the ball enough and that isn’t Zeller’s fault, it's Tom’s lack of basketball knowledge. 

The most intriguing match-up of the night will be Kevin Ferrell against Ronnie Johnson.  Both know each other well and it’s surely a start of another great on the court rivalry among these two.

Overall if Purdue can contain Zeller, Oladipo and Watford while they are on the court at the same time I think the Boilers have a shot at winning this game. The key is going to be getting Terone isolated on Hulls who isn’t a good defender, at all.

I’ve been wrestling with this prediction for a while, but I think Purdue loses a close one.

IU 72
Purdue 68

Bdowd says:
IU's got horses and is as talented as any team in the nation. Period.

As poor of a game coach as Crean is, he's that good of a recruiter...and the fruits of his labor are a well-rounded team that can beat their opponent in a myriad of ways.

Last year, Purdue had no answer for Zeller.  In the game at Mackey, Carroll was doing everything he could versus Zeller...but after getting whistled for a bogus foul as Zeller arm locked Carroll, Purdue was forced to try other things to stop the seven footer. Hummel and Marcius weren't any more formidable that day.  In Bloomington, it was worse- Purdue had to double- team Zeller; that left Roth open for much to long and he made Purdue pay...over and over again.

This year, both teams are different.

Hammons is definitely a bit better of a match-up...But guarding the premier big man in the nation as a Freshman will be a learning experience for Purdue's rising star.  Hulls is no longer running the point, now, IU has a true PG in Ferrell doing the job; his game is much more polished than RonJohn's; at least at this point. But the wings are the toughest match-ups for Purdue.

TJohn will have the nearly-impossible task of trying to slow down Olidipo...then off the bench, Sheehy will probably be guarded by AJ or Byrd.  Both of these guys are tremendous athletes that can play above the rim and shoot from the outside.

Basketball is about match-ups...and I don't like this match-up at all.

aOSU kept Purdue at an arm's length with their talented youth and timely scoring.  IU is a better scoring team...and a more complete one, at that.  We saw Purdue fight for a half versus UM before getting manhandled in the closing ten minutes of the game; I think we'll see a similar outcome here.  Purdue's inability to score will kill them first...and their struggles in transition defense will be their ultimate demise.

Hope I'm wrong...But I would be shocked if my Boilers can keep this one as a single-digit defeat. The only thing that might keep them in this is Mr. Harbaugh's ineptitude. I firmly believe he's one of the worst in-game coaches in the nation.  If Matty can cheat off of his pal's (Brad Stevens) notes from earlier in the season, it could stay close...but Byrd will need to be knocking down his shot.

Forehead's Squad  77
Purdue  62

J says:

In memoriam

Rivalries bring out silliness in all of us. We're lucky at Purdue to have such a truly hated rival -- not every school really has this. Oh, they may think they do, but until you've lived this one or one like UNC-Duke, you don't really get it. And that one is just a bunch of rich kids against another bunch of rich kids.... it's kind of evil vs. evil. This one is midwest, Indiana, where basketball belongs... between those who want to rub decades old titles in your face and those who are proud of their program no matter what.

As for the silliness I mentioned, I find myself thinking that I'd make the tradeoff that I'd give up any and all postseason possibilities for Purdue this year in exchange for an ass-whipping of IU tonight. I really would. And I wouldn't make that trade for any other win, in any other sport. Beat up ND but go 2-10 in football? No way. But here, I'll take it. I hate them. I want them to lose. Them and their ignorant, uneducated, mouth-breathing, parroting fans....and their poor sport, talentless jackass coach.

However, I'm also usually a realist and I don't have a good feeling about tonight. It's not that I think a win is out of the question -- it's not. But Purdue is still a young team making young team mistakes at times and going through odd slumps... like letting Iowa close a double digit lead in the final minutes. I mean, honestly, what kind of lead would Purdue need to have to make you comfortable? What if it was 52-27 in favor of the good guys at halftime? I don't know about you, but I'd still be scared to death. This team hasn't been able to consistently close, so I continue to worry.

The good thing is these guys already hate IU and I love that. They also have very little to lose and IU has everything to lose. If you're IU, you cannot lose to Purdue this year -- because you are going to lose to the Boilers in the coming years. So the pressure is on the goobers in the candy striped pants. Here's hoping AJ Hammons makes Zeller begin to doubt himself -- seeing the lemming fans pile on would be wonderful. And here's hoping Tom Crean makes an ass of himself in the handshake line again. Tom, you're so easy to dislike.

I want to see this all happen, but in my heart I think IU pulls it out. (So this post was a great, rah-rah idea!)

IU 77
Purdue 67

Purdue-Indiana Predicto: There's a Fire in the Duraflame Factory Edition

It's Oaken Bucket time, folks. And no matter how lousy a season you've had as a Purdue or IU fan, this game always means something -- and that's not hyperbole. These teams, these schools, these fans... they do not like one another. It's not manufactured, it's not forced, it's not even good-natured and friendly. It's dislike.

I've posted this before from a couple years back, but Tom Rinaldi -- more known for his tear-jerking nonsense set to soft piano music usually -- penned a pretty awesome minute on rivalries:


And lest you think this game isn't as important to the players as it is to the rest of us -- as sometimes sports hype can turn out to reveal -- here is a smattering of awesome pictures:

Are you sufficiently hyped? Are you amped because no matter how much of a sh-tshow this season has been at times, Saturday is different? We hope so, because it is different. Sure, there have been some disappointments this year and there's plenty to talk about there. But for Saturday, that can get put aside. For Saturday, we're Boilermakers and they're Loosiers.

Let's see what others at BS think.

J sez:

The careening, chugging, smoking, creaking mess of a season comes back to Ross-Ade for the annual Old Oaken Bucket game this Saturday as the improving Hoosiers come to town. Let's start with the fact that this is not your...uncle's IU team. Kevin Wilson does have them improving and competing more often, so don't expect a 2004 (63-24) or 2008 (62-10), as fun as that would be.

It would actually be fun -- I won't lie -- if a bowl game was on the line for both teams. IU is out of contention but looked like they had a shot for a while there. I guess the most fun would be Purdue being one win away from the divsion title, but let's not get carrr-ay-zee!

We are confident due to multiple reliable sources that Hope is gone so it's not really worth going into the whole, if he loses, he'll be 2-2 vs IU and under .500 in three of his four seasons at Purdue. Let's just say unless he can somehow get Purdue into a BCS game by beating IU, he's going to be shown the door following the season. So let's hope the team wants to send him off on a high note, with his first in-season, three-game winning streak at Purdue.

The Boilers should have enough to beat IU, though I don't think any of us would be shocked if IU came to play and took it to Purdue. What will happen? Hell, I have no idea at this point.

But I want that Bucket. It's ours.

Purdue 34
Indiana 33


zlionsfan sez:

That school down south is not known for football. It is the school that once thought Lee Corso and Gerry DiNardo could coach. Their all-time record is nearly 200 wins below .500. There are a few of you reading this who were not alive the last time they won a bowl game. The last time they went to back-to-back bowls, I was a recent graduate of Purdue, so right around the invention of the steam engine. They are the only current Big Ten school who has not scored a touchdown in a Rose Bowl. (Between 1915 and 1945, the teams that would eventually become the Pacific-8 and of course now the Pacific-12 played a team specifically not from the Big Ten. Nebraska lost to Stanford 21-13 in the 1941 Rose Bowl.)

Their starting QB is out for the year. Their pass defense strongly resembles the BS crew. And yet they put up 34 points on Ohio State when the game was relatively close, then added 15 more at the end to nearly pull off a stunning comeback against a team that, sadly, still hasn't lost. They beat the same sad-sack teams that Purdue did, stand at 2-5 in conference play just like the Boilers, and would like nothing more than to knock Purdue out of a bowl, borrow the Bucket for a year, and finish a four-game improvement that would be the best since Bill Mallory's second year, 1985.

It's still early to tell, but it does look like Kevin Wilson has Indiana on the right track, one that does not involve rotating quarterbacks. Fortunately for the West Lafayette faithful, there are still plenty of issues in Bloomington for Wilson to solve (see virtually every other game this season for examples). Even Vegas is confident that the Bucket will remain in its rightful place ... or at least that a significant percentage of people can be induced to bet that way.

As for me ... aside from the fact that I would never ever bet on a Bucket game ever, I just don't see Purdue as having a significant advantage here. Yes, Indiana's defense is horrible. Yes, if momentum can be maintained from game to game, Purdue should have it, coming off two road wins (against the two most expensive coaches in the conference, based on salary per win). But it's still the same guy calling the shots on the sidelines, the same guy calling plays, the same guy rotating quarterbacks like Isiah Thomas rotated players ... the same coach who may actually be on the hot seat now.

As mentioned here before, by all accounts, Danny Hope is a good guy. He's just overmatched at this level. His players are no doubt aware of his status, and would love to send him out on a winning note if they knew he was going to be fired. Emotion means a lot at this level, even in a rivalry game, where emotions already run high. As much as Purdue has struggled this year, as much as Indiana has improved, I think the Boilers are going to give Hope one last gift before he moves on to his next position. Pack your suitcase and start looking for hotel rooms in Texas, folks.

Purdue 47
Indiana 36

Boilerdowd sez:

Mercy.

Statistically, these two teams are pretty lousy.  And the thing that pundits and sports sages say wins championships is completely non-existent for both squads: Defense.

That said, it seems there's a pretty easy path to victory for the good guys on Senior day tomorrow: Run the ball.

If Hope and Nord decide to run, run and run some more, the Boilers should be able to eat a ton of clock, keep IU's pass-happy offense off the field and move the ball with relative ease.  IU allows over 33 points/game, 454 yds/game and 235 of those are rushing yards...no one in the B1G allows close to that many yard rushing.

Bolden is one of the many guys who deserves to go out a winner.

So as much as I'd love to see Marve and Henry rain fire from the sky, I'd love to see Shavers, Hunt, Bolden and Cottom all put in work out of the backfield.

Defensively, if Purdue can put pressure on IU's quarterback, good things can and will happen.  While Wilson is more than willing to put the ball in the air 40 or 50 times/game, his young QBs struggle to get into rhythm, for some reason, when they're on their back.  If KK Short has a loud Senior Day, Purdue wins.  Errant throws will put the ball up for grabs for Johnson and Allen who should get fat on a late Thanksgiving feast.

Right now, a cloud of uncertainty hovers over the program. We've heard from three different, reliable sources that Burke has already made his decision on Hope's status, regardless of what the scoreboard says at the end of Saturday afternoon...ticket sales and apathy among the people that fund the program has forced his hand, it seems.

IU is seeking to play spoiler...a role that they've played in pretty recent history in this, one of the best rivalries in college football.  But Hope's squad should be well-aware of all that's at stake- a bowl birth, even a lesser bowl, is better than none at all. Plus, these guys want to see their teammates' and possibly their coach's last game at Ross-Ade end in their favor.

Leave no doubt, gentlemen.

Purdue 42
Indian 27

Boilers-Illini Predicto: The 95 Cent Edition

Chillin'

As recently as Thursday morning, end zone tickets for tomorrow's heavyweight tilt between Purdue and Illinois could be had for as little as $.95 per ticket. Note the decimal point -- that's 95 cents. Which puts it at the same popularity level as actual heavyweight fighting. Hey-yoo!

Purdue and Illinois get into a slap fight tomorrow at 3:30 on the Big Ten Network. Why 3:30? Who knows? I guess we should just be happy the BTN hasn't decided to record the game and show it at 3:30 AM on Tuesday morning.

After a win to sorta, kinda save what's left of their train wreck of the season, what happens this week for our Boilers? It's time to find out. 

So put in a nice dip o' chaw, pull up a chair, and get some predicto.

SURGEON GENERAL WARNING: THIS FOOTBALL GAME MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY WHILE USING/WATCHING/LISTENING.

zlionsfan says:

Saturday, Purdue will find a kindred spirit in an Illinois team that has spent the entire season preventing the Boilers from finding the bottom of the East. Like Purdue, they beat the clearly-weaker teams on their non-conference schedule and lost their other games (the loss to Louisiana Tech looked bad in September; with the Bulldogs in the top 20 and having just one loss, to Texas A&M, Illinois' loss to them doesn't look so bad now). Like Purdue, they stunk up the joint in conference play, except they didn't get to play Iowa, so the Illini are still searching for their first conference victory.

And unlike Purdue, Illinois is doing this with a new coach. Halfway through the 2011 season, Illinois was 6-0 and looking great ... but they dropped their next six and got Ron Zook fired. In a move that Morgan Burke would approve, the Illini hired Toledo coach Tim Beckman, even though Beckman had only three years of experience at Toledo, his only time as head coach, and had only four years of assistant experience at power-conference schools before that. The move was something of a gamble ... and so far, it has not paid off at all. By either standard stats or advanced metrics, this Illini team would struggle in the MAC, never mind the Big Ten. Their offense and special teams are better suited to a weak Sun Belt team; averaging less than 17 points per game, the Illini are 118th of 120 I-A teams, and of the four new to that level, three of those also outscore Illinois. (The fourth is UMass, a new MAC team with DII-caliber talent.)

The latest chapter of the Beckman Experience posted just 3 points against a rebuilding Minnesota squad; that performance has at least one writer calling for a new coach. (Beckman's comments in that article should sound familiar to Purdue fans.) I don't believe Illinois would cut a coach loose after just one season, but a bad performance in Champaign might turn up the heat. The September Purdue squad would induce that kind of Illini performance; the October team would pull Beckman out of the frying pan and drop Hope in the fire.

Which team do I think will show up? The November team that squeaked by - but still beat - OMHR in Iowa City.

Purdue 21
Illinois 16

J says:

Not amused.

Sure, why not? The Boilers -- after looking utterly hapless and finished -- go into a place they haven't won at in two decades and win. And they don't just win, they win despite losing the turnover battle, 3-0 and allowing one of those turnovers to be returned for a TD. How many bad teams win road games when those things happen? In all seriousness, not many. Does that mean Purdue actually is good, after all? No, it does not.

The Boilers have absolutely no excuse to not win this game in Champagne handily. They need the win to keep bowl hopes alive. They need it to keep their coach employed (if he has any chance at all). And they're a far superior team, which says a lot considering they're not very good. Does any of this give me confidence? Of course not. It's still a conference road game, too, and they're never gimmes (unless you're Wisconsin in West Lafayette).

In the end, though, I've been pretty correct this year going with my gut. It looks like Marve will continue to play the majority of the snaps and if the play calling is at all clever, Purdue should win this one without trouble.

Boilermakers 31
Illini 16

Boilerdowd says:

We talked about this during the Handsome Hour: Illinois is not a good team...their stats show it, their record shows it...and if you're into that sort of thing, their body language shows it.  Guys clad in orange and navy who have played well in previous seasons can't find production.  The Zook magic left with him.

I kid, but what we know is it takes a season or two to implement a system.  That's especially true when the predecessor is so different from the current coach.

Purdue should be motivated as the Seniors see the end of their careers within sight.  Marve, Shavers, Short, Johnson and co. should all play like men possessed; I'm counting on it.

Boilers roll and keep their post-season hopes alive.

Purdue 35
Illinois 20

OMHR Slapfight -- Predicto Time

*Breaking:
Offensive coordinator, Gary Nord will not make the trip due to a back injury.


For those uninitiated, the Big Ten guaranteed certain rivalries across the two divisions and for the Boilers and Hawkeyes, it is each other.

And why not? Such a storied rivalry should not fall victim to divisional realignment that takes these two titans of the gridiron away from one another. So, THANK GOD, we are forever (or at least until they decide to change things again) linked with Our Most Hated Rival (OMHR), the Iowa Stinkeyes. (In your face!)

Iowa is really not good, either, this season and that lack of goodness has translated into Purdue fans along the way somehow holding out hope that Purdue could put this one in the win column. Will that happen? Glad you asked.

J says:

Let's start with spirit. Sure, Iowa may fill their stadium up and actually coordinate their attire in a way that looks pretty cool, but true school spirit can be evaluated by how willing people are to run onto the field carrying flags representing their school. Everyone knows this. So let us compare. First, Iowa:

I count four goobers in their urine-colored pajamas and one guy who was always picked last at kickball struggling to keep up.

Now, Purdue:

Clearly, Purdue's flag-bearer is leading the pack here, demonstrating superior athletic ability, and there are six flag-bearers following him. When you compare, you will see seven Boilermakers, which we all know is far better than five Hawkeyes. Well, we would assume so, but we don't know what the hell a Hawkeye is.

It's all so simple when you break it down scientifically.

As for the actual game, if you think this Purdue team is going to go get their first win in their last 13 tries at Kinnick, well, you must be literally among the most optimistic fans Purdue has ever had. However, that said, there actually are a few wide-eyed (drunk) dreamers who continue to point out that Purdue can "win out" and still go to a shitty bowl. Which, frankly, while I'll never root for my Boilers to lose, might be the absolute worst thing that could happen as it could keep the current coaching regime in West Lafayette.

Iowa may be "bad" in their fans' estimation, but they did beat Michigan State in East Lansing. I know they lost to IU, but I suspect by the end of the season that's not going to look like a horrible loss, especially considering it came on the road. With a win against Purdue, the Hawks would be 5-5 (3-3), which is the kind of "bad" season I would gladly take. They'll be motivated to play, as Purdue is now the team that everybody looks at as what will cure whatever ails them.

The Boilers, if I need to analyze them, are a mess in every way. As with any week under Danny Hope, it's possible that these guys will come out and play with heart and will themselves to a solid performance. It's also possible that the imminent departure of their coach could spur them on to an unexpected victory against a vulnerable foe. But I don't expect it to happen.

Purdue is 0-3 on the road this year and has been outscored 78-37 the past two weeks, against one good team and one pretty marginal one. Iowa is somewhere in the middle.

Iowa 34
Purdue 21

Boilerdowd says:

Self-inflicted pain is sometimes the most funny.

Purdue keeps beating itself...so does Iowa.  Purdue can (sometimes) run the ball when it really, really wants to, same for the Hawkeyes. Purdue has a guy that can really sling the ball around the field...but his offensive line's simply-offensive play, along with crappy playcalling has made him look inept at times...same goes for Iowa.

These two teams are not good. While Purdue has struggled getting the car into drive for much of the season, Iowa's car stalls out when it's needed most; in the red zone.  The end result has been a ton of field goals.  But unlike Purdue's field goal unit, Iowa usually leaves the field with three points, while Purdue leaves the field, often, after tackling the guy on the other team who has just picked up the blocked attempt.



Another big difference between Purdue and OMHR is Iowa typically competes as they're losing...or at least makes it interesting at some point...but their schedule is amazingly-soft for a B1G team this far into the season...and the results don't really show that they were playing bad competition.

They were beaten by a MAC team, nearly beaten by another, played even football for a half versus a D-1AA team before kinda pulling ahead in the second half...and recently, allowed IU to get its second-straight win in conference (I wonder what winning in conference feels like...).

Purdue's lousy kick coverage will surely come into play, if they can manage to score...so as a way to keep that unit out of harm's way, Hope/Nord have devised a plan that Purdue pretty much never scores, when the game is still up for grabs, EXCEPT on the first drive.  Brilliant; play to your strength.

I think Purdue will start with a 7 point lead...but I don't see the losing streak at Kinnick ending tomorrow.

Iowa 25 (one TD, six FGs)
Purdue 10 (one TD, one FG)

Get your popcorn!



zlionsfan says:

Injuries, a predictable offense, and a string of losses in conference play have made Saturday's game something of a must-win. There's a question as to whether or not the season could be salvaged even with a win on Saturday, but a loss would certainly mean the beginning of the end. When an opponent is on the ropes and you can't take advantage of that, you tend to exhaust whatever patience the fans have left, and I think Ferentz will be more than aware of that.

You thought I meant Purdue? Well, coming into the season, sure, the two teams had some similarities, although Iowa's injuries came at running back instead of quarterback (and their leading rusher is likely to miss Saturday's game as well). And with the Hawkeyes' unexpected stumbles against Iowa State and Central Michigan, plus a schedule that has them finishing against the two teams in contention for the West Division title, a loss to Purdue would probably finish Ferentz's career at Iowa. (A win might not be enough, either - expectations are high enough in Iowa City that even 7-6 might not be acceptable.)

To be honest, it's probably a must-win game for Purdue as well, if we take Morgan Burke's recent comments at face value. "Converting potential into results" means winning games, and it's possible that winning four straight games would preserve Hope's job for another season - that would give him another 7-6 record with a bowl win and a Bucket win. Anything less won't be good enough ... well, we all knew that, but the question was whether or not Burke would acknowledge it, and it's possible that a losing record would move him to make a change.

The game itself should be winnable: Iowa's offense is bad, particularly its passing game, so they're not exactly the type of team to jump on the Boilers in the second half ...  but then every embarrassing loss in Big Ten play has been to a team with obvious and significant flaws, and somehow Hope and his staff managed to make Purdue the cure for what was ailing those other teams. I'm afraid we'll see the same thing on Saturday.

Kirk Ferentz's Job 27
Danny Hope's Job 13

We Are....Doing The Predicto

If you're bored and want to be riled up, check out the comments section of any Penn State related blogsite when they discuss anything even tangentially related to the child abuse scandal they will now forever be known for. The levels of denial and delusion are amazing, even to this day.

As new details surface on the atrocities committed there and the behavior of those in power who obfuscated (to put it mildly) while a child predator walked among them for years, it becomes even clearer what kind of a man the sainted Joe Paterno really was. They say you can be judged by the company you keep, so even if you delude yourself into believing there isn't any "evidence" that Paterno handled things criminally, you sure can pass judgement on those he confided in, discussed things, with and conspired among. Had he lived, Joe Paterno would most likely be indicted at this point and awaiting trial on felony charges.

All that said, Bill O'Brien appears to be his own kind of jerk. I discussed with Boilerdowd almost immediately how unlikable and arrogant this guy appears, almost like he's cranky that he got roped into the long term contract he's in that is pretty ironclad.  And while a jerk is just a jerk, accessories to sexual deviancy and people who cover-up child abuse are quite another.

O'Brien had nothing to do with the cover up that went on at PSU over the past decade-plus and the current players didn't, either. They've all done their best to represent PSU in a positive way and I think it's important to remember that. Sure, go ahead and boo them as they take the field, just like you would any other opponent. But as hard as it is to separate what went on from those blue and white uniforms that symbolize Penn State, you probably should try. These guys did nothing wrong but trust the old men in charge when they came on board -- something lots of people did.

That said, it's predicto time.

J says:

We still have no electricity at my house in NJ, which is probably good because I'm not sure how much more Purdue football I want to watch this season. We discussed on our impromptu Handsome Hangout on Sunday that while the Minnesota loss might have felt like rock bottom, it probably can get worse -- like if they continue to get drubbed. And I have some bad news -- they probably will.

One thing that could stop it at this point is if this team decides to play for Coach Hope. While sounding cheesy, it actually has some merit. The 2008 Boilers were a listless, terrible football team, but when Coach Tiller was on his way out, the Boilers laid a whipping on Indiana the likes of which aren't often seen in conference play. When Jim Colletto announced he wasn't coming back in 1996, another atrociously-bad Boiler team went out and beat Michigan 9-3. If these guys get the sense that the coach they supposedly love is on the thin ice he must be at this point, perhaps you'll see some spirit out of them. We certainly didn't see any against Minnesota.

Another thing that could stop the bleeding is the play of Robert Marve. He is reportedly going to start -- right in the nick of time, coaching staff! Of course, they couldn't even make the change that has been obvious to everyone for over a year without making it sound like the media pushed them into doing it.

Robert Marve injects life into this team. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them play without energy when 9 has been under center. So given that, I do think they have a fighting chance -- if Robert is given the reins for the entire game, or nearly the entire game (if you want to run Henry in a few spots, have at it, but no switching QBs for entire quarters at a time). Of course, the downside for Robert is that he gets the nod against a pretty stout defense, 18th in the nation in points allowed. And finally, there is the issue of his gimpy knee, that we aren't even sure can take a full game of action. As we've said repeatedly, as much as we want to see Marve play, we would rather Purdue lose out than see this young man writhing on the ground again.

If Marve doesn't see the majority of the action for whatever reason, it'll be a long day for the Boilers in front of a half-empty Ross-Ade. If he does, it'll be a slightly less long day, but a long day all the same. There is nothing in the past month-plus (Purdue's last win was Sept 29, by the way -- last Big Ten win will be one year ago in 24 days) that leads me to think Purdue should be given a shot in this game.

Nittany Kittens 42
Purdue 28

Boilerdowd says:

This is a big week for Purdue's football program's future; it seems everyone inside and outside of the program understands that.

In the immediate future, you have Robert Marve, KK Short, Josh Johnson, Akeem Shavers and others all beginning to understand that they're entering the last few games they'll ever play in a Purdue uniform.  These guys have played through injury, bled and torn soft tissue for this program...and played through it.  By every account, Marve's impassioned speech to the team shortly after he was named starter was pretty moving.  The guy is a fighter...and he'll be playing with one less ACL than the other 21 guys on the field this Saturday...can his heart and big arm make up for it, is the question.

The bigger question will be, of course, can the defense stop anybody.  Penn State does a lot well on offense and has one of the statistically-best QBs in the league.  While I can't say I'm impressed with him, I am very impressed with the hard-nosed football PSU has been playing and the fact that in spite of outside distractions, their coaching staff has done an amazing job getting them ready each and every week...that's quite a contrast with Hope and co, is it not?

Hope blames the media and amazing outlets like this one for creating this situation that Purdue's football program is in....but the blame is squarely on the guys in the fancy Nike jackets on the sidelines. Each week when these guys blow smoke up their players arses publicly, our Boilers lay an egg the next Saturday...that's kinda bad news for my alma mater's team.

Hope said that in spite of the score, Purdue was close statistically to Mini-Sota.  Who gives a damn.  They were smoked in every area...the good news is Marve and Henry both provided something to grin about in a day filled with apathetic sighs and groans from the Boiler faithful...that ended (for most of us) with a trip far away from the TV.

If Purdue can do the improbable and win on Saturday, it'll be because Robert Marve and company were allowed to do their job...and no dumbass comments about Marve leaving the script or not being able to manage the game like someone else will be deterring him from doing so.  But, if Nord is pulling the strings, expect more of the same crap that Purdue has been giving the last few weeks.  But prepare for a big first or second play!!!

Tibesar needs to throw out everything he's been doing the past few weeks as well.  If it takes using 12 players to stop PSU, do it.  Hell, Paterno did that a few years ago and all he got was a flag.

Here's a crappy scenario that I think is possible: Purdue will show fight for a half, and maybe get the lead...but that lead will bring TerBush off of the bench for some solid game management and prevent defense on the other side of the field.  Purdue could have a 10 point lead with three minutes left and give that away; we've seen it before.  The good news is, if that scenario rolls around, Hope's revolutionary timeout strategy will save Purdue again...ammiright?

Show me, Boilers...I wanna be wrong.

Loving Lions 35
Purdue 31