The BS Curse? (and other football notes)

After reading GBI and Mike Carmin, I thought I'd weigh in on what's been happening in God's country under Coach Hazell's watch.

I always struggle in analyzing stats and reports following an intersquad scrimmage...was the offense winning an indictment of the defense? Is the defense's progress a sign that the offense isn't getting better?  We really don't know until the fall...but there are a few things we can glean from the reports.

First, Bruce Gaston played on Saturday...that's good news, and Hazell noted that. Regardless if Purdue plays a 3-4 or 4-3, Gaston's presence in the middle will be noteworthy.

Next, the DBs played pretty well even without Allen in the fold due to injury. They had a few picks and a few more were dropped, but a ton of passes defended.  This update is one of those that might not be great news for the QBs.

And speaking of QBs, the guy that I wanted to see at QB1, Austin Appleby, has dropped from 1A with Henry to 3. Stink. But I'll be frank about the QB battle for a moment- I don't care who's at quarterback if the good guys are winning.  Henry has an unconventional delivery and has struggled with accuracy at times...but Billy Dicken had an unconventional delivery and didn't have the strongest arm and played one great year as Purdue transitioned to Drew Brees running the offense.

I'm still foggy on when/how a player commissions the NCAA on a sixth season of eligibility.  But it would seem that Henry would be a shoe-in for such a season due to his ACL tear following a redshirt. If he gets the extra year, Appleby starts in '14 and Etling is able to redshirt in the fall, Purdue could have a legit QB plan for the first time in a long time. But hey, there are a ton of variables along the way that could derail that.  I just like that there are three good options in the stable.

Etling passed Appleby on the depth chart, according to Hazell, on Saturday...competitions is always a good thing.  Hopefully this coaching staff is better at making decisions and assessing talent than the last group...and I'm confident that they are.

According to the practice reports, a few RS Freshman are playing with the ones on the offensive line.  This is good and bad.  The good of course is that these gigantic dudes are living up to their billing.  The bad is that they're green, so QBs are needing to roll out quite a bit in order to find time and passing lanes. It seems that Henry, Etling and Appleby are all mobile enough, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue.

One surprise from the reports that I've gathered is that former QB, Robert Gregory is making some noise at the position. Cottom strained his MCL on Saturday, so a few guys further down the depth chart got some carries with the ones...and everyone who saw the scrimmage noted how Gregory ran extremely hard and didn't shy away from contact.  Conversely, Akeem Hunt looked fast and great outside the tackles, but didn't shine in between the tackles. Hazell is seeking more depth at the RB position...this leads me to believe that a guy like incoming Freshman, Kenyate Green will be able to possibly see the field in the fall.  BUT, if Cottom and Hunt are healthy, that's a damned good 1-2 punch to start with.

An on-going development as Spring progresses is the lack of mentions for two-year starter Gary Bush. Bush's class schedule has kept him from practicing this Spring, so that surely doesn't help. But the question is, will he be able to move back to the 1s in the fall when his schedule is (obviously) more conducive to Purdue's camp schedule.  As of right now, RS Freshman, Knauf is in the same spot wih the 1s that Bush is playing with the 2s.  I think there could be a ton of movement come August as Anthrop gets healthy and Ross gets out of the doghouse.

I also think Mostert, Anthrop and Hunt might all be playing a similar position in the Fall...but that's just speculation at this point.  It just seems that they all have a similar skillset.

Hazell called the scrimmage one of the best that he's been a part of since he's been a head coach. That's good to hear. I guess that clearly signals that this Purdue team will have around 11 wins this coming season? Maybe not, but as J alluded to last week, Hazell seems to be making good moves thus far and his openness along with the way he's handled the media are nothing but positive.

T-minus five days until Spring ball is officially concluded with the Black/Gold Game in Ross-Ade. I'll be there with a few miniature people; looking forward to it already.

Black and Gold Propaganda: BTN's Ten Reasons To Be Excited for Purdue Football

When I say propaganda, you probably have a negative connotation with that. I don't necessarily mean it to be negative -- really, propaganda is just framing the argument in a way that favors your side. The BTN's Tom Dienhart has kindly created a ten reasons to be excited about Purdue football post for your enjoyment, which you can read here.

I'll admit, this kind of talk and the excitement I've heard from fans continues to suck me back in. This happens every year -- as football approaches, the halls of the BS offices come alive, Boilerdowd has a twinkle in his eye and I think we all get an extra hop in our steps. Or maybe that's just us liking skipping.

Some highlights from Dienhart's post:

• Purdue returns 15 starters in 2012, the most of any team in the Big Ten. Some stats don't matter at all, but I think experience is important. These guys are on a high right now from a decent finish to a "step forward" season.
   
• The defense, with Short, Russell, Gaston, Allen, Johnson, etc., should truly be a strength. Tibesar could become a hero in West Lafayette if it rounds into shape and actually becomes a weapon.
  
• Ricardo Allen. This is a big season for Allen, in my opinion. He's been trumpeted as among the best CBs in the nation for a while now, yet we saw some things that concerned us in his first two seasons in black and gold. That said, they were just his first two seasons as a freshman and sophomore. This is the year where he really should be expected to become the force he has been said to potentially be.
  
• Raheem Mostert. We love Mostert and were calling for him to play more last year. The guy is exciting on the field and good things just seem to happen when he has the ball. Here's hoping the coaches open things up a bit and give Mostert as big a role as he can fill.
  
• QB Situation. This will be the fulcrum on which the 2012 season hinges. Dienhart points to the three QBs with serious experience as a plus, which in some situations I think we would agree it is. The question here is whether the situation Purdue's coaching staff turns this into will be advantageous and lead to winning. We, among many, have our doubts about that. But as we often say when we're feeling negatively about something, we would love to be wrong. 

What do you think of Dienhart's list? Does it amp you up even more? Are you believing now? Does it feel like the pieces actually might be falling into place for Purdue to contend in the Leaders division?
  

The Scale: aOSU

I nearly let this series die, unintentionally, but just because the games this season have either been overwhelmingly-good or bad...but after a reminder from J I thought I'd give it another run...we'll see if it returns next week.

"The Scale" is an easily-digested, overly-simplified, post-game synopsis from Boiled Sports.

The Tampa Kid Finishes Strong: Another Look at Yesterday's Win

I promised J that I'd post last night, but after heading straight out of West LaFiesta after the most-recent shocker of aOSU, I had plans back in the Indy area.  At the end of the night, I was exhausted. So if you got a few minutes and are still jonesin' for some flavor from yesterday's game, this piece is for you.

This morning, my throat hurts and my voice is still gone as a physical reminder of yesterday's OT victory. Ohio State fans called the '09 game "Purdue Harbor" as the Buckeyes were physically superior, highly-ranked and fully expecting an easy win in Ross Ade...but there's the rub, right? Purdue has taken Bucknut teams to the brink before- easy wins are the exception, not the norm in this series over the past few decades...and I have no idea why.  Both Joe Tiller and Danny Hope had and have no fear of the scarlet and gray.  (Kinda wish we could say the same for some other color combos.)

My older brother and I got to go to the game...and BS's good pal Ed down in Texas provided the club level seats.

I had never sat in that section...I had toured the facility, but and marveled how this didn't look like Purdue football years ago, but yesterday I got to watch from it.  It's a bit cloistered, but not as much as the super-high-end Buchannan Club.  You've heard me complain about Purdue fans not being enthusiastic enough...and I'll still do that because as a group, we're not vociferous-enough on gameday, in my opinion.  But the people around me in Section C-2 were pretty great...with one exception.

There was a young kid down to my right who kind of was the section leader- probably 12 years old, this kid was more situationally-aware than any Purdue coach on the sideline or QB on the roster...and along with the young guy, there were old wealthy alums and families around our seats.  And the best part- not one of them told me to sit down all day (that's all but guaranteed to happen usually, sadly).

A Jerk Guest on the Purdue Tailgate Show

I had the chance to stop by the Purdue Tailgate Show prior to the game...and neither of the hosts, nor myself felt good about this one. If you came by this site on Friday, you heard the same thing at that time...and not just from me.  But as I said following the Illinois game, I love being wrong in the way I was this week.

Let's be honest for a moment though- this year's Purdue team is enigmatic.  As aOSU comes off of three straight victories (two v. ranked opponents) and Buckeye fans were predicting a run at the B1G championship, Purdue was coming off of two of the ugliest losses in recent memory. Purdue had no offensive rhythm the past two weeks...couldn't run the ball...couldn't stop the run...and looked like a gradeschool team in really nice uniforms at times versus a bunch of grown-arsed men.

Sexy Beast
KK Short played large v. Bucknuts

But from the kickoff under a beautiful sky in God's country, yesterday's game was different. Purdue's front played resolute on defense getting into the backfield and hitting Boom Herron immediately after he got the ball. And on the other side, the offensive line was giving TerBush time and Bolden space to do what they needed to do.  And at the end of the first quarter, the good guys were up 10-0 and the RA faithful let the team know how much they appreciated the effort.

But as it's been in many games this season, the second quarter was different...at least it felt that way.  aOSU now had the stiff wind at their backs and Purdue was heading directly into it...and the Bucks could at least move the ball. They put points on the board as the TerBush-led offense struggled to get into rhythm.  Then late in the quarter, Marve came in and led Purdue on a drive that was mostly on the ground, but earned our Boilers 7...and the score was 17-7 at the half.

While the score didn't look like it, it kind of felt like aOSU had figured some things out...and the third quarter showed that.  Even with Herron unavailable after being dinged up by the stingy (at times) Purdue defense, the Buckeyes began to move the ball...and everyone was getting involved in it.  Miller looked tough creating time as Purdue would collapse his pocket, their wildcat offense was extremely-effective and they chewed up yards in the way I expected the Bucks to do coming into the contest.  In fact the only thing that wasn't working was vertical routes, but that didn't stop the coaches on the evil sideline from calling the plays nor did it deter Miller from overthrowing his receivers by 7-10 yards with regularity.  Watching Miller in person showed me a few things though. If he had a better system to play within, I think he'd be a pretty damned good QB.  He's no Pryor in the fact that he makes good fakes, actually reads the defenses, has a better throwing motion, keeps his eyes downfield and doesn't seem at all lazy. This makes him a potentially-great quarterback, in my opinion (eventually).

So while the Buckeyes weren't lighting up the scoreboard, they were definitely winning the field position battle...and at the end of three, they had drawn the game to just a three-point margin.  I think the whole stadium felt rightfully-antsy as the fourth quarter started and aOSU climbed back into the game.  And even with the wind at their back, Purdue couldn't get back into the rhythm we had seen in the first quarter.  Other than Ralph Bolden's shiftily chewing up the Buckeye defense, Crank being efficient when given limited opportunities and Siller playing a very solid game, there wasn't a whole bunch of production out of the good guys.

So after a decent drive stalled in aOSU territory, Wiggs put the final Purdue points on the board in regulation in the fourth quarter and the good guys were up by six points.

Herron came back in the game and made a difference earning tough yards.  aOSU's wildcat was effective again and each time Purdue's defense needed a stop on 3rd and long, Purdue's defense couldn't come up with it.  Ohio State got down deep into Purdue territory as the clock ticked down to inside 2:00 and aOSU decided to try to put the game in Miller's hands.  Purdue's front collapsed the pocket and Miller narrowly escaped a costly sack as he rolled right and threw off of his back foot across his body.  The pass fluttered over Johnson and into the hands of a Buckeye receiver tying the game and seemingly-sealing Purdue's fate.  All it would take was a simple point after to put the nail in Purdue's coffin.

I actually had given up, as a fan.  I saw this movie a few years ago in the Holy Buckeye game.  Sure, that Tressel-coached team had firepower for days, and the Tiller-coached squad had a ton of pros on defense, but this one felt pretty heartbreaking too...even though the game wasn't yet over.

It's easy to avoid the view on the field when you're 5'4" and everyone's standing around you.  So I didn't watch, but I heard the kick get blocked and felt my brother grab and yank me to the side as Purdue still had a pulse.  One of Purdue's never-say-die DTs, this time it was Gaston, squirted through the OSU line to get his big paw on the kick...and with the unexpected block, the good guys were alive!

After a decent Mostert return (he didn't get many chances to get his hands on the ball due to deep, wind-aided kick offs...and bad offense) Purdue started the drive with Marve at the controls.  And they drove into OSU territory.  It looked like Purdue's mega-legged kicker would get a chance to set a record and win a game in the process.  Purdue had to avoid the sack or turnover though.  But Marve made yet another awful throw when he merely needed to manage the game.

At BS, we like Marve a lot.  But as his pass drifted into the hands of the Buckeye safety, I couldn't help but think of a pal of mine's words that said, "Nothing good happens when Marve's in the game".  It looked like that might be true yesterday.

But as the Fightin' Fickells decided to run out the regulation clock, we knew that Purdue would at least have a shot at winning in front of the small, but passionate home crowd.

aOSU got the ball first and chose to have the wind at their backs and the Purdue students in their ears.  The Boiler defense got tough yet again and forced the 'Nuts into a fieldgoal.  So Purdue would take over.

And here's where it gets weird- Robert Marve would get the call, again.  I think many Danny Hope detractors were pissed at this point (I could hear a few of them).  Purdue struggled against the statistically-stingy Buckeye defense for a few plays.  And on third and short, needed to grind out a few yards.  And in his first success of the abbreviated drive, Robert Marve finished a run like a halfback a while grinding out a first down...and Purdue again had a pulse.

Again, Purdue was shut down up front and faced a third and long, this time from around OSU's 13.  Marve rolled right and found a streaking Gary Bush coming from the left side of the field and put the ball in the right place.  Bush controlled the ball and went out of bounds on the one...but the officials wanted to review it.

As Purdue fans, we thought the worst- Bush had bobbled it and there would be no completion...but as they showed the replay on the board, we saw Bush not only control the ball, but extend it toward the pylon and perhaps break the goal line? Hell, we didn't know, the RA video people didn't give us too much to look at...but we all raised both hands to inform the officials that the game should be over.  It wasn't...and my favorite football team would have the ball inside the 1 with 4 cracks at earning an improbable victory.

Marve broke huddle in the gun, with Bolden to his side.  After some hand signal theatrics, Bolden split wide, the bunch goal line formation flexed out to a spread and Marve got under center.

Number one!!
(At least it felt like it...for a few minutes)

I began yelling, "Run this damned thing in, Robert...Put 'em away!!" I could see what was coming...but it seemed the Buckeyes didn't know...and they didn't.  Gary Nord's not-so-sneaky attack playcall was about to seal the victory.

Marve kept the snap, pushed to the left and broke the imaginary plain with the Nike pigskin...and something very good had happened with Marve under center- The good guys had beaten the unlikable Buckeyes in overtime...and if for just one afternoon, Robert Marve's transfer to Purdue had paid off.

The place erupted, my usually- not-too-emotional brother ran up and down the aisle high fiving...as was everybody...except one guy who had disappeared.  The one unpleasant person in our section- a foul-mouthed Buckeye had evaporated.  His game-long antagonism had earned Purdue fans the right to put him in his place...but he wasn't there (predictably)...so we enjoyed the victory ourselves.

Walk of Shame
(I'm sure the Buckeye near me wasn't the only one in the stadium who was running his mouth during the contest)

Up Next
J will be attending a BS summit in God's country next Saturday.  So we'll have the chance to meet a couple of you guys (as promised).  And once again, we'll be sitting in the higher-brow section of RA thanks to our friend Ed.  So you'll get an eye-witness account of Purdue either getting into a bowl game for the first time in four years or forcing a one-game self-imposed playoff v. the lowly Hoosiers in Bloomington.

Marve-lous Ending

But, I can assure you one thing- I'll be wearing my Marve-lous T-shirt and lobbying for the Tampa Kid to be starting the game at QB.  If nothing else, he's earned the chance to potentially end his career as the starter on Senior Day. (While we hope Marve will get the one-year of additional eligibility, we're not taking anything for granted)

Nice job Boilers......and congrats to the beleaguered Robert Marve and Danny Hope...But don't savor this victory too long- you guys now have a couple of important football games in front of you...The type of games that could change the trajectory of your Purdue careers.

Purdue Football Part 1: Let's Get Excited!!

Danny Hope is an enthusiastic, positive guy...we all know that. And you just have to like at least some of that. In late June he said,

"We're excited about the season, maybe more so than in the past couple years."

And in his defense, why shouldn't he be? In '09 he had a quarterback that had never played significant snaps and skilled positions filled with JuCo transfers, position switchers and unproven commodities. On top of that, youth was being served at nearly every position group and there weren't a ton of veterans that had made a ton of noise.

Coming into '10, an injury to Ralph Bolden, an unproven transfer coming off of an injury of his own, some young skilled players, a young and unproven defensive backfield and an unstable offensive line marked all stood out as questions for the second year coach. We all knew Ryan Kerrigan was good...but really, that was about it...and it didn't get better as the season progressed.

So this year, Coach Hope is excited...so let's join him in the party atmosphere and look forward to what is to come.

-Is there anything better than the fall on a football Saturday? Not for us.

Outside of Purdue, J and I both agree that the early fall is one of the best times of the year for sports. Coming off of the doldrums, there's nothing better for me than a football Saturday as the air starts to cool off a bit- But, a full day of wall-to-wall college football is made even better when your alma mater has a fresh slate and there's potential for big things to happen.

Plus, if you have friends who aren't Boilers is there any better sport for trash talking via text message than football? The 6 day break that's built in between games lends itself for prognostication and banter.

Last thing outside of Purdue, we can always rally around watching IU implode following its feather-soft pre-con 4-0 start. We can revel in Notre Dame disappointing the members of the media and its fanbase who decide to pick this season as the year that the echoes will be awakened. It's been quiet out of SB this off-season...mostly because they're trying to keep their heads low while avoiding off-field problems...but we're just weeks away from it all beginning again. And rest assured, you know it's late summer when morons start talking about UND returning to glory...again.

-We've been Purdue fans for a long time. And this is the first time since the mid-90s that we really haven't had any expectations...at all. We're honestly not expecting a horrible product, but last seasons sour Bucket Game left us pretty numb...so we're not negative...we're not positive...and anything can happen. Who knows, maybe 15 will begin to live up to the number, Ken Plue will live up to his potential, Carson Wiggs will kick a 85 yard field goal or Ralph will come back like the Ralph Bolden of the Toledo game a few seasons ago.

-And speaking of players, these are the proven commodities that give us hope:

Carson Wiggs is the most-accurate kicker in the history of Purdue football...and has the biggest leg Purdue fans have ever seen. Plus, he's never given the student section the finger like the last great kicker that came through West Lafiesta...so that's a positive.

Ricardo Allen got better and better as the season went on last year. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns which put him in an elite group...and he was rock-solid in every-down pass coverage. He anchors a very skilled and uber-experienced defensive backfield.

Kawann "KK" Short has been a force since he stepped on the field as a Freshman. And as the seasons have progressed, he's leaned out, worked on his technique and gotten much better at staying motivated each and every down. I think this might be an example of how Ryan Kerrigan quietly led the junior DT. And now, the Purdue fans aren't the only ones noticing as Short was named a top-5 B1G DT by EsPN. He and Gaston are probably the best tackle duo at Purdue in over a decade.

Dwayne Beckford and Will Lucas are part of the most-veteran unit on the team, the linebackers. This group is kind of a head-scratcher as they've played together a while and are athletic and experienced, but haven't really been noteworthy thus far...That said, Lucas and Beckford both have speed that allows them to play at a faster pace than most LBs we've seen the last five or 6 seasons. Plus, Lucas seems to play with a sizable chip on his shoulder...I like that.

Dennis Kelly still need a few pounds to be dominant, but he's rock solid if nothing else. He'll anchor an offensive line that while experienced hasn't set the world on fire...yet. How could they have done so last year with what was going on behind them?

-After these guys everybody is either coming off of injury, had some inconsistency or is just young. That's not to say someone can't...or won't emerge as an all-conference player. In fact, I kind of expect a few guys to do that. But, there just aren't a ton of proven guys...but we'll talk about that later.

-Back to the positives, Purdue returns four, count 'em, FOUR quarterbacks who have played in Bowl Subdivision games. We're not going to talk about their records as starters or the reasons some of them haven't played a ton. What we will say is that there are a lot of guys in the stable with experience...and that's a positive.

So...maybe Coach Hope is right. Maybe there is more reason to be excited this season than in any other pre-season during his tenure.

Our next part of this series is things we're concerned, if not worried about...but don't think about those right now...Let's get excited!! Football season is just under two months away!

SIZABLE.

Meet Bruce Gaston, Jr. Seems like Coach Hope might be building a champ around this run-stopper.

I typically judge a recruit, before I've seen him in person, by the school he said "no" to. Check out this list.

This was Brian Kelly's first loss to Coach Hope...the next comes in September.

Flippin' sweet.