Don't Blame Caleb

We're consistent if nothing else.

We've never thought TerBush was the answer at QB...and we can't stand to see Purdue's student athletes bad-mouthed by Purdue fans.  Are we contradicting ourselves? We don't think so...We're observing what we see.

Danny Hope has told the Boiler faithful multiple times this season that TerBush earned the #1 QB spot in practice.  Granted, none of us see what he, Nord and company see...he doesn't allow that.  But, as a guy who's gotten nervous in front of a crowd while playing sports, I can tell you that practice performance doesn't equal gametime...but as a guy who has also coached, I appreciate players that work hard in practice.

What we all do see is that 19 struggles with pressure and tends to make decisions slowly in the games.  He played pretty poorly Saturday...and the problems he normally has, he displayed versus a determined UM defense.  But before you get internet brave and start calling a 6'5" 20-something year old names via Twitter, think about this- that loss wasn't his fault.

The loss was a team product.  Poor preparation led to poor execution...Poor execution led to poor situations...Poor situations led to very few adjustments, sadly.  Purdue was beaten in every aspect of the game yesterday.

But back to the TerBush discussion-  I don't blame the kid for they type of player he is.  He wasn't a highly-touted recruit...he came from a pretty small school...and he predominantly ran the option as he led his squad to a state championship his Senior season.  He's got an unusual passing motion that hasn't improved a ton since he arrived on campus and has never been described as having a cannon of an arm.  He's effective-enough when running the ball, and OK at making checks at the line of scrimmage.  He is what he is.  I can't blame him for not being Drew Brees...or Kyle Orton...or Billy Dicken...or even John Reeves (when he played QB).

Based on what Hope and company said in recent weeks, they believed that Purdue's newly-revamped defense only needed a game manager- A guy to do exactly as they asked him and exactly as they expected him to do...and the running game and defense would bring home the victory.

We all know now that formula isn't going to fly versus good teams.

The offensive line struggled to create space and struggled to keep a clean pocket for any of the QBs that played.  And the defense couldn't stop anything yesterday.  Each time they really needed to get off the field, they'd allow a yard or 50 more than UM needed for the first down.

While there's enough blame to go around, the buck stops at the top...right? Not TerBush, not even the coordinators who called the plays and formations...but the guy that hired them, right?

Well, we have less of a problem with Purdue fans pointing their collective vitriol at a guy that gets paid than doing so at the amateurs...you know that if you visited here for a while.

But, perhaps our collective blame and ire should go higher still...to a guy who isn't just the most-recent mustached face of the football program, but the guy who has been the face of the entire athletic program for 20 years, and the one who controls the purse strings.  He's made some great decisions, no doubt about that. We've given him credit for successes like the hiring of Matt Painter and the Mackey renovation, when it's been deserved.  But when you think about it, what we've seen from Coach Hope isn't much different from what we've seen from Caleb TerBush...and like TerBush, Hope is who he is.

Perhaps Hope is learning how to run a B1G program on the job...but the game plan and lack of adjustments v. UM didn't seem to show much progress.  The thrashings that have been handed out to Hope-coached squads in the last few years, by the league's leaders, and even upper-middle foes, seem to exhibit a trend.

Many Purdue faithful are calling for Hope to be fired.  But before you call for that, look at a few givens that exist.

Burke looked for an inexpensive option when he hired Hope, and he got it.  He continued by making Hope's coaching staff one of the lowest-paid in the conference.  Even when Hope replaced key parts of the staff following his new contract signing in early '12, he still wasn't given much of a budget increase.  And while I was impressed with Tibesar's defense versus MAC and DI-AA opponents, I've been thoroughly unimpressed in the last three halves of football.

Maybe we will see a vastly-improved effort and an air-tight scheme next week...maybe Wisconsin's style of play will create better match-ups for Purdue and produce a more-competitive game.  I don't know the future; even the near future.

What I do know is the last few years...and more recently, this last week, has been pretty lousy for the program.  As a result, tickets will not be flying off the shelves for next week's contest...just like they haven't been selling in the past few seasons.  That loss of revenue and its subsequent effect to the athletic department's bottom line, is something that Burke understands quite well.  And while he ignores negative feedback from fans on websites like this, he will not ignore the gaping hole in his budget created by poor ticket sales much longer.

If things don't change quickly, as in this week, the program and ticket sales for the rest of this season will probably be eerily-similar to the last few seasons.  As a result Purdue's AD will be looking to hold someone accountable for this situation at the season's end.  His search shouldn't last long as he won't need to look outside his office for the culpable party.

Herd Overcome By Boilers' Bush

If you read our predicto post yesterday, you saw that we had somewhat divergent opinions on how things would go down in Ross-Ade today. Well, if it was possible for us both to be right, this was the game, as the Boilers won a shootout with Marshall, 51-41.

It was, once again for the Boilers, a tale of wildly different halves. This has been something that has been an issue during the Danny Hope era and it continued today. The Boilers really could not have looked better in the first half, putting together sustained, creatively called drives and, in the second quarter, some stellar defensive play.

Marshall's hotshot soph QB Rakeem Cato looked decidedly like an underclassman, as he threw three picks, including back-to-back pick-6s to Ricardo Allen and Josh Johnson. Allen's made him the Purdue record-holder with four pick-6s. Johnson's looked as though he'd been in the Marshall huddle, as he appeared to break on the ball before Cato even released it, catching it in stride and sprinting 76 yards the other way. As halftime arrived, it was 42-14 Boilermakers. My co-editor looked wise.

And then the Boilermakers had their customary, celebratory raviolis in the locker room, followed by turkey legs and mashed potatoes. Or at least that's what I assume they did, as they came out for the third quarter flatter than my 8th-grade girlfriend. The Herd had a TD drive and then blocked a punt and returned it for a TD. Suddenly, it was 42-28 and was a ballgame. The Boilers managed a FG at the end of the quarter and then, thankfully, some old friends came to the rescue.

After Coaches Keady and Tiller led the crowd in B-dowd's favorite tradition, Shout, the Boilers began to show signs of life again. Despite being outscored 27-9 in the second half, the Boilers did salt the game away late. Which brings me to this... let's look at the positives:

The Boilers built a huge lead by playing solid, creative offense, executing extremely well...as well as opportunistic, hard-nosed defense. TWO interception returns for TDs coupled with a blocked FG by Kawaan Short and an additional INT and fumble recovery says that this defense actually did come to play. Don't be overly concerned with the yardage Marshall put up -- for starters, they're one of the most prolific offenses in the country. For another, they were down four touchdowns in the second quarter, so they needed to be on the open attack for the majority of the game.

Also on the positive side was that the Boilers put a game away in a manner and at a time when good teams do just that. They'd allowed their opponent to chip away and get back into the game, as the score was 45-35 with 12 minutes to go in the fourth. Still a two-score game, but everyone was clearly getting nervous among Boilermaker supporters. Caleb TerBush came out and calmly led the Boilers on a six-minute, 13 play, 78 yard touchdown drive. That made it 51-35 with just 6:38 to go. And as B-dowd texted to me, they just did what good teams do .That is, close the door.

Another positive for me today was the play of Caleb TerBush. Robert Marve warmed up but wound up not dressing for the game. Maybe that played into it -- hard to know -- as Caleb played with a confidence and, dare I say, swagger that I've never seen from him. He looked sure of himself, he looked like a leader and he hit his targets. After a sizzling first half, he cooled off a bit, but still wound up going 27/37 for 294 yards and four TD passes, three of them to Gary Bush. For the record, those are career bests for Caleb in completions, attempts, yards (he'd only ever been over 200 yards once before, with 220 in the opener last year vs. Middle Tennessee St.) and touchdown passes (doubling his previous best of two, done three times). Understand, folks, this was a career game for Caleb TerBush and might well have been his coming out party, as they say.

Yes, we should temper excitement about the offensive output by reminding ourselves that Marshall's defense is positively atrocious. However, that said, you still have to make the plays, you still have to make the throws, and you still have to hold onto the football. The Boilers did that today and did it well.

I know a lot of people want to get Gibboney's head on the pike whenever something happens on special teams that's bad, but I don't put the punt block no the coaching. It looked to me like Marshall just sold out to bring the house and block it. I think that could happen more often than it does, but teams don't always do it because it leaves their returner unprotected if the punt is made. If you want to argue that Gibboney and company should have anticipated Marshall coming after it like that since they were losing, well, that's a legitimate point. I just think it's worth pointing out that Cody Webster has been a marksman on punts this year, dropping punt after punt deep in opposing territory, and nobody has given Gibboney credit for that.

Other guys had terrific games besides TerBush, too. Obviously, Gary Bush was a touchdown machine, hauling in three of them among his seven receptions for 83 yards. OJ Ross had a career-high nine catches, for 69 yards and Antavian Edison continued his strong play with six receptions for 99 yards and another TD. Edison now has a catch in 25 straight games and TDs in every game this season.

So what do we take from this game? The Boilers cleared 50 points for the second straight week, something they only did once last year and zero times against FBS level foes. Heck, they only put up over 40 twice all last year -- they've done it three times already this year. The Boilers also already have more 40+ yard plays this season than they had all of 2011. These are good signs and suggest that the offense is truly rounding into form.

I could sit here and try to tell you that you shouldn't get too excited since those offensive outbursts have come against inferior, non-conference foes. But hey, that's what the non-conference is for, right? And previous Danny Hope teams didn't pound non-conference opponents they way we wanted them to. So given what's been put in front of them, the Boilers have done exactly what we've all asked of them. That's a very good thing, not to mention refreshing.

The Boilers have done what we've all asked of them so far and have taken care of the team's they're supposed to take care of. Now they move into conference play against a suddenly vulnerable-looking Michigan team, followed by Wisconsin, both at Ross-Ade. Could this be the most critical start of a Big Ten football season for Purdue in more than a decade? I think so. A lot rides on these next couple of games. If the Boilers can get through their first three conference games 2-1, you are hereby allowed to begin expecting to win the division. If they fall on their faces, you're entitled to refer to them as the "same old Purdue."

First things first, though. Next up are the Wolverines at home next Saturday, with a gametime of 4 PM. So you've got plenty of time to tailgate, enjoy yourself, soak up the college football atmosphere, and then move inside Ross-Ade for a game that matters a whole lot. There will be lights, there will be a buzz and let's hope there will be a lot of Purdue fans.

The train is a-comin'. Choo-choo, muthas.

Analyzing Purdue's Multi-QB Approach: The Sample Size is Growing

A reader pointed out in a comment that the multiple QBs limit the guys from becoming a strong #1 because they're never really in their a whole game and thus it takes longer to get into a rhythm as a starter -- if it ever happens.

This got me to thinking, especially given everyone's seemingly near-unanimous dislike of this approach... what's the evidence to support it? Either, to support the system working, or to support the dislike from those who hate it to vociferously?

Let's hit the wayback machine.

At the start of the 2011 season, it was clear that TerBush was the starter. Rob Henry was injured and Robert Marve was still recovering from his second ACL injury. However, there was a growing faction of us who were very eager to see Marve get on the field. Danny Hope told us that he would play and that both QBs would see action. I think it's fair to say that we felt this was reasonable, given that Marve was still recovering and TerBush hadn't yet had a lot of time to demonstrate what he was capable of.

Then we began to accept that Caleb was who he was. As the season progressed, the group wanting to see Marve get a few complete games grew, the coaching staff dug in their heels, and the multi-headed QB monster continued to grow, leading us to where we are now.

So how has it worked? Well, would you believe there is now a solid, full season's worth of games from which to choose? That's right, between 2011 and 2012, the Boilers have played 12 games with the QB merry-go-round operating. And, wouldn't you know it! In those dozen games, Purdue is....6-6. 

The wins were over: SEMO, Minnesota, OSU, IU and Western Michigan in 2011, and EKU in 2012.

The losses were to Notre Dame (both years), PSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Could stability have made a difference in any of the six losses? It's obviously impossible to know, but I might argue that, last year, in the PSU loss (23-18) and the Iowa loss (31-21), I would have liked seeing what Marve could have done with a full game's worth of responsibility. I also think it might have been interesting to see him play the whole ND last year as well as this year. Last year, he was still recovering and it was only his second game back, so let's scratch that one. But this year, I think almost anyone who watched the game will agree that the Purdue offense simply looked more potent with Robert under center.

Let's say that even two of those three losses mentioned were wins as a result of a better and more consistent QB approach (remember Marve desperately trying to score against Iowa and fumbling off the pylon? Maybe that doesn't happen if he knows he's not about to get yanked if they don't score). Suddenly, Purdue is 8-4 in their last twelve instead of 6-6. It's a subtle difference and, as I said, one can never know about the path not taken (unless you're watching Sliding Doors, one of Boilerdowd's favorite flicks), but I do feel fairly comfortable saying that Purdue hasn't won any games as a result of Caleb TerBush's steady hand that Robert Marve could not have won.  

What does all this tell us? Perhaps it tells us that even with a lack of stability at the QB position, Purdue is talented enough to beat marginal to bad teams. One might argue, though, that the mediocrity could just be what Purdue is under Danny Hope, and that could be true... but does 6-6 with losses to petty much any decent team they face (and Iowa) suggest that they've got some kind of advantage by playing two (or three) QBs? It sure doesn't suggest that to me.

In my opinion, this goes into the growing evidence that says that this team is talented enough in several areas to compete with nearly anybody on the schedule, but that the musical chairs under center is going to continue to be an obstacle, not a weapon.

Great Performance Marred by Poor Coaching Decisions

The Purdue Boilermaker football players laid it all out on the field today in a close 20 to 17 effort.  The Boilers never stopped fighting but like so many times before, came up just short in South Bend.

Robert Marve didn’t get the start but was the difference in the game that kept the Boilers in it.  Marve was 11-18 for 119 yards and a touchdown pass.  Marve was the one moving the offense until going down with an injury at the end of the game, details still not known on his status.

Terbush went 8-19 for 79 yards, one touchdown and threw two interceptions, one of which was during a late Hail Mary attempt.

Unfortunately the story of this loss isn’t going to be how great Notre Dame is, but how horrible some of the coaching decisions were for the Boilermakers. 

After finishing the half with a 13 play 58 yard touchdown drive to tie the game, Robert Marve was benched in favor for Caleb Terbush whose best first half drive was a 13 play 58 yard drive that ended in a punt.

The fact of the matter is, Marve was leading the team and had the momentum, why bench him now?  It was a questionable decision that very well could have changed the entire landscape of the game. Sometimes I feel like Purdue has a coach that doesn’t think about anything but his game plan.  Sure, the game plan is something to follow, but if something new is working, why change it?

It’s like banging your head against a sharp point multiple times and saying, “Next time this isn’t going to bleed, I’m going with my game plan.”

Danny Hope has no idea what is going on out on the field and I'm beginning to think it might be time for him to go. Does he deserve another chance? Probably, but after countless numbers of dumb decisions, what’s the point of even “Hoping” anymore?

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Complete coverage of Purdue-Notre Dame coming this evening.

Danny Hope: Chessmaster?

I'll give Danny Hope this: he's got the Purdue fanbase talking.

And it really wouldn't be Purdue football if there wasn't uncertainty in the air, would it? Sure, there's a QB available who just had a better statistical game -- by far -- than Caleb TerBush has ever had on the college level. But then there's the caveat that, hey, it was against EKU.

Okay, fine, but do you think Caleb would have carved them up the same way? If so, you're certainly entitled to that opinion and hey, you might very well be right. Let's remember a few things here...

For one, Danny Hope has been unwavering on the fact that Caleb TerBush is the number 1 guy and has looked like the number 1 guy since the spring. A lot of us have a hard time believing that -- including media members who are there to see it with their own eyes all the time -- but there are times when you have to say, hey, the coach knows best.

Caleb TerBush started 13 games last year, plus he had a mop-up role in a drubbing up in Madison two years earlier. Saturday was Marve's 26th game where he saw action on the college level. That's nearly twice as much game experience, which can go one of two ways -- either it strengthens the argument that he should be the guy, or it could give you pause about criticizing the selection of TerBush.

Maybe -- maybe -- Caleb TerBush used that experience gained last year and actually has developed as you might expect an upperclassman QB to develop. If he is the guy and Coach Hope and Coach Nord say he's the guy, do we as fans owe it to give him a chance? I think so.

Understand something here: Just because we've publicly supported giving Marve the chance to show what he can do as the healthy starter doesn't mean we don't like or support Caleb TerBush. We do have a problem with him making poor decisions, be it nearly flunking out of school and losing a year due to academics or getting himself suspended just prior to the season opener this year.

However, we also respect him for stepping up and taking the reins as he was asked to do last year with practically zero college experience and a full year of inactivity between his last time in uniform and taking the field against Middle Tennessee. TerBush answered the bell and did exactly what the coaches asked of him. Let's not forget that. And let's also not forget that he wears the same black and gold as Robert Marve, Rob Henry and everyone else out there. If you read here regularly, you know we don't advocate blanket support of the players -- sometimes they do deserve your unwavering support, but other times they do things that we can not and do not support.

All that said, if a guy has "paid his dues" or done his punishment and the team and coaches have deemed him deserving of being back on the field, I think the fanbase owes it to that guy to back him. Caleb is a student at your University. He represents you. Yes, we would rather see Robert Marve starting, but that doesn't mean we don't support TerBush.

Hope's announcement that Caleb was going to be the starter vs Notre Dame set the Boilermaker faithful abuzz. I think there is still some support for Terbush out there, but Marve's game on Saturday has certainly gotten people scratching their heads about this decision. However, before you run off calling for Coach Hope's head, you have to keep it in perspective -- this was just an announcement. What does that really mean? Caleb was the starter last week, too, until about an hour before gametime, and then he wasn't. I'm not saying that will happen again, but I saw a reader make an astute point that got me thinking. He asked why you would announce any starter at all -- let Notre Dame plan for two QBs, or even three. That byproduct of an unsettled QB situation is one we can all live with... if it even gains the Boilers a tiny advantage, I'm fine with it.

And what if this "starter" talk actually is all subterfuge? What if Caleb starts and plays two conservative series and then Marve takes over and suddenly Purdue attacks like an angry dog? What then, Boilermakers? If Purdue does something like that and actually wins in South Bend, does Danny Hope become crazy like a fox? Or just a lucky dog?

The point is, none of us know what is happening or what the plan is for Saturday. I hope the coaches and players do. If so, that's good enough for me.

Danny Makes The Call

Starting v. UND

Throughout camp, Hope called TerBush the starter for the first game because neither he, nor Marve, had changed position in camp due to the lack of full contact in practice. The inference seemed to be that last year's starter would be the starter because game situations were different...Fair point- they are.

That said, he and his assistants listed the depth chart as an "or" decision...meaning either could start depending on what happened in practice.

So, when TerBush, one of the team captains, was suspended for reasons that most still don't know, Marve was given the keys to the offense last Saturday.  If you're on this site, you've probably already seen the stats that Marve produced...if you don't know, look them up- they were pretty damned good. During his opportunity to prove himself, he played 70% of the snaps v. EKU (with Henry taking the other 30%).

Atop of the extremely-tight depth chart situation, Hope and Nord have both said Marve has a potential to be an NFL quarterback...and they've never uttered those words about TerBush. And while we both know that a great college QB is not necessarily great in the NFL...the games are different.  BUT, saying someone is an NFL talent is typically a compliment.

With all that said, Hope has named TerBush the starter for Saturday.

“It may be that it’s best for us to go into South Bend and make sure we manage the offense really well and that we don’t create any negative plays. If that means Caleb TerBush starts and Marve finishes, so be it. If that means Marve starts and TerBush finishes, so be it“ 

Based on that quote, one would think Marve creates too many negative plays.  Also, Hope and company seem to believe that the defense can win the game in South Bend with an offense that isn't aggressive, but merely just manages the clock and field position, I guess.

On Saturday, Purdue will play an ND squad that just beat the tar out of Navy...based on what I saw Saturday from them, management of the game might not be quite enough.

Versus UND, both TerBush and Marve are 0-1; Marve started the game in SB, TerBush in God's country. So, I guess, since TerBush has never lost in South Bend, Hope thinks he gives Purdue a better chance of winning there (or maybe not losing)...I guess we could say he's undefeated there.  Pretty fuzzy logic, it seems.

There are a couple of things that really confuse me about this whole situation.

Obviously, Hope and Nord's compliments to Marve, yet refusal to start him are odd.  But not that big of a deal.  We're fans of Marve and his style of play...we think his ability to escape the pass rush, move the pocket and still keep his eyes downfield give the offense a chance to do things a TerBush-led offense cannot. Plus, he has a bigger arm than TerBush.  Granted, Marve makes poor decisions from time-to-time...but so did TerBush last season- He gave up costly sacks time and again due to his cautious demeanor, but that doesn't seem to bother Nord and Hope because he doesn't freewheel as much.

The question of the reason for the one-game suspension is also lingering with us.  Hope has allowed players to get arrested and not miss action...so when a guy is suspended for the home opener, my antennae are up as I try to figure out what egregious error he made.

Could TerBush have worn an IU sweatshirt to a film session? Maybe #19 poked fun at Hope's mustache? Perhaps Purdue's starting QB talked badly about Carson Wiggs?  Whatever he did, Hope didn't take it too lightly.  But now, it's been forgotten as TerBush apologized to the team and the coaches for whatever-the-hell-it-was.

Here are facts we do know- TerBush lost a year with the team due to academic ineligibility. That was the year that Marve went down to an ACL and Henry was forced into the starting role...and when Henry's finger was crushed, Robinson played and then started (burning a redshirt). Does Hope think that was important?

He made a mistake, and strived to make it right- got his grades up, got back on the team and all was well.  He started last year after Marve's knee held him back in camp and Henry tore an ACL of his own. He was made a captain by the coaches and the team this season...and officially became a leader of the team.  Then, prior to the first game he did something to get suspended all while engaged in an intense battle to keep his starting QB role. To me, that doesn't sound like a leader...but I only know the parts of the story that Hope and co. allow me to know.

But, I'm not the only one who's making a call based on the info that's in front of me.  And in the wake of what I saw from Marve last week, I have an extremely-difficult time in backing up Hope in this decision.  If nothing else, my expectations for TerBush are now higher...and at the same time, the scrutiny upon the coach from an already-skeptical fanbase will become more pointed if TerBush doesn't deliver mistake-free football.

Marve, TerBush and Henry have all publicly said the right things during the last few seasons- good for them; that has to be hard.  Hope continues to say all three will play, not only Saturday, but throughout the season...because the quarterbacks are 300% better than just one! But, I'd think decisions like this will make it even harder to continuously hold the team line for the three-headed monster of #19, #9 and #15.  I honestly hope they can continue to do so. On top of that, I also hope that TerBush leads Purdue to victory in South Bend...for his coach's sake, he'd better.

TerBush Impresses Hope; Remains Starter

Caleb TerBush went into camp as the number one QB on the depth chart for the Boilermakers, but with lots of competition there was speculation as to whether or not he would stay at that spot for the season.  For now it looks like “The Bush” will be at least starting the first game amid Danny Hope’s latest comments to Mike Carmin of the Journal and Courier.

“He’s our starting quarterback and has taken his game to a different level," exclaimed Hope while his moustache wiggled in excitement.

I'm not so dead set on this idea of TerBush starting, but until I see in game action, I'm not going to be able to determine if this is another screen pass on third and long, or a seam route for a score.

There is going to be a lot of pressure on TerBush to perform early because of the talent behind him. A few bad decisions could lead to "Boo Birds" and ultimately his benching for one of the two other potential starters that are in the shadows. 

Personally I think this is Henry's squad. After the surgery it is going to be questionable as to how healthy he actually is, but with the season he had before he went down, it's going to be hard to let him watch from the side if this team gets in a slump or starts slow.

This is the year that Hope needs to take control of this fanbase and this team. With fewer and fewer season tickets being sold, it's time for a highly successful season to solidify this program as a player within the conference, or risk losing even more revenue from poor on the field performance.

BS Readers Weigh In On Purdue QB Situation

A week or two back, B-dowd put up a poll asking you to give your pick for QB this fall in the black and old gold. The results are in and in our unscientific poll, it's clear -- we've swayed you all with our Marve-lous propaganda.

Robert Marve -- 60%
Rob Henry -- 27%
Caleb Terbush -- 12%

This might seem particularly unfair to Mr. TerBush, who -- let's be fair -- was the primary signal-caller in a season that saw the Boilermakers return to middling bowl game prominence.

Previous to that Rob Henry had captured the hearts and minds of the Boilermaker faithful as he gutted his way to victories despite being beat up along the way and having somewhat limited potential as a downfield passer.

And so here we are, a few months from entering the 2012 season and the public opinion has swayed to a guy who has repeatedly shown he wants nothing more than to play football for Purdue. It looks like he will finally, truly be healthy and let's hope he stays that way, regardless of how he plays. Or, knowing this coaching staff, if he plays.

A Quick Look Ahead at the QB Log Jam of 2012

Danny Hope seems to be loyal and legitimately loves the guys he coaches.  But, he also struggles mightily with making difficult personnel decisions-

"Should Carson or Cody punt here?"
"Who will play QB today...and for how long?"
"Who is going to return kicks & punts?"
"Who will be the featured RB?"
"How can I find a way to play 30 receivers in today's game?"

When it gets right down to it, making tough decisions might be one of the most-important roles of a head coach in college football...and these tough decisions are clearly Hope's achilles heel- from timeouts, play-calling after time-outs, adjustments at halftime and who to play, Purdue's third-year head coach struggles when making large decisions.

Next year, Hope might have his hardest personnel decisions while at Purdue in front of him, depending on a few variables.

At quarterback, many believe Robert Marve will be granted a sixth year by the NCAA (I'm not in agreement with that assessment). If that's the case, the stable will be absolutely busting at the seams with horses.

A completely healthy Robert Marve, Caleb TerBush and Sean Robinson would all be available for the Spring game in this scenario...and in the fall, it gets more confusing.

Former starters and fellow Seniors, Marve and TerBush will both be available and chomping at the bit to play. RS Sophomores and former starters, Sean Robinson and Rob Henry will both be available...and let's not forget, Henry was called the future at QB and was a team captain, prior to going down to a busted ACL.  On top of four good, experienced options, Austin Appleby will be coming in.  Appleby seems to be the best true drop-back option of all of them.  Sure, Appleby should be a no-brainer redshirt candidate.

But...

If Marve isn't granted the extra year of eligibility and Henry's knee has minor setbacks, I can definitely see a scenario in which Appleby burns his redshirt early in the season as Hope gets nervous about being in the situation he was in back in 2010.

One would think this is the best problem to have.  But if the adage of having two quarterbacks really meaning you have zero.  What does it mean to have three...or four that play???

I think every coach in the nation wants this type of problem. But, my fear is that without choosing one starter, the quality of play will be watered down. As a result, Hope's Boilers might once again be left with an offense, that while balanced, is not great nor overpowering in any one aspect of the game.  And if the past few defenses are any indicator, Purdue's offense will need to put up points to be anything more than a soundly-mediocre program.

The Scale: Minny

And so the pendulum swings back the other way...Here's to the wild swinging stopping this week at PSU.

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

Fan Reactions Are Funny...and Sometimes Unhinged

While I tend to not think it's worth giving a lot of pub to crazy people, sometimes I just feel the need to weigh in a little bit on some things.

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.

Onward



Starter

It's easy to be downtrodden about things after the week we've seen. Earthquakes, hurricanes (of natural and Miami persuasion) and the loss of Rob Henry for the season.

To recap, which I had to actually do because I literally lost count, this is ACL injury number 7 to basketball and football players at Purdue since 2009.

Robert Marve tore his during his transfer year in 2009, then again in the Toledo game last year in 2010 (that's two). Rob Hummel tore his in February and October of 2010 (two more). Ralph Bolden tore his before the season in 2010 (that's five total). Keith Smith tore his early last season (that's six) and was then arbitrarily denied another year of eligibility by the always-rational NCAA. And now Rob Henry has torn his, bringing us to seven. (No offense to any Purdue croquet players I missed.) Oh, and just to make you really wonder, Joey Elliott tore his ACL last month making a tackle in a in Canada. Seriously. (And how far back do you want to go? In 2008, Jaycen Taylor missed the season with... yep...a torn ACL.)

But we move onward from here. We've talked about being a fan before and, well, this shouldn't change anything. You're either a Purdue fan or you aren't. And while it's easy to throw your hands up and be incredulous -- and yes, this is amazing bad luck -- you have to also remember the guys who are still out there.

This team lost a teammate, Sean Matti, earlier in the preseason. Now they've been told that one of their captains is injured for the season. And they're coming off a disappointing campaign.

Marve was a guy that we got the feeling they were all getting behind last year... and then he went down. Now we've heard even better stories about Henry's leadership....and he's down.

BUT....

There are still 80+ guys on this team who aren't injured, but who've seen Bolden, Marve, Smith and Henry get their seasons taken away. And, as mentioned, the far more devastating impact of a teammate actually dying. These guys are still working hard, they are still doing their best to believe... and they're eager -- you just know it -- to show us all what kind of team we have in a week.

My point is, don't give up now... don't reduce your support. Don't say you're not going to go to as many games as you might have. Don't throw in the towel. I don't think these guys have yet. I know Coach Hope hasn't yet. Show up next Saturday and make them believe... that you believe.

They might need it more than ever right now.

Now we know the answer

A week ago or so we heard about how Rob Henry wasn't taking any snaps with the special teams units. Anyone who's been keeping tabs with Hope's squad since the spring probably thought that to be pretty odd.

Henry runs a sub-4.4 40...has an unusual throwing motion, was mentioned in the spring as a guy who would get on the field in a number of ways due to his athleticism...but in August, he was firmly in the rotation as a QB...but no where else.

Now we know why.

Hope knew that TerBush might be in trouble academically a few weeks ago. He hinted that two guys on the team were close to not qualifying...but didn't tell us who was in danger. Since Bolden's injury, this is really the first sizable bad news from the football team...and Hope says it's not that bad.

He likes the two-deeps at QB much more this season than last year. Of course, Marve has a ton to do with that, but, if you read between the lines, you might see things the way I do- TerBush isn't quite the QB that Hope was thinking he'd be at this point in his career.

TerBush ran the option in high school, but isn't the athlete that many of the QBs in the stable seem to be- Marve, Henry are both very quick and Robinson is a fluid runner...and Bellomy who should sign in February, seems to be athletically-similar to Marve & Henry.

So what does 19's (potentially) temporary departure mean for the team? Hopefully not much this season. If Marve stays healthy, none of this talk matters...if not, things get a bit more interesting.

In 2010, the depth chart looks like this (after today's news).

Marve (Jr.)

Henry (RS Fr.)

Robinson (potential RS)

Titus/Siller

Sure, Siller hasn't taken a snap as a QB in camp...but I'd think Hope might think about moving the former starter back behind center if Marve couldn't play. The receiving corps is pretty talent-rich and, in that scenario, he'd be the only QB on the roster with any previous playing time at the position.

In 2011, TerBush will hopefully return to the team. But, here's how I see the QB depth chart emerging:

Marve (Sr.)

Robinson (RS Fr.)

Henry (So.)

Bellomy (potential RS)

Panfil, Lindsay and Adams will all be gone, so the TE corps will desperately-need bolstering. It seems that it'd make great sense to have TerBush take a similar path as Siller did, when he rejoins the team...that better-suits his skillset.

I know there are a ton of variables in this equation- injuries, recruiting and academics are all involved. But, my gut tells me that we might have seen our last of Caleb TerBush at QB...and like Siller two years ago, he might not have anyone to blame but himself.

Regardless if I'm correct about his future position or not, I hope to see TerBush back in a Boiler uniform in '11 and graduating shortly after.

Spring Practice Awards

Robert Marve and Caleb TerBush both received spring practice awards, with Marve sharing the Newcomer Award with Will Lucas and TerBush taking the Most Improved Award with Dwayne Beckford.

Also interesting for me to note was that the Hammer Award for the top hitters went to Logan Link (great name, by the way), a safety -- which makes sense -- and Jared Crank, a fullback.

Is it a good thing when one of your top hitters is on offense? I'm fine with it.

A quick look at the Black/Gold game

I'm excited about tomorrow for a lot of reasons...we get to see TerBush in person, see Adams playing WR, Ralph Bolden with two healthy knees, Jason Werner flying around the field sans a back injury, an established, hard-hitting defensive backfield, a new system (offensively and defensively) and new energy.

But honestly, I'm more excited about the forecast-

74 degrees and partly sunny. Holy moly.

I've been to nearly every Black/Gold game for the last 17 years...and can only remember one or two games in which the weather was nice...this will be so good, I'm not wearing pants tomorrow...Look for me, I have a BS tattoo on my posterior.

See you in Ross Ade.