The Curse of Pizza

Last December, all was right in the world.

The Big 10 had 12 teams, the Big 12 had 10 teams, The Big East didn't stretch to the West Coast and Purdue was preparing to go to a crappy bowl to play a MAC team, as Danny Hope was secure with his new contract.

Now, the B1G is about to become a 14 team conference, the Big East is about to become no conference at all and Purdue's head football coach seems to be scratching and clawing for another day in God's country.

Things change quickly in the college football world.

Around a year ago, Western Michigan boasted of a few NFL-level players and an offense that looked like it could hang with about anyone.  This season, Western Michigan's team was 4-8...so their AD decided it was time to move forward.

WMU's coach, Cubit, had been there 8 seasons and had a record over .500...he was coming off of a bowl season to boot. But all that wasn't enough to save his job...at Western Michigan.  Does anyone catch my drift here?

In this era of college football, winning about half of your games and going to crappy bowls isn't good enough.  It's not good enough for a MAC program, and it surely isn't good enough for Purdue.

The problem with winning around half of your games, to me at least, is it saps all emotion and intensity from the fan base...especially if that's the case season, after season, after season.  Purdue has been stuck in this quagmire for a while...and we've written about it a time or two, I believe.

Even if your sister's a really good kisser, it's not a good practice to lock lips with her time and again, but with a 6-6 record (at best) on the horizon, Purdue's football program's sister has her lip gloss on and is ready to go.

The end of Tiller's time at Purdue wasn't too fun.  Saturday's at Ross-Ade had become shells of what they'd used to be.  If Purdue was playing a crappy defense, the first down chant would be the anthem, but when good defenses came calling, the first down chant became the equivalent of the fight song after a TD- something to savor and enjoy. The same is the case now.

Purdue's offense is a shell of what it's been over Hope's time at Purdue.  When "The Duke" was at QB and Keith Smith was in the game, Purdue might chuck it around or might have had Smith pass it.  When Ralph Bolden was health and Purdue's o-line was consistent, Bolden and Shavers would gash defenses with regularity.  Now, it takes really bad defenses to allow Bolden and Shavers to get loose, not inventive play-calling...and Purdue QBs don't regularly pass for over 200 yards versus anyone.

Please understand, this is no indictment of the guys on the field.  Saturday is a great illustration of that- Marve complete's nearly 3/4 of his passes and his numbers weren't anything to write home about.  He was doing what he could, taking what was given to him...and sticking to the gameplan.  Isn't that what Hope and Nord have always wanted of him?  Good for Marve for being a good soldier.  Very bad for Hope and Nord for not giving Marve a chance to showcase what he can really do.

On defense, things have looked pretty good the last few weeks...but Iowa and Illinois' offenses are offensive.  This week that'll change as IU's offense will surely test Purdue's DBs and front.  Wilson will remind us what innovation on the offensive side of the ball looks like...but his defense is atrocious, so it might not matter.

But IU on Saturday has become a pretty fun place to be- IU fans saw some things they didn't expect this season and have a reason to believe things are getting better. Our Boilers, conversely, were sadly predictable this season...and they'll lose huge chunks of their firepower, on both sides of the ball, to graduation this offseason.  Like Coach Hope told us, this was a team like none other he'd had at Purdue and the potential was there for a good season.  That potential has now been watered down to a mediocre bowl play-in game with IU.

So a few weeks ago when Hope started blaming injuries for the state of things on campus, I couldn't stop my blood from reaching the Boiling point.  This wasn't '10...Purdue wasn't playing a third or fourth string QB and second and third string RBs.  Purdue had the nicks and cuts that the B1G grinder gives you...but in spite of ridiculous rotations in multiple positions, his coaching staff wasn't ready for the adversity.

On top of that, Hope has now badmouthed his coaching mentor on two different occasions to the media...he's also called Purdue fans and ticket holders losers and people of low character.  Now, we always have liked Hope as a person.  Better yet, we've always liked what he's let us see.  In person, he's been gracious and conversational and to the media he always seemed happy to be the head coach.  That's not the same any more. The problems seem to now outweigh the advantages of coaching the B1G for Hope...so, soon, he'll have to lie in the bed he's made.

Coach Nord has always been a bristly guy...but this season, he's coached a stale offense and continued to defend the methodology while telling us that we didn't see what we thought we saw.  I don't wish the man ill...in fact, I hope his back is healthy enough to coach someplace else next season.

Danny Hope saw last season's Little Caesars' Bowl as a stepping stone for his Boilers on the way to greater things.  Turns out, that bowl game might have been a transition for both coaching staffs in the game as they prepared to exit.

Predicto - Bowl Edition; Broncos of Western Michigan

Delicious Side Caesar

It's been a while folks, but we've got one more predicto in the chamber for a Tuesday night game that isn't basketball. The Good Guys take on Western Michigan at 4:30PM EST Tuesday, 12/27 in the Little Caesar's bowl. For one final time this season, we break it down for you all - predicto starts now.

Oh, and he broke some silly record.

Brother Boilers and Pizza Prep

Woody and Chad Austin, Greg and Gary McQuay all have done what Terone and Ronnie Johnson chose to do- play basketball at Purdue. But the Johnsons are the only pair of Boiler brothers in the last 20 years that have the ability to be on the court at the same time. And with Ryne Smith and LewJack both graduating at the end of this year, they will probably both be starting very early next season.

We received an e-mail from Indiana Recruiting Guide telling us they were about to post a look at the younger Johnson, so we wanted to pass it on to you.

Johnson's court vision, quickness, ability to find the open man and keep the defense honest with his three-point shot all make him a player that will be tough to keep off the court next season.  The void LewJack will leave will be sizable and tough to fill...but Johnson like Jackson seems to have the tools that will allow his game to translate to the next level in spite of being shorter than many high recruits at the PG position.

Click HERE for videos and info about Ronnie Johnson.

All News is Bad News
As Purdue gets ready for the bowl game on the 27th more bad news than good seems to be coming out of West La La.  First we heard about OJ Ross being suspended for academic concerns...two days ago, we heard what we thought we'd be hearing- Ross will not be playing in the bowl due to missing too much practice.

Gary Bush will be picking up the slack that Ross' suspension leaves.  I've been a fan of Bush all season as he's been very consistent, runs crisp routes and doesn't take plays off.  There's no doubt that Ross is a gifted guy, but talent alone only takes you so far...and Bush's ability to do the little things made the offense better when he played this season.

Atop of Ross' academic woes, starting linebacker and leading tackler Dwayne Beckford was arrested for DWI this weekend.  Purdue had kept it pretty quiet, but Beckford had been arrested back in July for possession of drug paraphernalia...and in June was arrested for leaving the scene in which he had hit a parked car.

The most-recent charge is made more serious because Beckford was already on probation due to the previous arrests.

One of the aspects of Hope's time at Purdue has been this type of stuff has been less prevalent than it was in the latter seasons of Tiller's tenure at Purdue. I didn't have any time for repeat offenders then, and really don't now.  Making one mistake isn't the same as getting arrested three times in a six month period...And while I really like Hope's focus on academics, there is no comparison to the severity of not going to class or doing poorly on tests and drinking while driving.

Seems to me that Beckford should be suspended right away- not because he's automatically guilty, but because he's already had a history of poor behavior...so I'd think he'd not only be on probation with the police, but also with the coaches.

Prior to Beckford's arrest, the coaches had already announced they'd be playing more nickel defense to counter Western Michigan's pass-happy offense...so Beckford not playing shouldn't be the end of the world.  Harris was going to see the field more and on running downs, I'd think Carlino will play. Carlino of course has been a starter and plays with a ton of intensity, which is never bad for a defense.

Losing a RB like Ralph Bolden with only weeks to prepare a back-up would have been catastrophic in previous seasons...but as we've talked about ad nauseaum, this year's Purdue backfield is just different. Shavers was Bolden's 1A when healthy, and the guys behind him proved themselves to be talented time and again.

The other Akeem that'll be getting more carries, Hunt, gives up about 25 pounds in the stead of Bolden/Shavers...but is a shiftier runner and has better break-away speed.

All this said, the way Nord called the offense this season, the loss of an RB really doesn't affect Purdue's game plan at all. Edison, Pegram, Crank and even Mostert will probably all get chances to carry the ball in Detroit.

Hope says there are a few guys that are still not out of the woods academically and there might be more that can't play in Detroit. The coaches will know in the next week.

Regardless of academic attrition, injuries or problems with the law, I don't think these issues should matter.  Heck, even if Purdue were to lose a QB, would we really see a quantitative difference in offensive output?

Purdue would be hurt with the loss of Allen and/or Johnson...or if Short and/or Gaston couldn't play v. WMU.  And if Kelly couldn't play, that'd be costly...and obviously, there's a tipping point when you lose 3, 4, 5...starters, but I've heard nothing to make me think any of these guys are in danger.

So let's just enjoy the 10th-best B1G bowl for 2011/12, regardless of which Boilers can suit up, shall we?

A Review of Ford Field, Home of the Little Caesars Bowl

For those going -- or considering going -- to the Purdue-Western Michigan bowl game in Detroit, the Stadium Journey has been there and has a detailed rundown on what you need to know.

It turns out it's a nice place to watch a game and you might not even be shot. Cool!

Enjoy.

Boilers/Hope Get What They Deserve: Trip to Detroit (and B1G Bowl notes)

Last night when Purdue was given the news that they'd be making the short trip to Detroit to play Western Michigan, many players weren't celebrating, but instead were complaining about the draw.  Hours, if not minutes later, the tune changed...and this morning that continued.

Hope and some of the Seniors weighed in on GBI saying they were grateful for getting the invite...and honestly, they all should be.  Two teams eligible for bowls, Ball State (6-6) and Western Kentucky (7-5), didn't receive bowl bids...but everyone who was eligible to go from the B1G got an invite.  That's right TEN of the 12 teams in the conference are going bowling.  That's the most ever invited from one conference.  But is it something to brag about when four of those teams are .500? I think not.

BS Tourney Challenge -- Still Up For Grabs

It seems like weeks ago that we started the BS Tourney Challenge. Oh, yeah, it was. Since then, the Boilermakers have achieved about what we thought they might, the Big East was anointed the best conference ever by Digger Phelps, and Penn State won a national basketball championship.

And here we are, with just one more college basketball game to go this season. Remember, the winner of the BS Challenge gets a snazzy t-shirt (similar to picture) and the chance to voice themselves on our airwaves (Webwaves?), while second place only gets a t-shirt. Third place gets an ass-grab from Tim. And remember, coffee is for closers.

So where are we? Our leader in the clubhouse -- and winner if UNC wins the whole thing -- is DELA WHERE????, who accurately prognosticated MSU versus UNC in the final game. Nicely done.

Hail Leroy hangs on to second place and will continue to hang on with a UNC win.

But who can derail these two? The top 8 in the standings all have UNC winning and thus will all remain in lockstep if that happens. However, Digger's Stinky Palm and The Bracket have MSU winning it all and, thus, will finish 1-2 if that happens. Interestingly, only about six entries have Sparty winning it all. So either Purdue's blowout over them made people think they didn't have what it takes or everyone began believing the ESPN hype about the Big East.

If you wind up being the winner -- and really, the only two winners can be DELA WHERE???? or Digger's Stinky Palm -- please shoot us a note at boiledsports@gmail.com so we can correspond and get your guest-spot set up. Your brilliance will be required by early afternoon on Thursday and will be posted Friday morning so start thinking about what to say. It's kind of like the Oscars.

Good luck, all.