Senior Week at Ross Ade

Here's a look at some of Purdue's Class of 2012


Joe Holland
Holland was a safety in high school and was cut from a similar cloth as one of my Purdue favorites, Jason Werner. Like Werner, the Purdue coaches thought he'd be a good LB in college.  Unlike Werner, he had to start his Freshman season at the position.  He was underweight and like most Freshman, didn't quite know what was going on all the time.  The result was he'd get picked on by opposing coaches.  But, he kept at it doing everything he could to stop opponents.

Four seasons later, he's started nearly 40 games and is an anchor on defense who regularly leads the team in tackles.  There are people who say the kid can't play the game...I'd say those people don't know football.  He's been surrounded by players that are out of position more than they're not...and been a part of a scheme that has put him and his teammates on a collision course with failure time and again...but injuries and hurt pride never slowed him down.  In fact, many games during his career he didn't come out for a down...and he played some special teams. He's been durable, hard-working and solid...Plus, along with Lichtenberg, he's hilarious off the field.

An added note about him- he grew up an ND fan as his parents are both grads, but early in his career he had completely divorced himself from that evil habit.  I for one am glad Joe Holland is a Boilermaker.

Robert Marve

It's tough to look past what this guy was in high school and why he was so highly-touted.  He broke a bunch of the records that Tebow set in the state of Florida.  And when he had it down to Purdue or Miami for where he'd spend the next four years, he stayed close to home.  After a medical redshirt year due to breaking his non-throwing hand in a car wreck, Marve played in 11 games as a Freshman, starting in most of them.  He and the former UM coach didn't get along, so Marve transferred to Purdue.

Just months after his decision to come to God's country, he tore his ACL.  But the forced year off of football due to transfer rules gave him time to get healthy.  After starting three games and an OK start to his Purdue career, he tore the same ACL again on a non-contact play.

Coming into this season, he wasn't 100%...not even close, actually.  He was sore, apprehensive and mentally not completely healed.  So TerBush got the starting job from day1 after Henry also went down due to an ACL injury.

Much of the season, Marve has been the second option in a two-QB system...some (like me) see that he has a ton of tools in the shed and have been disappointed not to see him play more often.  Others still aren't overly-impressed with the Tampa Plant HS product.  But last week he changed the way he'll be viewed by many Purdue fans by willing Purdue to an overtime victory (with the help of his teammates).  

Only the inconsistent NCAA knows if it'll grant him a 5th year of eligibility.  Most think not because of his involvement in the scandal while at Miami...but this is the same NCAA that granted the troubled, but talented Torri Williams one more year, so anything can happen.

Hopefully I'll have the chance to write another one of these next year when he and TerBush graduate together.

Justin Siller
Siller has had probably the second most interesting career at Purdue.  He started at QB, was moved to RB, then back to QB then to WR then to QB (before being injured) then back to WR.  He also played safety (at least in practice) at one time or another.

He was thrust into action when Curtis Painter went down to injury and started at quarterback for a couple games.  He could have greatly-benefited from a bit more time to learn, BUT his athleticism, vision and attitude made him a pretty good quarterback in spite of an odd throwing motion and inexperience.  He helped Purdue beat Michigan on the back of the hook and lateral play.  His future as Purdue's QB looked pretty bright.

But, after losing a season due to breaking academic rules, Siller got back in the good graces of Hope's staff and was back on the team.

Most-recently, he's been a solid contributor at WR...one of his best games came last Saturday.  He didn't have the biggest stats, but blocked great, caught some tough balls that kept drives going and played some wildcat (as he has been for chunks of this season). I'll bet we'll see Siller throw a pass (or two) more before his career is over.

Carson Wiggs
Wiggs was an immediate starter when he got on campus contributing in both kicking and punting (situational).  Wiggy struggled with accuracy at times early in his career, but has been able to crush the ball from day one.  His first successful field goal as a Boilers was a 53 yarder v. aOSU which tied a Purdue record...that he later broke.  First, he broke his own mark by hitting a 55 yard field goal, again versus Ohio State a season later, then crushed one the following season of 59 yards v. Toledo. He's hit over 71% of his field goals while in the gold and black, ranking him first all-time for the program.

He's an internet sensation because of his succession of FGs during the spring game last year...they began in the 50s and finally ended with a 67 yarder.  Hope wanted to give him the opportunity to kick a 70 yarder this season to set the all-time NCAA mark, which we haven't yet seen an attempt close to that.

Off the field, Wiggs is another of the big personalities on the team and his interviews typically show his fun-loving nature.  His handle on Twitter is WiggyBank...I assume referencing that he is money when he kicks.

Chris Carlino
Was thrust into action early in his career and started a lot of games as a Freshman and Sophomore. As Hope made speed more of a focus at LB, Carlino's time on defense dwindled...but that didn't stop him from contributing.  Carlino is a mainstay on kick and punt coverage and is the embodiment of the phrase, "Playing like his hair is on fire."

He's a wildman...looks the part...plays the part...revels in acting like a crazy person on the field.  He's not the greatest athlete on the team, but playing with reckless abandon makes him a favorite of mine.

Kurt Lichtenberg
A big special teams guy and former walkon who has made a difference both on the field and off of it.  He's a huge clown and his camp videos are some of my favorite things to watch in the late summer.

When not acting the fool, Lichtenberg is a good student and an all-around good guy.  He does a lot of work for local charities and has taken mission trips to Haiti and elsewhere.

Jared Crank
A true fullback who saw the field from the very beginning of his career.  This season, he's carried the ball quite a bit more than previous seasons as a change up to Bolden and Shavers.  While a wrecking ball when blocking, he also has nifty moves...he plays with a chip on his shoulder which I like to see.

Albert Evans
He played quite a bit as an underclassman...and has continued that throughout his career with the exception only coming from injury.  Evans is a hard-hitting guy who's made some of the most-memorable plays for the Purdue defense in the last four seasons.  Most recently, his interception and 50+ yard return from the end zone v. Penn State helped keep Purdue in that contest.

Gerald Gooden
Gooden has been a starter for much of his career. He's been hampered by multiple injuries that probably kept him from reaching his full potential.  But, his biggest enemy might have been high expectations.  Many thought he was the heir to the DE throne in the wake of Kerrigan's departure, but that hasn't been the case.  He's been a solid player during his career.

Waynelle Gravesande
Like Gooden, Gravesande isn't the best athlete on the team.  But, his ability to play smart and play hard has helped him end his career very well.  Coming into Purdue, I thought Gravesande might be able to make an impact a bit earlier, but it wasn't to be.  Instead, he's been a sure-handed punt returner when no one else on the team seemed to be able or brave enough to stand back there in front of the firing squad.  He runs crisp routes and is sure-handed...I think he should be a starter at WR, or at least be seeing more time on the field because of his consistency.

Nick Mondek
Started very early in his career at DT...and was a pretty good tackle.  But, Hope wanted him on the other side of the ball due to need on the offensive line.  It took him about a half season before he got comfortable on that side, but now is a solid lineman.  He plays with a chip on his shoulder and has just enough nastiness to make him fearsome.

Sean Matti
Loved watching this kid play in the spring games...had a great one last Spring reminding me a lot of Dan Dierking during the contest.

Matti died prior to the season of drowning and has been honored all season by the team with 22 decals on the back of their helmets.

Logan Link
A walk-on turned starter, Link has become an important part of the Boiler defense.  He's not the fastest guy, but he hits hard and gives everything he's got every down.  The defensive scheme hasn't helped him much, nor has the lack of development of some of the younger safeties...but he's the type of player that just comes to the game and does what he's asked to do.

He's got great size, but his ability to change directions always hampered him a bit...in my opinion he might have been a pretty solid free safety.

Kevin Ballinger
He's a fellow blogger whose videos and posts provide some insight into being a walkon at Purdue, but more than that are flat-out funny.  His videos also show the important role he plays on this team.  Plus, he's a pretty good snapper and his importance on the field shouldn't be discounted.


Dennis Kelly
Kelly is a giant who looks to be on a collision course with the NFL.  When he arrived at Purdue he was tall, but very lean for a lineman.  But (and I think we've heard this before), he was forced into action a bit earlier than planned.  His Freshman year was a learning experience for him as he went against guys who could flat out manhandle him.  That's not the case anymore as Kelly has become the most-consistent and reliable offensive lineman.

He's tall has long arms that can create space in pass blocking and hasn't lost his good footwork in spite of gaining a few pounds since he arrived on campus.

Also being honored on Saturday:
Austin Moret
Brad Neimeier
Spencer Dawson
Adam Brockman
DeVarro Greaves
Dan Berry
James Shepherd
Charlton Williams

Mmmmm...Turnovers. A wrap-up of Purdue's Sixth Loss.

Sean and Denard Robinson (not related) both had 2 interceptions...and both of their teams had an additional 3 fumbles lost. Atop that, the weather was horrible...it looked bad on TV, I'm told...but it felt worse. Nearly three quarters of the game, there was a driving rain from the South...and it was chilly and windy. But, before you misunderstand, let me clarify, the game was uglier than the weather...and many of the turnovers were flat-out just bad football and can't be blamed on wind or rain.

Purdue's quarterbacks (both Robinson and Henry) simply didn't look like they knew the play that was called on multiple occasions. Plus, Justin Siller had the honor of being Purdue's fourth QB to start this season...and to add injury to injury, he most-likely had his season ended after the first offensive play of the game.

But, as bad as the offense looked, the defense may have been that good. Ricardo Allen displayed shades of Deion Sanders as he ran an interception back 94 yards for a touchdown. And speaking of 94, Ryan Kerrigan was a man possessed. He forced two fumbles, had 10 tackles and, shockingly was held every fricking play. In fact, on one of his forced fumbles he was pretty much clothes-lined and still fought through it to rock Denard Robinson. Bruce Gaston and KK Short both clogged the middle very effectively and Will Lucas was all over the field in the second half.

Thanks to our pal Margie, we had great seats for this afternoon's game. As a result, we got some exclusive video of the game. Enjoy.

Here are some quick observations from the day:

-Before it even started, DeVarro Greaves tried to drum up some angst from the Wolverines by chirping at the Michigan players as they warmed up. Michigan didn't react a whole bunch...and Greaves didn't have a ton of support from the team.

-Rich Rodriguez seemingly lectured and berated Robinson after every possession...after each brow beating, Tate Forcier would warm up by either riding a stationary bike or throwing the ball distances that varied between 5 and 7 feet from his receiver (slight exaggeration)...but for a half, it was all smoke and talk as he didn't play until Rich Rod was really upset, I guess. Being close to the UM bench gave me the opportunity to tell Tate how much I enjoy his website. Best site ever?

-J, Margie and I had a burger at AJ's Burger and Beef after the game...had never heard of it before today, but the garlic cheese burger & pizza puff were probably two of my favorite parts of the day. Give them a try if you haven't been.

So, what's the bright side of today's loss? Our Boilers lost by 11...not 63. And speaking of the Hoosiers- things are so bad for IU fans that on message boards and blog sites alike, many IU fans see beating Purdue as nearly impossible at this point. If I was the Hoosiers, I wouldn't want to face Kerrigan in his last home game either. Sadly, the offense will have to take the field at some point.

Not according to plan.

The bye week was supposed to be a chance to for Purdue's football team to get healthy and prepare for a new chapter as Rob Henry will soon be Purdue's starter. Well, half of that is going to happen.

We all thought that Justin Siller was an option to be moved back to the QB rotation...until recently. Everybody saw him go down v. Toledo and come back on the field in sweats. But, Hope announced yesterday that Siller would be unavailable, to play any position, for the next few games at least. His sprained foot has been described as a "serious sprain". I had a serious ankle sprain in college that made me pretty worthless for a long while...so I understand. But, that makes the repercussions no easier.

Siller and Keith Smith excited a lot of Purdue fans, like myself, coming into the season. Their athletic ability, ability to pass and size combined to give Purdue all sorts of potential options (that we never really saw this season, by the way). Now, Those options are both off of the table as is a whole lot, at this point, honstly.

Purdue's skeleton crew, skilled players on offense look like this (right now) for the Northwestern game:

Rob Henry QB (0 starts) RS Frosh

ATM (1 start) Soph.

OJ Ross WR (0 starts) True Frosh

Cortez Smith WR (5 starts) Sr.

Antavian Edison WR (0 starts) Soph.

Kyle Adams TE (long-time starter) Sr.

Worse still, the depth chart, particularly at WR, is pretty scary- two RS Freshman and a Junior who has played little bolster the line-up. All of a sudden, the running back corps looks rock solid (in comparison)- ATM, Dierking, Carlos and Crank are all options as they're all getting healthy. Perhaps Carlos will be moved back to WR? Kinda hope not simply because his hands were so shaky in '09...that's probably not changed in the last few months.

What this all seems to spell out is the offense must change immensely. I think we'll see more read option, passing to the flat and maybe Kyle Adams will finally become more of a receiving threat...kinda has to, really. If you watched Henry run the offense in practice videos (the few that exist) and in his limited action, you might have seen what I noticed- he seems to run the offense at a faster pace than did Marve. Perhaps that might translate to a no-huddle that's even more effective...plus, the no-huddle has yielded the most success (I know that's not saying a ton) for Purdue's offense, regardless of who has been at the helm, this season.

I hate to say it, but it's tough to have anything but low expectations for the offense right now...at worst, they'll continue the lack of production we've seen thus far this season. But, anything more would be pleasantly-shocking.

This is all the more reason the defense and special teams simply must produce right now. Simple things like tackling and spacing are of utmost importance...but, sadly, we have no reason to believe these parts of the gameplan can be counted on at this point. Another way the defense can make a difference immediately would be making every easily-catchable interception that presents itself. That said, it doesn't seem Persa will give Purdue many chances to intercept the ball- he's completing an eye-popping 80% of his passes and his TD:Int ratio is 10:2...but the Wildcats looked amazingly-beatable against a mediocre Minny team last Saturday.

Editor's Note:

I'm out of town on vacation, so posting is kinda tough right now...J is dealing with something much more important than that. In the next week or so, things should get back to normal around here...thanks for your patience until that happens.

Bringing Siller Back

Justin Siller has been reinstated and will join a very skilled offense this fall for the Boilermakers. This is very good news, provided JS keeps his nose clean and plays like the threat he showed he was late in the 2008 campaign.

According to initial reports, Siller could see time "at all of the skill positions on offense." I like this a lot. When he's on the field, the Boilers could use him at QB, RB, slot receiver or even in a Wildcat variation. Regardless of how he's used, this is an opportunity to give opposing defenses something else to worry about and prepare for.

Oh, yeah, and we told you so.

Quarterback-Heavy Gumbo

There were so many things to talk about today, many related to QBs, that I thought I'd just dump it all into a gumbo post. So let's get started.

Own a Piece of History

Yes, that's right -- you can get the pictured Curtis Painter Colts jersey for the low, low price of just $200. It's rare that a young man has the chance to be a local hero (cough) for his college team and follow that up by staying local with the beloved pro team... and then get cut from the practice squad in August. Curtis clearly (and wisely) did not demand his familiar number 12 from Jim Sorgi.

Irish Don't Get The Montana They Really Want

It'll be fun to see how the UND loyalists spin this one. Legacy Nick Montana has decided not to attend Notre Dame despite his father having gone there (and his brother Nate being there), and instead will attend....wait for it... Washington. The same Huskies who went 0-12 last year. Wow. To choose a program in the kind of disarray that UW is in over the supposed up-and-coming and ready to pounce UND program is rather telling. Could Joe Cool have advised his son to stay away? Who knows? Maybe Nick was just worried about living up to the legend of Pickles Clausen.

So Much For Those "Turning Over A New Leaf" Headlines

Sadly, Ryan Leaf's life continues to plummet down the toilet. He's now wanted as a result of a grand jury's indictment on nine charges against him relating to prescription painkillers. I no longer want to make jokes about him, and really nobody should. He's a troubled man and it's just plain sad.

Compliance is the Word of the Day At IU

According to this story, compliance "comes first" at Indiana. Well, at least something comes in first at IU. From the story:

Fred Glass gathered the Indiana coaching staff before he was introduced as the school’s athletic director and told them his top priority: compliance.

It was a word one of the coaches just didn’t want to hear.

“A coach said, ‘You know what, we’re sick of hearing that. We’re sick of hearing compliance,’ ” Glass recalled being told during a visit to Fort Wayne last week. “ ‘We are a compliant place with a compliant culture, and we really don’t like hearing that.’ ”

Yes, I'm sure you indeed don't like hearing that, coach. Being reminded about compliance when your basketball program was sort of decimated by a non-compliant coach just two years ago must be a real drag.


JaJuan and Ostrich Continue USA Basketball Tryouts Against Our Advice

Yes, they're all "honored" and stuff to be trying out for the USA Basketball's World University Games team. The rest of us would rather they sit in a barcalounger for the summer.

Five of the 16 players initially invited to try out are from the Big Ten, more than any other conference.

Oh, but yeah, the Big Ten is weak, right Digger?

The Indy Star Has A Purdue Football Opinion?

According to the Indy Star, the Boilers have a "Tough football schedule." It says so right in the headline. However, I might argue that starting the season with three of four at home against Toledo, No. Illinois and Notre Dame (all winnable games, even for this season's expectations) means that a 3-1 start, while not necessarily likely, isn't exactly far-fetched. We'll keep an eye on the Star to see if they contribute anything noteworthy, or instead continue to just be an IU lapdog.

Have We Heard The Last of Justin Siller?

This is completely unfounded, but according to on-campus BS sources, Siller remains enrolled at Purdue and appears (appears) to have no plans to leave. He has not transferred and apparently is readying to take classes this fall. If this is accurate, what does it mean? Has Siller had enough of football? Is it only a matter of time before he transfers to a school that makes him an offer? Or is it possible that he'll lie low for another year and then knock on Coach Hope's door? If you have any insight, shoot us a note.

I Don't Think Joe Tiller Reads Boiled Sports

I know, crazy talk, right? But I don't think he's paying attention to us. As evidence, let's take a look at this quote from today on ESPN.com's Big Ten "blog":

"I haven't heard anybody say, 'You've got to be crazy if you're not [starting Siller]!'" Tiller said. "Mind you, it's only Tuesday."

Ahem. Joe, you've got to be crazy if you're not starting Siller. Does that change anything?

Also from that same post:

Backup quarterback Justin Siller won Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his impressive performance against Michigan, but Painter's experience could be beneficial against No. 18 Michigan State.

Really? Beneficial how? You mean all his experience beating ranked teams? Because I think Siller guiding the Boilers to 48 points was beneficial and that sort of firepower might also be beneficial against Sparty.

Upon Further Review...

In case you haven't watched game film from Saturday, here's a chance to witness some details, at least on the offensive side of the ball. I didn't make this video, but I'm glad this guy did. The music isn't so great, but the video is just as effective with the sound down.



A few thoughts on what I see:
-Ken Plue was impressive in person and was as well on this video
-Dennis Kelly (Freshman lineman, #68) who just burned his redshirt last week was impressive, especially as plays broke down
-Siller made a wide array of throws...seems to have more touch than Painter, but his balls are a little more wobbly than Curt's (he should see a doctor about that...). In all seriousness, he made some very good decisions too and didn't force or panic, as 12 seems to have done much of this season.
-I knew Greg Orton played well...he played really well; and he knew it too. He was in the face of the hapless UM DBs on a lot of occasions late in the game. He was probably sick of them holding him...didn't matter though, even while cheating, they couldn't guard him.
-There's no way Painter should play next week.
-Michigan is awful, so that needs to be taken into account, but they blitzed and Siller handled the blitzes and different looks very well.

Addendum:
Justin Siller was just named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week. His reward will be Painter starting next week?

Joe's Genius

Yesterday, Tiller was asked why Justin Siller didn't play v. aOSU. He responded, "It just didn't fit what we were doing."

Well, here's what they were doing:
26 Rush
70 Yds.
2.7 yds/carry

Last year, we heard how important a second back was in a rotation...This year, we've seen a steady diet of draws and isos that don't utilize Sheets' speed ad nauseum with Sheets only getting brief breathers.

So now, Kory Sheets, who couldn't carry the ball more than 15-20 times/game doesn't need help at RB...and Joe honestly telling me that Siller, who according to Tiller himself will be an all-time great at Purdue, couldn't get 2.7 yds/carry last Saturday? Who am I to question...

Don't get me started about Halliburton and Dierking- both seem to be able to tackle awfully well during their downs on Special Teams, yet, during all of the shuffling and problems at LB, not a thought was given to moving Frank to LB? He played the position in high school...now, he's languishing as the third or fourth option at RB...and at FB, he's not being used in favor of a defensive lineman (by the way, Tiller called both he and crank the best FBs during his career at Purdue during the '07 camp), who probably should have been a FB the whole time, since that was his natural position out of high school.

Some More Tiller-isms
On one hand, you have Joe Tiller who seems to be loyal-to-a-fault to his Senior quarterback...the same QB that's led the Purdue offense to less than a touchdown a game. Tiller has always favored giving guys that have earned playing time that which they deserve.

Well, coming into this season, one of Purdue's receivers had sat on the bench behind a 4-year starter and quietly done his job whenever asked to do so. He returned kicks, played special teams and played receiver when Bryant came out of the game. Furthermore, he did a great job capitalizing on the limited playing time as he had three touchdowns in limited action in '07.

This year in camp, Desmond Tardy, the player mentioned above had been placed as the number two slot receiver behind Keith Smith...Smith's size and athleticism, according to Tiller, earned him the #1 spot coming into '08...Where was Tiller's loyalty then?

OK, OK, maybe Smith was just a better player and Tiller's eagle eye for talent saw that Tardy just wouldn't be that productive. Well, after 6 games, Tardy leads the team in yds/gm and receiving touchdowns...and Tardy is the starter.

Tardy not only deserves to be starting according to the numbers, but also, according to Tiller's inconsistent Seniority system which comes and goes as Joe sees fit. There never should have been any doubt where Tardy should be.