Revenge Tour Continues in Champaign

The Seniors at Illinois had never beaten Purdue. But on Wednesday night, they dreamed the impossible dream and made it happen.

Purdue dominated quite a big chunk of the conference before this season...but nothing's normal this season.

I've been imploring for Painter to try the Gene Keady tactic for a while- just get a tech and see how the team reacts.  Well, this one was already out of hand, so I'm not sure it mattered...but at the very least, I liked the fire.

Matty's general frustration finally boiled over tonight; the first time he's been thrown out as a coach occurred with about 8 minutes left in the second half as he got whistled for back-to-back techs.  Sure, EVERY official that works B1G games deserves what Painter put out tonight...but Painter has never been one to dish it out.  He got his money's worth tonight...and probably deserved three or four techs.

In fact, after being booted, he continued to chew on whats-his-name as another official held him back.  I'd say that the officiating wasn't too bad tonight...Purdue was, but the officials didn't bother me.  Perhaps Painter was as sick of watching Purdue get dominated on the glass...something that Purdue had held its hat on this season.  Perhaps he was tired of seeing a motion offense that has no motion. Maybe he found it frustrating to watch a defense-centric team give up all sorts of baskets; deep shots, slashes, mid-range jumpers...Purdue couldn't stop anything tonight (something we've seen quite a bit this season).

Hammons looked like a Freshman as the double team affected him and kept him from getting in position deep in the blocks...and when Purdue can't run the offense through him, there is no offense at all.  I figured out what Purdue seems to be running earlier this week- The play is simple: If Hammons isn't involved, it's like Purdue is a team who is tied with their opponent, and playing for the last shot...but on every possession.  It seems they're not too bothered if they don't hit the shot, but they want to keep the ball out of the opponent's hands for a few more seconds.  Oh yeah...and they don't have any timeouts to figure out what to do...and they're perpetually on the road...and everyone's a Freshman...and it's December.

As I type, J is doing a post-game wrap-up...I just thought I'd add a little texture.  Panda traveled to the game and got to see the train wreck in person; I'm sorry for him, but it's not a very long drive and Illinois' fans have never bothered me personally, so I can't see the interaction with them being that bad.

I don't remember a ton of good things about the game...and really don't want to check the box score tonight- Byrd broke his nearly two-game streak without a bucket with a long three.  BTN genius Tim Doyle responded by saying Byrd was one of the best shooters in the league.  I'd bet Byrd would argue with that...but Doyle is a moron who says moronic things.  He later said that Byrd would almost have to be a good shooter since he has that last name and is from the state of Indiana. (pssssst- Timmy, those are different spellings.) But we knew he was going to have a great game as a color guy when he started by saying, "Purdue is getting better every game."

Huh???  I guess I've been watching a different product. Oh well.

Carroll had a blocked shot that stunned me a bit...Marcius played hard and had a nifty up and under move...and Purdue actually hit some free throws.  Not sure there's much else to report.  Oh yeah, Purdue dropped to 12-13, 5-7 in the conference...their shot at a number one seed might be fading*.

Next up, the number one team in America, at their house.

I simply don't think Purdue should be playing this poorly, this deep in the season...but right now, our Boilers are exactly who their record says they are.


*sarcasm, in case you haven't noticed, is one of today's themes.

Boilers Move To 2-0 In Conference By Krushing Orange

**Post updated at 10:45 PM ET**

The Boilers put on an impressive performance today to move to 2-0 in conference with a 75-60 victory over Illinois in a game that honestly wasn't even that close.

The Boilers trailed 23-15 with five minutes to go in the first half and I was definitely getting a bit concerned. However, a 37-6 howitzer blast of a run by the good guys swelled the lead to 23 (52-29) and that, coupled with the Illini's body language, showed this one was over.

I personally was pleased with this one for a number of reasons. Purdue lost two of the best players they've had in their stable in many years -- two of them -- and have still come out of the gate strong, to the tune of a 12-3 (2-0) start. And we also must remember -- not like you could forget -- that the Boilers' losses have all been games they had every right to win, if only they could have closed them out. It's not like this team has been outclassed in any contest.

In this game, Purdue only had two guys get into double digits, with Barlow netting a tidy 14, including 5/7 from the line, and Ryne Smith tallying 12, all from beyond the arc on 80% three-point shooting (4/5). Ryne also had four rebounds, an assist and two steals. I also loved Smith's hustle in this game, as he gave up his body a number of times and played some strong help defense under the basket, committing a foul to stop a slam -- I like that.

Elsewhere, LewJack had a quiet but important eight points on 67% FG shooting (2/3) and 80% FT shooting (4/5), as well as six rebounds and two dimes. He also only played 19 minutes and I think this was part of the concerted effort b-dowd mentioned in his last write-up to keep Jackson fresh. Once the Boilers were up big, why not give the younger guys some heavy minutes? It's never too early to think about next year, when convenient.

To that end, Terone and Travis Carroll both had 21 minutes off the bench, and scored nine and seven, respectively. AJ and DJ both played 18 minutes in relief and had seven and nine points, respectively.

Electric slide tonight for NYE?

Rob Hummel had his quietest game of the season, finishing with only five points in 22 minutes, but also with five rebounds and three assists. Lawson was incredibly quiet in another start, but on the plus side, he did commit only two fouls rather than his customary four.

John Hart only played nine minutes but most came in the first half and I liked what I saw out of John. I also liked seeing him get important, first half minutes. I'm not sure if that will continue, obviously, but as I said, I thought it was good to see as John continues to try to find his role within this team.

The reason I liked this win was because Purdue showed moxie. Just like the downhill direction can be contagious for a basketball team (like looking over your shoulder expecting to blow big leads when it happens a few times), I also think confidence can be just as, if not more, contagious. The Boilers, as mentioned, were down late in the first half before using a mini-surge to take a narrow halftime lead. They then came out and ballooned the lead into the 20s -- but with 12 minutes remaining. More than enough time to blow it, if you were worried they were inclined to do that.

But the boys in black and gold (and white and whatever gold that was) didn't fold and kept the Illini at a comfortable distance the rest of the way. I'll admit, the earlier flops this season make me a little gunshy as the lead went back under 20 and then down to 17.... but the Boilers held firm and looked confident doing so.

Hey, the best our boys could be right now in Big Ten play is 2-0 and they are just that -- which is a lot better than 0-2.

The alums who comprised the Paint Crew tonight while the students are on break did a good job and included the handsome Travis from H&R.Well done, old people.

Give Us Back Our Cannon! Boilers Win On Homecoming Over Illini 21-14

Our Boilers made us all proud on homecoming today is West Lala, beating Illinois and embattled coach Ron Zook, 21-14. And while I definitely want everyone to enjoy this one, you have to wonder how much of this was Purdue winning and how much was Illinois/Zook opening the door and inviting the Boilers in.

Let's talk positives first, because there definitely were many, especially early on. I had mentioned to B-dowd this week that I couldn't remember that last time the Boilers came out "shot out of a cannon" as he likes to say. Hope always seemed to be able to get these guys up for certain games -- even if they didn't result in wins. But lately it didn't feel like the guys were ever starting well. That all changed today as TerBush orchestrated arguably his best drive so far this season, and definitely his best if you consider the competition This was a ranked opponent who rolled into town with a 6-1 record. And Caleb takes them 91 yards in four and a half minutes on Purdue's first scoring drive.

The second drive was 88 yards in just over three minutes, ending with a 21 yard rushing TD by Raheem Mostert. Mostert's TD run was also wonderful to behold, running through a hole and sprinting nearly untouched to the end zone....and nearly into the arms of a waiting Purdue fan. How sweet.

Special teams redeemed themselves a bit today, too. While there were no returns to speak of, there weren't any catastrophic errors, either. And they were swarming early on, collapsing on a bobbled punt attempt by the Illini that wound up giving the Boilers the ball on the Illinois 14. Another impressive thing we saw out of the Boilers today was the ability to finish these drives off and not having to settle for FG attempts. A 21-0 lead is a lot more demoralizing to a team on the road than, say, a 13-0 lead would have been. That was huge.

The defense played solid today as well. Tackling seemed to get a little sloppy in the second half, but they, too, were swarming on Scheelhaase, who does not seem to have a whole lot of football awareness in general. He held on to the ball too long many times and made a ridiculously head-scratching decision at the end of the first half with his team down 21-0. The Illini were driving, such as it was, and were into Purdue territory. They got the ball to the Purdue 21 on a weird, 34-yard rush and lateral play and had :01 showing on the clock as they reset the chains. And what did Scheelhaase do? Why, he gave everyone the spike signal and lined up and, true to his signal, clocked the ball. Of course, at least a second has to run off the clock and so the half was over. Really? You're at the college level and still don't know how the clock works? Incredible. And fortunate for the Boilers. I like it when the other team makes the really stupid mistakes.

As for what didn't go as well, we need to look no further than.... everything after halftime. The Boilers played a very different game after the break, when they must have enjoyed the Joe Tiller staple of halftime meals -- pasta, turkey and warm milk. Purdue had three whole first downs in the entire second half, two of which came on one drive. Drive is a generous term, really, as the Boilers never got inside the Illinois 40 in the second half. Yeah, not good at all. It sure is a good thing they had a 21-0 lead.

Why was this? Was the team tired? Did they actually eat fettuccine? Or did the coaching staff go into its Tiller-mode of protecting the lead? Because, and I know I'm crazy this way, but I don't like sitting on a lead with more than half the game to go. Why not continue the play calling in a similar way in the second half? It was working and it's not like the Boilers were doing crazy things on offense. B-dowd texted me that he felt it was the best play-calling all year in the first half. Well, that may be, but the bar isn't exactly very high, and I wasn't thrilled with it.

Statistically, the Boilers had a decent day, especially if you consider the way they mailed in the second half offensively. Purdue was outgained overall but had 178 yards passing and 126 on the ground. However, the 126 was on 42 rushing attempts, which only works out to 3 yards per rush. Purdue's leading rusher was Shavers with 29 yards, followed by Bolden with 28. Mostert was third with his lone 21 yard TD rush.

Passing, Caleb TerBush played the entire game, throwing for a tidy 16/25 and two TDs. Robert Marve didn't see the field on homecoming. Take from that what you will.

Ricardo Allen had an INT that even Boilerdowd would have hauled in, as it looked more like a fair catch opportunity as the Zooker (or his coaching staff) made the wise decision to have a cold QB come in and air one out to RA's side of the field. Curious decision, to say the least.

So what do we take from this? As I said, I don't want to be the constant Debbie Downer, but I do worry a little bit about the Boilers after seeing that second half. If Illinois executes their on-sides kick attempt well, this could have been a very scary ending. But it is what it is and this team is what it is. They're not going to beat good teams handily and it seems the coaches know that, so when they get a lead like this, they play not to lose. A dangerous approach, to be sure. But how much can you complain about a win over a ranked team? Not much.

I said on the Handsome Hour that if they were to win this game that it indeed changes my outlook on the season, and it does. Now our Boilers are just two wins away from bowl eligibility. Can they win at least two of their final five games? Hard to say, but it's a lot better question to ponder than can they win three of their final five....right?

In the meantime, to the handful of you who showed up to cheer on your alma mater, good on ya. You got rewarded for your loyalty.

And for those who've been of the opinion that Danny Hope has to go, well, he may have just earned himself a stay. 

Predicto - The Illini vs Our Boilers

It's homecoming week in the holy land and you're all coming back, right?

Right.

A Different Chief

Here's what we think you'll see; predicto time!

Purdue v. Illinois Predicto

Sorry for getting this posted so late...but now, thanks to our educated guesses, you degenerates can go bet your kid's college fund.

J says:

There's very little to make me feel good about the gave versus the Illini. Crazy Zooker has them playing pretty well, actually, with their only losses coming to really, really good teams. They've pummeled lesser opponents, such as IU. The game is at Illinois. And, as we all know, Purdue is one bad hit away from starting a WR at quarterback. The one glimmer I have isn't even strategic or on-the-field related. It's simply that, as we've said, Hope's teams tend to come up big when it looks like the deck is stacked against them. This is one of those times. Could Purdue win at Illinois? Sure, they could. Just like they won at Northwestern when NU was 5-0 and hosting a night game and really up for it. However, it will take a superhuman effort from the defense -- not just Ryan Kerrigan -- and those efforts have seemed to waver from time to time this year. Winning this game would make life a lot easier in terms of believing a bowl game is possible. Losing this game means you've probably got to beat Michigan and IU at home. Not a completely insane task, but when you MUST do it.... well, that's a little different.

As I said on the podcast, I'm very concerned about this game.

Illinois 28
Purdue 10

Tim says:

Other than playing a directional team from Illinois, the two teams have but one mutual opponent - Ohio State. As we'd like to forget, Purdue got drubbed last week 49-0 by Ohio State, while Illinois lost to them 24-13. Illinois gives up 7 less points per week while also scoring 5 more points per week than Purdue. That's not a good sign. Both teams heavily rely on the run to move the ball though Illinois seems more committed to it, and while each of the quarterbacks are duel threats I give the edge there to Henry (he and Nathan Scheelhaase are about the same through the air but Henry is better on the ground). Of course, that's assuming that Henry even plays and even more speculatively doesn't have any problems with his throwing hand. If Robinson plays, who knows what will happen. Maybe he's Drew Brees part 2. Maybe he's Rick Trefzger part 2. Hopefully he's just not Jim Colletto part 2 because that would be weird.

There's just not enough cohesive offense for Purdue for me to give them the nod in this one.

Illinois 31
Purdue 14

boilerdowd says:

Sadly for me, Illinois is not the team I thought they'd be at this point. Zook has them playing well, with the exception of a few games. But, the Chief's losses come at the hands of teams with a combined ONE loss. Illinois fans tell me that they didn't feel like they beat IU as badly as the score indicates, but 30 points is a pretty sound beat down. Here's the problem: when Purdue plays unprepared, uninspired football, they're pretty much the same as IU: A bad defensive team that can't move the ball versus a team with any backbone at all. BUT, when Hope decides to motivate them, Nord gets inspired and reaches deep into his bag of tricks and Landholm doesn't soil himself while reviewing the opponent's talent level, Purdue is a solid, almost-good team.

That said, I think they'll play somewhere in between. I'm positive the defense will play better than last week and be more-prepared. I know nothing on the offensive side of the ball. I don't have any expectations for Robinson...but, first start on the road for a true Freshman isn't a great situation to be in. I don't think Dierking nor ATM are completely healthy and am unimpressed with the inconsistency of the receivers. Like my pals, I don't feel great about this one.

Illinois 23

Purdue 9

To Your Call Once More We Rally;
Alma Mater Hear Our Praise.
Where The Wabash Spreads Its Valley;
Filled With Joy Our Voices Raise.
From The Skies In Swelling Echoes
Come The Cheers That Tell The Tale
Of Your Vict'ries And Your Heros,
Hail Purdue! We Sing All Hail!

Hail, Hail To Old Purdue!
All Hail To Our Old Gold And Black!
Hail, Hail To Old Purdue!
Our Friendship May She Never Lack.
Ever Grateful, Ever True,
Thus We Raise Our Song Anew;
Of The Days We've Spent With You,
All Hail Our Own Purdue!

You Feeling Handsome? Handsome Hour 10/27/10

The handsome pair returns for the weekly show that has become an institution across the great fruited plain.

They talk about this coming Saturday's matchup v. the Illini (you won't see this guy there).

They investigate, once again- How tough is Ron Zook?

The fellas talk about losing a recruit...

And take a good, but quick, look at Matty & his squad.

Does E'Twaun and the team have a handle on their new roles?

Find out...Now!!

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

Krushed Orange

"Man, I am glad we practiced our free throws..."

When you watch a game without the sound and with other distractions around you, it changes your perspective. This is how I watched today's game, from a bar after a round of golf (yeah, it was almost 70 in Houston today). What became apparent to me was that the Boilers didn't play their best game, but they showed the mettle of a championship kind of team but doing what I feel like we've written before -- slowly grinding an opponent into submission, winning 75-65.

After the first half, once again the Boilers were trailing. Illinois was playing hard, inspired ball and the Boilers looked somewhat out of sync. JJ never got going today, winding up with only five points, shooting a lovely 10% (1-10) from the field. Yeesh.

However, as the game is winding down, you look up and the Boilers have a ten point victory, after winning the second half, 43-30. No matter what changes with this team, one thing seems to be consistent -- they're a second half squad and they outlast almost everyone. AND they cannot be beaten by most teams just because you're able to shut down one of the Big Three. You'll have to shut down at least two of them and even then you might be in trouble. (Incidentally, I got into a Twitter argument a couple of weeks ago with Brent from the Big Ten Network because he suggested the Boilers could be weak in the tourney because they "only" had three scorers. Even with "only" Smooge, Ostrich and JJ, I like our chances -- which is what I told him -- but if KG and CK are coming to play, too....well, the black and gold are a tough out in that scenario.)

Rob Hummel was again a catalyst, but not with his shooting from the field (4-13). No, Rob -- and others -- punished the Illini from the line, with the Ostrich going a cool 12 of 12, finishing with a double-double again, with 22 pts and 12 rebs. Smooge has his typically efficient 18 while shooting 50% from the field, and our old friend Keaton Grant continued his re-emergence from whatever fog he's been in for a while, with a nice 15 points on 50% shooting from the field (including 3 of 5 from 3 pt land) and 100% shooting from the line (6 of 6).

As you watch a game like this, sometimes it's hard to put your finger on what made the difference. And when that's the case, you expect it to be a last-second kind of win. Yet the Boilers wind up winning by ten. Why is this? Becuase they're a damn good team. A team that finds a way to win even when they shoot 36% from the field as a team.

Five FT attempts? Seriously??

Oh, yeah, and it's also easier to find that way to win when you get to the line. Both teams hit 50% of their threes, but the difference was, as mentioned, at the line, where the Boilers went an impressive 24 of 28 while the Illini amazingly only went 3 of 5. Outscoring a team by 21 at the line will often make up for any other shortcomings.

This was unquestionably a dangerous game for Purdue. Illinois is tough and Coach Weber always has them ready...AND it's not like it's impossible that the Boilers could have looked ahead to their road tilt at Minny, followed by the huge game at home against MSU. Good work to everyone for staying sharp -- sharp enough to win an hugely important game.

The win puts the Boilermakers into a tie (in both the win and loss columns) with Michigan State for the Big Ten lead, and pushes their current winning streak to nine. The Boilers, as you likely know, continue to be a very streaky team, having won 14 to open the season, followed by three losses....and now followed by these nine wins. This team is 22-3, everybody. Twenty-two and three. Something special is happening here and we're all witnessing it.

So what's up, Boilermaker faithful? Your thoughts are welcome....Are you feeling better after this game? Worse? About the same?

Avengeful Afternoon?

Boilers looking to jump past Illini and exact, at least, a bit of revenge...Comment here, if you need to vent; positively or negatively.