A Season's Perspective (and a look ahead)

My brother sent me an e-mail with his thoughts about this football season...and some of it surprised me a bit. He wasn't a proponent of Hope's hiring when it happened and was less-than-optimistic about this season in August...But, it sounds like his (like many Boilers') outlook might have changed after watching the '09 Boilers...below is what he had to say.

We'll have more thoughts on this season and the next in the coming days and weeks.

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As I predicted in August, the Boilers finished 5-7. I wish I had been wrong on this one. At first glance, the program appears to be about where it was at the end of 2008: another lackluster record, another easy win over IU, another handful of “would’ve/could’ve/should’ve” losses. But upon further review, this was a successful year and could serve as the foundation for a perennial bowl-bound program, one that has the chance to challenge for Big Ten championships every four years or so. This is a legitimate and reasonable expectation for Purdue fans, and for the first time since Brees departed, it seems the Purdue coaching staff is comfortable with the notion of competing with—and beating anyone on—the schedule.

I think the 2009 campaign was a success for four reasons:

First, Hope got this team to overachieve. From 2002-2008, Tiller did the very opposite, especially in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. According to virtually every preseason prediction, Purdue was supposed to finish tenth or eleventh in the conference. Depending on how you count, Purdue finished tied for fourth or tied for sixth. No one expected the Boilers to win more than two conference games; they won four.

Second, specific to Hope, the first-year coach did better than most of his predecessors, at least in conference games. First seasons have not been kind to Purdue coaches. In fact, only six since 1922 have reached the five-win threshold. Most have finished worse than Hope
in-conference. Consider the numbers:

1922 Jim Phelan 1-5-1 (9th in conference)
1930 Noble Kizer 6-2-0 (3rd)
1937 Mal Elward 4-3-1 (4th)
1942 Elmer Burnham 1-8-0 (8th)
1944 Cecil Isbell 5-5-0 (3rd)
1947 Stu Holcomb 5-4-0 (3rd)
1956 Jack Mollenkopf 3-4-2 (7th)
1970 Bob DeMoss 4-6-0 (8th)
1973 Alex Agase 5-6-0 (4th)
1977 Jim Young 5-6-0 (6th)
1982 Leon Burtnett 3-8-0 (7th)
1987 Fred Akers 3-7-1 (6th)
1991 Jim Colletto 4-7-0 (6th)
1997 Joe Tiller 9-3-0 (2nd)

Third, the team broke what Hope calls “jinx streaks” by ending long winless streaks against top-ten opponents, ranked opponents and road opponents. The team also ended 44 years of futility at Michigan Stadium.
That leads us to a fourth reason for optimism: the intangibles represented by Hope’s passion. Tiller had “managed expectations” so effectively that none of the Purdue faithful—including his
players—thought beating a ranked team or a road team or a top-ten team or Michigan in Ann Arbor was possible. That changed this year, and it’s a direct function of Hope’s attitude.

Next step: a bowl victory in 2010 (or dare I say 2011?). This is exceedingly achievable, given the progress that should come as Hope’s system takes hold, as the team takes on his toughness and as the schedule softens. I am bullish and—surprise—hopeful for big things.
Sept. 4 - at Notre Dame (L)
Sept. 11 - WESTERN ILLINOIS (W)
Sept. 18 - BALL STATE (W)
Sept. 25 - TOLEDO (W)
Oct. 9 - at Northwestern (W)
Oct. 16 - MINNESOTA (W)
Oct. 23 - at Ohio State (L)
Oct. 30 - at Illinois (W)
Nov. 6 - WISCONSIN (W)
Nov. 13 - MICHIGAN (W/L)
Nov. 20 - at Michigan State (L)
Nov. 27 – INDIANA (W)
9-3, 6-2 or 8-4, 5-3

The former would be good enough for a January 1 trip to the Gator or Outback; the latter would take Purdue to the Insight on New Year’s Eve. Of course, we should have plenty to cheer about through the end of March.

Boilermakers Roll; Hope Speaks At Halftime

Purdue won its second and final preseason tuneup tonight, 74-52, and, frustratingly, nothing is available online about it. Fortunately, though, regular reader Paul (Irish Cowboy) has been deputized to provide you with better than a lazy media recap. Paul was there and he'll make you feel like you were, too. Take it away, Paul....

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Well, let's just say our shooting suffered from a case of the Mondays. Granted, I can see why Kentucky Wesleyan has won a couple of DII titles, because they certainly played hard, played well, and played some pretty good defense. But in the end, we have better, bigger players. Here's my thoughts, numbered for some reason:

1. Patrick Bade looked much more comfortable, to the tune of 12 points comfortable. He didn't really force anything (except one attempted dunk near the end of the game) and played ok defense.


2. My roommate, for whom this was the first look at the new Boilers, thought that DJ Byrd was a sophomore. 'Nuff said.


3. John Hart came in and tried to rush and force things for a while, but then settled down a little bit and hit a three. He also had a dominating block on a fast break.


4. You heard it here first, Wohlford might be the new 'bobby buckets'. He plays very hard, plays great defense, and though I can't recall him taking a shot in a game, when he's shooting around before the game/at the half I can't recall him missing a three either.


5. Chin-up Kelsey Barlow, you're the future. He looked like he knew this was his last shot for a while and tried to play very hard, but ended up fouling out. I still love his size and athleticism.


6. JJ rebounded pretty well, but he still tried that silly shot with one foot behind the three-point line. He did drain his two 15-footers though. Overall I think the team rebounded better.


7. Chris Kramer scoring alert! A friend in the know says Kramer shot 500 three's a day over the summer. Took one attempt from three tonight and nailed it.


8. Speaking of scoring, somebody was praying that Ryne Smith would shoot his way out of this slump... ask and ye shall receive. He had 2 or 3 three's and another bucket to go with some pretty good defense.


9. KG and Kramer had a 4 minute span where they hustled and hounded and were basically migranes for the opposition as far as perimeter defense goes. It was very impressive.


10. We started off slow shooting-wise, but let's please not make that a trend like it was last year.


11. Oh yeah, that Rob Hummel dude, he can play some ball.
    

Once again, KWU certainly were no slouches so not hanging tons of points isn't necessarily too worrying, but I just hope Friday we come out hot and ready to start the season on a roll!

A football note: Coach Hope came out at halftime and talked to the audience (Video here -Ed.) and told them that he's got 21 seniors on a football team that has played very hard and that we should all be very proud of who are playing their last game in Ross-Ade Stadium this Saturday. He wants you all to be there. He says that the win on senior day this Saturday puts us in position to win again and make into contention for a bowl game. He thanked the students for their support more than once. Coach Hope is awesome, etc etc.

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Thanks, Paul! We really appreciate the assistance and thorough reporting. I also love the idea of Chris Kramer taking 500 threes a day over the summer.....and then hoisting up one, hitting it, and going, "Yep, that's enough. Don't want to go too wild."

Everything begins for real Friday night.

Choo-choo, muthas!

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UPDATE

Reader Nate checks in with this rather awesome report. Not sure if anyone else paid for the broadcast and heard this:

"I was stupid enough to purchase the broadcast so that I could get a look at our freshman players. So I shelled out my $2.99 and logged in about 10-15 minutes early to make sure it would work. The broadcast loaded up right away with static shots of the crowd and of the cheerleaders. Shortly after the video came up, you could hear the announcers (the radio broadcast guys - Larry "the drunk" Clisby and some other guy) chit chatting. They didn't realize they were on air at the time. The talked about which freshman they liked for the year and then, in a spot of total awesomeness, the cameras cut to the cheerleaders and one of the announcers says something along the lines of "not much to look at on the cheerleading squad this year" and the other guy responds with "yeah, that's definitely the second team". About five minutes later they realized that their mikes were open and said, "I hope these mikes weren't on for a long time". Then later in actual game action coming out of a timeout, someone must have told them that their comments were aired because their aired some half assed apology. The first guy says, "I hope we didn't offend anyone on the cheerleading squad, they are a skilled bunch" and the second guy says that he was glad he didn't say anything negative. It was pretty funny. "

Nate also had the following observations on the game itself:

• Hummel looked unreal and hit everything and rebounded like crazy
• the refs called a ton of charges under the basket
• the announcers mentioned that JuJuan Johnson worked out with Paul Pierce over the summer. I hadn't read that anywhere yet this year so it was cool to hear.
• Smooge looked a little off shooting the ball and clanged a lot of shots
• Ryne Smith was still too tentative shooting the ball. His defense is starting to look better though as he's not totally out of control.
• Someone on Kentucky Wesleyan fouled Smooge hard on a drive to the basket and it got chippy for a bit as Smooge shoved the guy back.

Thanks, Nate!

Big Ten Tour Impressed By Purdue

The Big Ten Tour guys have completed their write-up on the experience at Purdue and it sounds like as good a review as could possibly exist. It truly doesn't sound like there was a negative experience to be had. It probably helps that one of the biggest upsets of the college football season happened while they were visiting.

But just as much -- or more -- credit goes to those of you who made their experience great. Students, alums, tailgaters, fans, bar-goers, Triple XXX employees, Purdue staff and athletic department..... good on all of you. Great work and thanks for making us proud.

Keep following the Big Ten Tour as they head to Wisconsin this week because, I assume, they just can't get enough of the Boilermakers.

Boilermakers Are Front-Runners for Fiesta Bowl!

The Purdue Boilermakers football team has been chosen by the board of the Football Writers Association of America to participate in the Fiesta Bowl!

Oh, wait, wait, hold on... I may have mis-read that.

It's about time

Purdue forced some breaks and took advantage of some others. The miscues were there, but finally the West Lafayette All Black Unis beat a top 25 team.

It does feel good to let out some steam that had been building up. Purdue made Pryor look like a totally average quarterback. The question now is when will aOSU turn him into a running back or wide out? He just doesn't have the skills necessary to be a drop back passer.

Blah, blah, blah. What matters is a win. This should do wonders for the team's morale, and hopefully they can rattle off a few more wins in the upcoming weeks, but today, let's savor the victory because it's been a long time coming.

Now let's see a double dose with a USC victory tonight!

Defensive Backfield gets more shallow

LJ&C reports, Josh McKinley has been kicked off of the team. Gavin Roberts, who I can't remember seeing play this season, falls into the two-deeps.

We're Half Way There...

It's the half-way point of the football season and there haven't been a ton of pleasant surprises since the Toledo game really. But, here's what we've learned:

Timid Substitutions
In spite of the talk of depth at a ton of situations, we haven't seen liberal substitutions this season. Hope simply doesn't have enough faith in the guys just off of the two-deeps...But there are positives to this.

-Guys in the trenches like Pamphile, Foy & McDaniel will still have four years of eligibility.
-Highly-touted skilled players, Williams, Bush & McBurse should all be Freshman again in '10 as well.

Burnt Up
Not too many guys have seen the field as true freshman...but Antwon Higgs, Antavian Edison & Josh Johnson have all lost the ability to redshirt. Higgs contribution has been the most notable...and his playing time is increasing steadily.

Joey Elliott: Statistical Monster
Many had questions about Joey Elliott's ability entering the season. But Elliott has proven that he can be pretty darned good...at least in the first quarter. And while his performances have been inconsistent, statistically, he's been on top of the league in a few categories for much of the season.

Gettin' it done
Jason Werner has been leading the team in tackles all season as well as tackles for loss. As much of the team struggled wrapping up in the first few games, Werner did not...nor did Torri Williams (while playing safety).

Along with Werner, Ryan Kerrigan has come on like gang busters the last three games and now sits in the top-5 of the BT in sacks.

David Pender, while struggling as a tackler at times, has played solidly in pass coverage and is fourth in the league in passes defended.
Extra-Special
Coming into the season, Danny Hope expressed the importance of the special teams making an impact on each game. This unit has done exactly that this season!

Well, maybe not exactly as the coach might have hoped, but, poor kickoff coverage, lousy spacing, muffed punts, fumbled returns and mental lapses have been the norm for Gibbony's unit, this season.

warming up

Over?
While the hopes of a bowl game are gone, the season is only halfway over. Winning just one game would be a colossal failure, in my opinion, and an awful way for the Hope Era to begin. But, there are some winnable games still on the schedule. The problem is, with each passing game, and corresponding catastrophic failure, it becomes harder and harder to believe that this team will win another.

That said, Illinois is as bad as Purdue...and with all of the egos on that team, I'm sure no one's at fault. But, the weapon-filled offense of the Illini has the fewest points and yards in the league and the most three-and-outs. At the same time, their defense is only better than one team in the league...we're not going to talk about who that is right now.

And the Hoosiers are in the midst of their yearly tailspin after losing to one of the nation's worst BCS conference teams...by 40 points. Just two weeks ago, I thought the Hoosiers had a chance of being bowl eligible in October...now it looks like a sixth win might be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Hate this moniker
As Purdue readies to play the Buckeyes this week in Ross Ade, I've heard the word "Spoilermaker" a couple of times this week. Some of you who visit might not even know this term. But, it was a nickname given to Purdue teams back in the day because of their knack for upsetting teams. What that really meant was the teams were perennially-lousy and no one thought they had a chance to beat good teams...and they did it every now and again to the surprise of many.

J, Tim and I were at Purdue for one of these games, the massive upset of Michigan, who was a top-10 team at the time. That game was a lot of fun...but honestly, most weren't during our scholastic careers in West Lafayette. I'm hoping...praying that we don't hear Spoilermaker too many times around Ross Ade after this season simply because that would be bad news for Hope and the Purdue fanbase.

Here's to it fading into Bolivian quickly.

Yep, It's Over; Boilers Mail It In at Minnesota

That's a folded tent, kids.

Over the past week, we've been asking, "Is the season over?" Big thanks to the Purdue football team for giving a resounding answer this afternoon. Yes. Yes, it sure is.

It certainly looks like it's time to fold the tent. Are we quitting on our team? Of course not. So close that comment box. But it's pretty clear how things are going to continue playing out this season.

It's actually kind of jarring how predictible this team has become. Fast start by the offense, an early lead, Joey Elliott looking sharp. In fact, as Purdue drove the field in the first quarter, Boilerdowd texted me, "Elliott looks great." To which I responded, "He always does on the first drive." And that's true, isn't it? Joey Elliott loves the first quarter. Even with the running game being bottled up and Keith Carlos wearing steel mittens, Joey kept firing away, making completions, finding the open guy, not making bad decisions. Of course, facing a 3rd and long on every possesstion was going to catch up with them eventually.

So we've seen this one before. And with a 10-0 lead, I asked b-dowd how it was going to happen. "Breakdown in the secondary, big play to Decker," came the response. And then? Well, yeah, you know what happened next.

Now, I don't mean to disparage Dwight McLean unfairly, because he gives a nice effort. But why does he seem to be the guy covering the most talented -- and most likely -- targets? It was McLean who was beat on the game-losing TD against UND. And here he was again, single-covering Decker. McLean slipped and that's all Weber and Decker needed.

And then? Even if you didn't watch the game, you know what happened next. Turnovers. Mmmm, tasty turnovers. Less tasty when they're frozen turnovers baked up by the Purdue special teams unit. This team cannot hold onto the ball. I know we've had some readers commenting that it's not the coaches who are doing the fumbling. Okay, sure. And I've heard others say that you can't "coach" guys not to fumble. Sorry, but that's just not true. Many pro running backs had fumbling issues and when a coach came in and helped them, they turned the corner. Tiki Barber and Tom Coughlin come to mind, but there are other examples. This has got to stop. It's embarrassing.

The defense deserves a better fate. They've improved, in my opinion. The tackling has improved, in my eyes, throughout the season. I don't see horrible routes being taken or guys slipping through arms, or DBs trying to tackle shoulder pads. And Neal, Kerrigan and Werner are doing what they can. Torii Williams has looked solid, too. But if you continue to turn the ball over in your own territory, even mediocre teams -- yes, like Minnesota -- are going to make you pay.

Here's an interesting tidbit -- Purdue has led every game they've played this year. Again, infuriating, because it's not like they can't play with these teams they're losing to. They just can't play for more than about one or two quarters. When you have a lead in every game you play, one would think you might accidentally win a couple.

When the season began and others were predicting 1 and 2 win seasons for the Boilers, we were steamed. We planned on telling them all to suck it each and every week. And early on, we still felt this team was better than its record indicated. But in the end, you are what you are. This is a bad team. Talented? Yes. Poorly coached? Looks like it. But whatever the ingredients in the middle of the calculus equation, the result after the equals sign is this = crap.

HE Is An American

Abe Trindle, 26-year-old Freshman, walked on to the football team this year after serving as a Navy SEAL for the past eight years, including time in Iraq. Maybe the rest of you knew about Abe, but I didn't. This is awesome.

Abe hasn't seen the field yet this year, but take heart, Abe! Neither have many of the scholarship athletes!

Trindle grew up in southern Indiana and was "never much of a Purdue fan" but when faced with the realities, he chose combat over playing for IU. (Okay, I kid, I kid.)

Regardless, if you see Abe get on the field this year, support him. He's certainly earned our admiration, no matter how he performs.

Fools Gold

An email from a reader the other day alerted us to the fact that Purdue is calling for "gold strike" at Ross-Ade for the 10/17 bludgeoning game against Ohio State, and sure enough, now there's a story about it on the Purdue Athletic site.

The reader email asked us if we thought they might bust out the gold jerseys for such an occasion. Our answer is... hopefully not.

Those things were a disaster and the team never looked comfortable in them. After the first home game of the '03 season -- in which they had changed to the gold with black numerals (pictured) instead of gold with white numerals -- the team went back to black and has stayed with them ever since. And then they overdid it with back-to-back "blackouts" the past two weekends, most likely because it was asking too much to have the stadium crew change the end zone lettering back to gold.

Give how this season has gone, though, why not expect another weird decision?

Point/Counterpoint

Another blogger from Smartfootball came over here this weekend a few times and told J to "stay on message" following the NU game. First off, our site isn't dedicated to Xs and Os like his, so I have a problem with that point. We write about sports, mostly Purdue sports, and we're Purdue grads. We get emotional, and we really don't care if it's viewed as biased from time-to-time. We are biased- It tears us up when Purdue loses. That said, we're not school children who don't understand the game. So when I see that he's guest posting at a site and making statements about Purdue saying that our fans won't or can't answer questions about Purdue's offense, I get bothered. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I didn't see him giving TMill the chance to answer the question, and don't remember him asking this of us...So, while Chris' cerebral look at Purdue is appreciated, it is simply not as accurate as he might think in my opinion. For instance:

"The run game had become predictable, and the downfield passing game, which so often would shred inferior competition, would become completely stymied against good teams because (a) they could man up on all of Purdue's receivers, and (b) via the four down linemen and various blitz schemes, they could take target practice on Purdue's quarterback. "

Is he inferring that Purdue's downfield passing game is now better than previous seasons? Really? Purdue's downfield plays are created by the simple fact that Purdue receivers this season are all large and strong. When given the opportunity, they break tackles...so some plays have showed as long passes in the stat log. But in actuality, they're nothing of the sort. Purdue has no vertical passing game at all- regardless of the opponent. Much of this is due to play calling, but most seems to be due to Elliott's inability to throw a deep ball. Case in point: Elliott threw for 300+ on Saturday, and on the stat sheet, the 67-yarder to Valentin might jump out. But, if you watched the game, you know that Elliott threw a simple out to Valentin (and quite high, mind you). After the great catch, Valentin, stiff-armed the NU defender and headed down the sidelines.

This point goes hand-in-hand with Purdue's running game becoming less-and-less productive as the season's progressed. No one respects Elliott's long ball ability at this point...so safeties seem to be getting closer and closer to the line of scrimmage as the season progresses. Granted, Bolden's not in perfect health, but he's still an elusive back. Problem is, he doesn't have the power in his legs right now to break the first tackle. A perpetual annoyance of mine this season is the simple fact that we're not seeing more of the other running backs. If his knee isn't allowing him to play close to 100%, he should be rested for a game or a half (at least), in my opinion. Heck, I heard it from the coach's own mouth time and time again that Purdue was loaded at RB...but all we've really seen is Bolden and a dash of Taylor all season.

Chris also keeps talking about fumbles as a probability and something that's seemingly random. My beef here is the fact that guys that fumble, specifically at key junctures on special teams keep getting the opportunity to do it again and again. Some guys are more prone to fumble than others...and those guys shouldn't be put back in the exact same situation over and over.

This Purdue offense, while statistically noteworthy, has quite a few Achilles heels. They've had long lapses each game (with the exception of Toledo) in which they seem to not be able to move the ball. Now, that's either play-calling or quarterback play. I think it's a bit of both. Another huge issue, especially when a team is in close games as Purdue's been in nearly every game is they cannot run a 2-minute offense...let-alone a hurried 1.5 minute offense.
Chris closes this post with another flaw in judgment, in my opinion. He says,

"I think it's pretty obvious that the only player right now that can inspire any serious fear among other Big 10 teams is running back Ralph Bolden, who is currently ranked second in the Big 10 in rushing yards per game."

I think what a lot of coaches might instead see at this point is that Bolden had 2.9 yards/carry v. NORTHWESTERN...NU couldn't stop anybody from running the ball, before Purdue of course, but made Chris' Superman look like Clark Kent.

I like Ralph Bolden, but to say he's the only Purdue player that is tough to prepare for is not correct. When Smith is given the opportunity to run with the ball after the catch, he's extremely hard to tackle. Plus, he runs very good routes and can block...out of the backfield (as he as in the FB position) and from the slot or flanker position. He's not the typical burner, but he's a hybrid- I compare him with Dallas Clark- he's got good hands, runs clean routes and doesn't shy away from contact. Plus, for his size, he has great body control.

I'm positive that Chris understands the intricacies of football much better than I- This is probably why I take such umbrage with this post today.

OK. I think I'm upset.

Actually, pissed is the word that works better, but I didn't want to put that in the headline. I just read the coordinators interviews over at GBI (they're good guys over there, by the way)...and I heard it again. The dreaded, "I'd do it again" sentiment from Nord. So now, we've heard this ad nauseum from Coach Hope...and it's trickled down to Nord and Landholm and even Elliott this season. I'm pretty sick of it.

Here's my honest assessment of this staff, at this point- They're learning on the job. I know some of them are long in the tooth, but most haven't been in the situation they're in currently. Coordinating, Head Coaching, positional coaching at this level. Even if they have, I think it's the right thing to do, from time-to-time- to admit your mistakes...and they simply don't want to do it.

Confidence is good, but hubris helps no one...and right now, it doesn't look like anyone's being helped. If this coaching staff's system had been in place for a long time, and they, as a group, had had a ton of success with it in the past (a la Rich Rodriguez @ UM or Urban Meyer @ UF) and things just weren't clicking- I'd agree with them. But, I think they're generally discombobulated, as a staff.

Part of that comes with the wrong guys being in the wrong positions...and I think there will, or at least should, be some changes at the end of the season. But, the other part of the poor fundamentals and recurring issues comes from a staff that's kind of feeling its way through a season. I think it makes no sense to perpetually blame players like Jim Colletto did during his time at Purdue ("the guys aren't lining up correctly"). But, when something's wrong, admit it. And let's be honest, gentlemen- something's wrong. You can't improve when you don't see anything that needs to be improved...and the record tells me there's plenty of room for improvement.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying all is lost. I'm just saying there's a lot that's been done incorrectly and a ton of room for growth. Perpetually telling the media all is well, is going to frustrate the fan base...and it's beginning to do so. So hopefully, while the outward face is all smiles and lollipops for this staff, I hope they're wrestling behind closed doors with these issues and trying to find solutions. Because there are problems.

What problems, you ask? Well this team turns over the ball too often. Not just in the NW game, but during the entire season...and these are almost-always in Purdue territory and lead to opposition points with the quickness. While one of our readers called turnovers a nearly-random occurrence, I think it can and will be easily argued that the good teams have less of the "random occurrences" and lousy ones have them more-regularly.

And on the other side of the ball, tackling is still a concern. If Purdue's defense can play another solid game defensively, I'll back off of this point a bit...but one game does not a season make...and isn't it just awesome that when the defense thrives, the offense flounders? What ifs stink.

Pass coverage is pretty horrible too. First off, Purdue almost always never plays bump-man...and when they do, you can feel the imminent disaster. On Saturday after downs-upon-downs of the standard 10-yard cushion, David Pender creeped up and got right on the NW receiver. Kafka saw it and went for a big play. Pender (wisely, mind you) grabbed the receiver to keep him from catching the ball. Soft DB play is something we've seen for years...I'm positive we were all hoping that with an experienced group of starters and a new DC, we'd see that change...we've seen no change. And technique has been pretty lousy. Instead of watching the man they're guarding, the corners have an awful tendency to watch the quarterback and break before the ball's been thrown. We saw this on Saturday a few times...and it usually ends with the safety having to make a game-saver. Along with the DBs, the linebackers have struggled covering the short routes...and in my opinion, most of this is based on coaching.

How about fundamentals on special teams? OK- First off, most-glaringly, guys can't hold onto the ball on returns...obvious one. But something that really bothers me is the fact that the spacing has been so bad, so often. Guys seem to over-pursue and put themselves in positions which they must take bad angles to attempt a tackle...and the result is usually a longer return than it should be. In fact, Carson Wiggs has made way too many tackles this season...the good news is he's a damned-good tackler, it seems...and he's got some mean in him. I always like that.

Oh, and there's more...but I don't want to waste my entire work day.

I'm venting...and like many of my fellow Purdue fans, I'm frustrated. I'm sure the players and coaches are too. But let me close with two requests...not demands, mind you, just requests.

First- be slow to blame players. These kids make plenty of mistakes, no question. I think Elliott deserves a large chunk of blame this season, and Valentin's recurring mistakes are painful...but almost everything can be traced back to poor-preparation or poor-positioning (meaning a guy probably shouldn't be playing in that situation). Blame the pros, not the amateurs...unless a player is divisive to a team, acts like a thug or malcontent or simply gives up, blame the hired guy, not the one placing himself in harm's way for free.

Next- don't jump ship, yet. It's been five games...and I'm clearly angry at the coaches for some prevalent themes I've seen. But, it's so darned early...And there are a lot of factors that are playing into this equation right now.

We're not blind...we see Kevin Sumlin's success...and we know there are other good coaches out there. But, they're not Purdue's head coach...and it's not fair to give up on a guy and a program this early. A ton of coaches have flat-out lousy first seasons at their school. Kirk Ferentz only one a game during his initial season at Iowa...and Alvarez at Wisconsin struggled for a few before the Badgers became the mother of a program that he was given time to build. And while I don't think Hope needs three or four seasons, I do know that there's a lot to look forward to...if some things can go Purdue's way. It's hard right now...but let's try to keep our collective head up.

Things I Learned Saturday

It certainly looks like they're done.

-Purdue's players now stand and watch the "I Am an American" pre-game tradition...I really like that they're instructed to do this. I don't believe Tiller-coached teams stopped their warm-up to watch/listen to this recurring-presentation.

-Homecoming didn't feel like homecoming. The crowd was pretty sluggish and small...and the energy in the tailgate lots wasn't even good. It reminded me of the bad ole days when J, Tim and I walked the halls of Cary Quad...and a disgruntled Jim Colletto prowled the sidelines of RA. Sure the fanbase has a hangover from pouring out a lot in the loss to UND. But, high ticket prices, a lot of mediocre seasons and now a rebuilding season, have taken it's toll on Purdue's fanbase.

-Aaron Valentin, Keith Smith & Keith Carlos all made some very impressive catches and runs after the catch today. Most-noteworthy was Valentin's 67-yard TD. He caught a high pass, shed a tackler with a stiff arm, avoided two more tacklers and out-ran the defense down the left sideline in the first quarter...sadly, as we all know too well, Mr. Valentin giveth, and Mr. Valentin taketh away.

-Purdue had 6 turnovers...and could have had 8 or 9. They simply don't take care of the ball.

-Purdue gift-wrapped this game and handed it to Coach Fitz. He accepted the gift, begrudgingly. Make no mistake- NW did not grab this game from Purdue, with a macho kung fu grip...but instead, politely and quietly said, "thanks" as Purdue's offense and special teams turned the ball over 3 times in a 2.5 minute period to end the first half. Then, to start the second half, had a mere 4 plays in the books before giving it up again. Valentin, Elliott and even Taylor coughed up the ball and Northwestern accepted the turnovers and turned them into 13 easy points.

-I'm sure J.B. Gibbony is a good guy. But, it doesn't look like he should be coaching a major college team's special teams unit...especially Purdue's. This week, the kickoff teams did a good job on coverage, but the fumbles returned in a disgusting way. Each week we've watched the special teams fail in some way...this week was no different.

-Hope spoke highly of his Special Teams Coordinator before the season...and he also spoke highly of Nord. Well, honestly, neither has been too impressive thus far, to me.

-Purdue's event planning staff planned today poorly. They didn't even have enough port-o-lets on the intramural fields. In fact, the port-o-lets I saw at the end of the day were full. That's flat-out nasty.

-Keith Smith was wasted today...specifically, in the second half, the coaches did nothing to assure he'd get the ball.

-Ralph Bolden is better than the stats are showing...many times today, he was handed the ball and met by the defense almost immediately. The play-call is starting to make me furious.

-Joey Elliott is not the guy. I'm not intending this as a dig on Elliott- I think he's doing everything he's capable of doing, and on paper, his numbers are pretty-darned good. I know Purdue's rebuilding and Elliott's not the sole reason Purdue loses, but it's time to, at minimum, see someone else taking some snaps. The old adage, "it's not how you start, but how you finish" is ringing in my head right now...and Elliott simply hasn't finished a game strong this season.

-Purdue's defense did enough to win...and deserved better. But, it's a team game- and this team is not a good one right now. The 1-4 record is the worst start in nearly 15 seasons.

-Skinny jeans are a bad thing. I'm not just saying for fat people either- they're not flattering, even on a fit, young college girl. I miss low-cut, boot cut jeans on the young ladies.

-Hope has some decisions to make for the future now- he can begin preparing his personnel for the coming seasons, or continue coaching without a good rotation of receivers, DBs and even running backs. It's time to look forward.

-Many prognosticators picked Purdue to finish last in the BT...and to only have one-win. I scoffed at the idea. But now, it looks like I might have been pre-mature in my optimism. I thought this was a re-building year, and the magazines were way off base. But, if things continue to go the way they're going, we might be witnessing an historic season- Purdue has only won 1 or fewer games 8 times since 1887.

-Coaches often tell teams that it's them against the world...and that no one believes in them but the guys in the locker room. Well, Coach Hope can now say that to his guys, and might not simply be giving the team just a motivational speech.

-Purdue knows how to lose. But something...a lot of things...need to change for this team to start winning again. The one, two, three-quarter-long lapses by the offense are now a trend, and the fact that multiple facets of the team seem to contribute to the loss tells me that there's a systematic issue- could be depth, could be preparation, could be conditioning, could be mentality...could be a combo of the four.

Season Over?

I told Boilerdowd I didn't want to be dramatic, but that final drive against Northwestern today was, in my mind, one that makes or breaks our season. Score and you salvage something and have things to feel good about. Do what they did do... and it's probably time to fold the tent.

I hate to be a defeatist, but this might have finished me off, just five games in. I said Friday that Purdue finds new and creative ways to turn themselves into the coyote.

Blowing a 21-3 lead on Homecoming?
Six turnovers?
Another questionable late-game call (the first-down spike with a timeout left)?

Yeah, sounds about right.

I'm now with those of you who want to blame coaching. I'm fully on board. There is no excuse for this. And when a team looks like world-beaters one quarter and like they've never seen a football before in the very next quarter... well, that's on the coaching staff. There is no consistency out of this team and it's infuriating. The offense slices through teams sometimes -- and then takes a couple of quarters off. The defense makes great stops at times -- and then forgets how to tackle.

Let's also make no mistake here -- Northwestern is not very good. Kafka's a good QB, but their defense looked very porous for much of the game. And yes, I know they shut out the Boilers in the second half, but half a dozen turnovers help that sort of cause. This was a beatable team, a very winnable game and one that, frankly, should have turned into a laugher. And yet Purdue found a way to cough it up. Inexcusable. I don't care how inexperienced some of these guys are. Taking care of the football is something you CAN coach.

And let me also mention that terrible decision on first and goal from the 8. Joey Elliott comes to the line with one timeout remaining and...spikes the ball? I have a HUGE problem with this. Purdue needs every down possible to get into the end zone there. This wasn't a field goal game. Either run a play or call a timeout. Do not give away a down. And it wound up mattering, too, didn't it? Simply an awful decision, either on Joey's part or on that of the coaching if they instructed him to do that.

The wheels are coming off, folks.

Purdue v. Northwestern Predicto

All Over The Place
Tim says:

It's hard to be realistic when that realism is the exact opposite of what you want to happen and know can happen. I want Purdue to take out all of their frustration on Northwestern and beat them by 40. I think Purdue can beat Northwestern by 20 if the right Boilermaker team shows up. I expect them to win by about 8. I fear that they will lose by 10.

How can all of those things be for the same team? Maybe it's because of the growing pains. Maybe it's because of inexperience. It's been impossible to predict which team will show up for a quarter, let alone the entire game.

The running game has disappeared. Elliott has not settled in to the role as we hoped he would. The wide receivers seem to be better than expected. The secondary is worse than expected. The team in general is just all over the place.

So, what's my prediction? Who knows! Anything can happen this weekend.

For the record,

Purdue - 28
Northwestern - 20

No real analysis here
J says:

I'm not making my picks on real analysis much anymore. No, I'm going to just start picking based on weird things. Like the fact that it's Homecoming this weekend and I think Northwestern's beatable. Do I expect the Boilermakers to come out fired up and angry after last week's third consecutive frustrating loss? No, not necessarily. But I like to believe this sort of thing is possible. In my heart, I KNOW the Boilermakers can beat the Wildcats. But we've all seen what creative ways Purdue football finds to turn themselves into the coyote.

Based on the direction morale is potentially heading, we're running out of chances to see this team right the ship for 2009. Does that make this game even more critical? Perhaps. Losing this one puts the team at 1-4 and, really, the season will have truly felt like it will have slipped away. But win this one and you're 1-0 in conference. Not a bad place to be. Let's be optimistic and give some benefit of the doubt that the offense will continue to have solid pockets of performance and the defense will play like they did during their positive moments in the UND game -- that is, aggressive and confident, not back on their heels.
Purdue 31
Northwestern 27

Show me
boilerdowd says:

Northwestern's fanbase is shocked and perplexed- they were sure an 8-win season was in the cards...at the very least...but what they've seen is their beloved 'Cats falter and stumble to a 2-2 record...and one of their wins was by a thin margin v. a mighty squad from Eastern Michigan. They're a mirror image in a lot of ways, to our Boilers. They can't finish close games, don't tackle well and are pretty thin at the skilled positions. But, their quarterback, Kafka, is a mother this season...not with his legs, but his arm. He's completing over 70% of his passes. That's exceptional, especially for a guy who was known as a runner prior to this season. Last year, he rushed for 200+ v. Minnesota alone. But, this year, he's a bit off of that pace. He has ONE yard rushing. Sure, those numbers are skewed because of sacks, but, his biggest game running the ball was an explosion of 21 yards. Kind of hard to believe...But believe it!

So, the belly read option isn't working to well for the 'Cat...I know a cure for them- play Purdue. NIU's quarterback completely controlled the game running a similar style of game...but after a while didn't even have to run the option- he just got under center and handed the ball off. Oregon's Masoli ran the same offense brilliantly versus the Boilers for a few quarters and led the shaky Ducks to victory. And last week, while spelling Pickles, Dane Crist made Purdue's defense look like they thought it wasn't legal to touch the QB for the first 5 yards after scrimmage...at least for a quarter and one half.

So while Northwestern hasn't been able to finish of games, Purdue one ups them in that category and has lost three games in very creative fashion- (1) by giving away a lead, storming back and barely losing. (2) by letting a team kick their collective ass for 3 quarters and then fighting back to lose by a touchdown. (3) by fighting back from a 10pt deficit in the fourth quarter, to take the lead and hand the game to the opponent by playing a preventative base defense.

Purdue's team looks like it can cure what ails a lot of woes for their opponents...and while I think this team is good-enough to be 4-0, our Boilers stand at 1-3 heading into homecoming. I'll be there, I'll be cheering vociferously and hopeful they can finish...but until I see it with my own eyes, I don't believe they can close anyone out. Tackling will most-certainly be a problem once again this week.

Prove me wrong.

Northwestern 40
Purdue 39.5

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 heroes, 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.

A Closer Look: The season so far

Can't look back now...

Our Boilers are one-third of the way through the 2009 season with the tough pre-con schedule behind them. After cooling off a bit, here's a level-headed assessment of where things stand thus far:

-Home for the holidays? Many didn't think a bowl was going to be in Purdue's post-season plans. But, if Hope's team wants to travel in December, they'll have to win 5 of their last 8 games. That's a pretty tall order for a lot of reasons. Four of the games are on the road, two are ranked, two more are just out of the polls and are receiving votes.

-Interestingly enough, computers like our Boilers quite a bit- because of the strength of schedule and the fact that Purdue has lost by slim margins in the last three contests, Purdue is ahead of Indiana, Illinois and Northwestern (in that order) in the Sagarin rankings. That said, it looks to me like the Hoosiers could be bowl eligible in October.

-You don't tackle, you don't win. Purdue's problems on special teams and defense both seem to have the same root- poor angles and even worse finishing. This Purdue team has the bad habit of not making the stop until the second or third player has gotten to the ball carrier. Even in Purdue's sole win of the season, sloppy tackling and poor fundamentals led directly to multiple scores by Toledo.

-Lack of accountability. At the beginning of the season, Hope said he wanted a few things to be the benchmarks of his team. First, he wanted them to play nearly-mistake-free football. Next, he wanted his team to be one of the hardest-hitting teams in the conference. And lastly, he wanted a team that would keep fighting, regardless of the situation. Batting .333 will make you a hall of famer in baseball, but in this case, one out of three is unacceptable. These goals weren't set by someone else, they were set by the coach- and he's simply not holding his players feet to the fire. It might be because of lack of depth, but it sends the wrong message to have guys not do as they're instructed and not be held accountable, in my opinion.
-Nothing downfield. Purdue's vertical passing game is non-existent...and we have no reason to believe it will get any better. Defenses have all but taken away Ralph Bolden from the game because they don't have to have safeties playing deep and they can crowd the line of scrimmage. Looking at Valentin, Carlos and Smith alone, I see plenty of deep threats. But, Elliott seemingly can't make the passes to utilize these receivers. With an extremely-poor-tackling defense that seems to allow points in bunches, the offense must be able to score quickly...but this offense doesn't seem to have the quick-strike capability that is a must at this point. Plus, Nord doesn't seem to put receivers in the position to get yards after the catch. Last week, Valentin and Smith had a few noteworthy YAC plays, but it was because they carried 1-3 defenders on their backs once they had the ball, not because they were given the ball in space.

-Promises unfulfilled. At the end of camp, Coach Hope said multiple times that we'd see TerBush at quarterback. He also talked about how Halliburton, Dierking and McBurse would all see significant action at the RB position. Atop that, he spoke about the talented young receivers in the stable that would almost-assuredly play big minutes. What we've seen on the field simply hasn't matched Hope's assessment. And this can be attributed to any number of things-

Perhaps Hope just uses this tactic to keep players motivated. The problem with this idea is that these guys will eventually figure out that it's BS if it is...we're getting close to that point.

Maybe Hope simply gets nervous in gametime situations...and while he has faith in these guys in practice, he can't seem to allow them to be in the game when it really matters. Sure, guys like McBurse and TerBush might not be coming along at the rate he'd like, but there are plenty of other examples of guys who have played little-to-no minutes that seemingly could help battle fatigue on this extremely-thin Purdue roster.

The last thing that might be happening is he's reassessed the situation and doesn't think it helps the program, in the long run, by burning a redshirt for a guy like McBurse, Williams, Foy, Pamphile, Bush, Henry, Melton or others just to get purdue to 3 or 4 wins this season. I'd actually appreciate this idea, but I don't think it's the case. And if he's waiting for the right situation to plug these guys in, that time seems to have come and gone.

Looking forward
I called last week a crossroads, but that might have been a bit too stark. Purdue came out and showed much more v. UND than they did v. UNI, but still didn't get the victory. My perspective has changed on this season. What I now wish to see is the program begin to make moves for the future. The first most-important thing that Hope needs to do is not lose the team. It's tough as defeats pile up, to keep a positive attitude and keep fighting. Purdue might be on the brink of a collapse, or, if the coaches can keep them working, could be setting precedents that might define the team in '10.

This team simply must stop making stupid mistakes- regardless of what the internal goals are of the coaches for the program, the cheap penalties and poor fundamentals must be cleaned up now. Honestly, there isn't enough youth on the field to blame these issues upon.
That leads me to an important issue, in my opinion. I don't think Hope's coaching staff is where it should be. There are some very capable guys on staff- Hagen, Williams, Jackson, Rock and others have proven to be very valuable...but there are more than of the guys on Hope's staff that must show more as the season progresses. I'm specifically worried about the Special Teams units and the play of the defense...I won't go as far to say that they should be fired, as of now, but I do think both aspects of Purdue's team must improve greatly, and much of that comes back to the coordinators.

Looking even more forward, a lot of recruits are still in play...and Saturday might have gone a long way to get these guys to come to W. Lafayette next season. But, if the team loses more games it absolutely shouldn't (a la UNI), the students and other fans will wilt a bit, and the crowds might not be as loud and energetic as they need to be to impress the potential incomers. I think the level-headed fan can understand losses, but can't understand giving games away. It could be argued that UND and Oregon were both given away too, but those teams were both talented and made plays. Purdue simply must beat Northwestern, Illinois...and maybe an unexpected team or two to really have the fanbase believing from the first game in '10. While I'm pretty sure 6 wins won't happen this year, there's no reason to believe Hope can't get things headed the right direction.

So Close

Obviously, there will be more coming from us on this one, but for now...it hurts.

I had said earlier this week that as long as the Boilers showed us heart and focus, I'd be pleased. If they lost because of Notre Dame's talent, I could live with that. So why did Purdue lose? Notre Dame's talent? That was an impressive drive, calmly led by Pickles. Or was it what is being called gross incompetence on some of the boards by the Boilermakers coaching staff?

Was it the way too many penalties? Perhaps. Was it a time out in the final minute when UND was facing third and goal and had no time outs and a running clock? I know I am not alone in wondering what was happening there. If the argument is that the defense was not ready, well, who's to know if maybe the Irish could have just pounded one in? But the broadcast team told us the sideline was indicating the Irish were going to spike the ball, bringing up fourth down. Not good.

There was little to like in the first half, after an impressive first drive. Well, I shouldn't say that. The students seemed to be loud and into it from the start, the blackout appeared to really be in effect and I loved that the team bought into the blackout completely. All-black unis, head-to-toe, for the first time in years. And even a blacked out "Purdue" in the end zones. Nicely done.

Then that good first drive, followed by ineptness, on both sides of the ball. In face, while the defense showed up in the third quarter, the offense barely did. Boilerdowd and I have been bickering about yanking Joey Elliott -- at least for a series or two -- to get his attention. By late third quarter we were agreeing that something -- anything -- had to be shaken up. And maybe it was.

The fourth quarter had the makings of one of those legendary Purdue wins. A defining win, it would have been called. I don't know about you, but I saw heart and effort and resilience from these guys tonight. I thought the defense finally adjusted and stopped the ND running attack that was slicing through them in the second quarter. Big stops, good pass defense, forcing three-and-outs. They did their job. Holding a good offense down to 17 until the final minute is a good showing, especially from a D that has been struggling.

The offense even came to life in the fourth. No, Joey Elliott is not having a good run right now. But we've seen over several games that if he gets the ball to guys like Bolden, Carlos, Valentin and especially Smith tonight, these guys can do things with the ball.

And then, of course, the moment where it actually felt like things could be different this time -- the 38 yard touchdown to Jaycen Taylor. Nice to see JT get that one, too.

I can only imagine what it felt like to be there at that very moment. To hear that place like we all know it can be. Sadly, though, it wasn't over yet.

I think there are things to be encouraged about after this one. But going back to my criteria -- that a loss here is tolerable if it's not a bad showing -- it's hard to argue that this wasn't a poor showing from the coaches.

Not sure where we go from here. I need to sleep on it.

Purdue v. UND Predicto

Confident Irish head into Ross Ade for Saturday's contest

Purdue v. UND Predictions

Tim says:
Maybe I have fallen into the Kool-Aid and I can't get up. Maybe it was that bowl of ganja flakes I ate for breakfast this morning. Maybe I have been replaced with anti-Holtz. Who knows, I am giving Purdue a better than 50% chance of winning this game. I suspect the best team in the land (and leading candidate for BCS national champ - based purely on their SOS) lead by multiple Heisman trophy winner Pickles Clausen will be looking past a rebuilding Purdue this week.

I hope the boys in the trenches are eager to tear someones head off. Pressure on the QB is a must. Hard hits on anyone going over the middle are required. There can be no arm tackling and the safeties cannot be out of position to help.

Elliott clearly has to be better. He has the arm strength but cannot keep checking down for 2 yard gains. He's currently stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy. If he does well, he will continue to do well. If he does poorly, he will continue to do poorly. He just needs some confidence at this point.

Also, it will be very interesting to me to hear the pundits after a Notre Dame loss. I'm willing to be that the headline reads like this: "All-world QB Clausen hampered by near fatal turf toe in loss."

I still need to tamper my expectations (desires) with a dose of reality though. Purdue can win this game if the right team shows up. I truly believe it has very little to do with Notre Dame. It's all about which Purdue football team appears Saturday night. Purdue can win or they can lose big. Neither outcome would be surprising to me.

Purdue - 27
Notre Dame - 23


J says:
I'd love to believe Adam Rittenberg's pick of Purdue over UND in what he calls "a fairly major upset." I've been saying this since the start of the season -- I think this game is huge. Huger than huge. A win here, and Danny Hope has instant credibility -- with students, with alumni, with recruits. Lose the game, and that's more of an uphill climb, especially with next year's game back in South Bend. Being 2-2 with two good wins and a near-win would still feel decent after the first four games. 1-3, with back-to-back home stinkers would be terrible and I think the season slips away after that, with four wins being optimistic. So yes, I think this is a big hinge game.

If the Boilermakers come out fresh and ready to play -- and pissed about last week -- then I really do like their chances. Move the ball like the way they did against Oregon (and, obviously, Toledo) and it'll be a fun day. But turn the ball over like they did in those games and, well, the result will be just like Eugene or worse. It's hard when you have to outscore the other team's offense AND defense.

So much can impact this that it makes it impossible to make picks with any confidence. Does Joey Elliott look confident again? Does he shake off whatever bothered him last week? Does the O-line return to burly form? How does Ralph Bolden feel this week? Will Jaycen Taylor get in the game? What the hell ever happened to Frank Halliburton getting some carries? Will the defense have learned how to tackle?

Too many questions for me to feel confident. I'll go back to what I said going into the season and before and after the Oregon game -- if I see a good, crisp effort, I'll be happy either way. Obviously, I'd be happier with a win, but if Purdue loses simply because UND is too talented, I can live with that. UND is supposed to win. This is a year they're supposed to be very, very good. Losing to Purdue this year would be crushing for them and I can't imagine how Charlie spins it if it happens. Let's hope he has to.

As for my official pick, I'm going to give Coach Hope and the team the benefit of the doubt here. If there's a game to get up for, it's a Saturday-night, nationally-televised, blackout, Notre Dame game.

Purdue 33
Notre Dame 30


boilerdowd says:
Maybe it's because I was at the game last week, that I have a harder time believing that Purdue will win...But I just haven't been feeling it this week.

UND's offense is good, and their stats prove it. While I'm not a huge believer in any of the defenses they've played just yet, I'm not a believer in Purdue's either. Purdue's defense made Opelt look like a world-beater...and allowed Harnish to hold complete control of the pace of the game and, in the end, the outcome.

Until last week, teams had a difficult time running between the tackles, but not so much 6 days ago. I think UND will use their tight end effectively and often and as the safeties and LBs begin creeping up to stop Rudolph, Clausen will pick apart Purdue deep as he throws (in my opinion), the best deep ball in college football. I think Purdue's tackling woes haven't subsided from week one until last week, and I don't think they can be cured in 7 days...UND's YAC will beat up on Purdue, in my opinion.

Make no mistake, UND's defense is no world beater either...and I think Purdue will look more in sync than last week (how could they look much more out of rhythm?). But, concern of Bolden's ability to run the ball 25 times, the fact that only Smith has really taken over a game at wide receiver and Elliott's lack of accuracy this season all make me think Purdue would come up short in a shootout v. the Irish.

I've said it a few times, I'll say it again- nothing's better than being pleasantly surprised by my Boilers. This would be the greatest surprise I could receive this season if my Boilers could beat UND. Those who know me know my feelings about the Irish...I'm not going to restate those here; I'm already riled up enough.

Notre Dame 42
Purdue 32

Man, I hope I'm wrong.

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 heroes, 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.

The Crossroads

As J mentioned, the NIU game was lousy...in all phases-

-The offense that had been explosive and exciting looked impotent for much of the contest. With the exception of a busted play, the running game was nearly completely stifled as power formations seemed soft and the rest of the plays looked slow...and at the same time, the passing game was atrocious- no downfield plays came to fruition, Elliott was very inaccurate and the plays seemed to put receivers in the position were yards after the catch were impossible to come by.

-The defensive woes continued as pressure on the quarterback was minimal all day, the front four was manhandled by the burly Huskies and missed tackles, for the third game in a row, seemed to define the effort.

-The Special Teams once again struggled on kickoff coverage...the poor tackling was an issue, players keeping their spacing was a problem too. Those were minor though compared to everything else- Two botched punts that were lost, a roughing the kicker that was a momentum-killer and a succeeded fake punt by the Huskies really ended the game.

Players didn't execute well- they didn't look as fast as previous weeks...didn't hit very hard in any phase of the game...and weren't physically dominant in any phase either.

Coaches, by Hope's admission, didn't prepare the players correctly. Plus, play-calling left a ton to be desired as Hope specifically admitted the offense should have gone downfield more...and the defense seemingly didn't adjust to NIU's rushing attack for two quarters of the contest. From what I understand of NIU, their play-calling wasn't a big change, but Purdue simply couldn't stop Harnish and allowed BOTH of their RBs to have career best days...and both to have career-longest rushes. It was a long day.

But, now, thank goodness, the defense gets to rest against the Fighting Irish...huh?

The defensive backfield that was supposed to be a strength of Purdue's defense has been banged up...but, after returning all of the starters from last season, the unit has dropped from an upper-conference defensive backfield, to one in the lower-third.
Even without Floyd, Claussen and company will give Purdue plenty of challenges. And even though the Irish defense isn't as good as many Domers thought it would be, they're much-improved on that side of the ball as well.

As J said, this game is very important for Purdue. But we won't know what we're witnessing until this season's over. We might be at the precipice of a slippery slope that leads to disaster. It's tough to stop a tailspin when a team starts losing, it's even tougher when that team has a ton of underclassmen playing significant minutes. The younger guys might wear down quicker than a player who's been conditioning for D-1 football for three or four years, but more important than that, their immaturity might also not allow them to regroup.

Depth was a concern of mine coming into this season, and the wake of the late Oregon game showed how easily this Purdue team can be nicked up and worn out. While I didn't think there would be a hangover, it was clear that there was not 'pop' in the team on Saturday...and the 2000+ mile trip didn't just create a trap, it created a coma, of sorts.

So can Hope, his coaching staff, the players, and even the patrons of Ross-Ade knock the cobwebs loose? They'd better.

Questions
At the end of camp, Coach Hope had lots of positive things to say about his team...and in the first two games, it looked like Hope was a sage. But following the NIU game, it doesn't seem that way any longer.

So the question now is what was really happening with the Coach's statements?
-Was he trying to boost the undeveloped players to keep the team positive?
-Did he incorrectly assess these players and the situation in the program?
-Are a lot of these guys just not ready yet, but might be by later this season?

We'll know the answer at the end of the fall, but on the heels of two straight losses, we might be in the midst of the defining week of the season.

Whimsical Mention of Our Boilers

Pete Fiutak of CFN likes some of what he sees out of our Boilers:

"Purdue might not be any good, but this is one fun team to watch. Either Joe Tiller kept the wraps on Danny Hope, or else this is a whole new Boilermaker squad that’s playing like it did when Tiller first took over. Ralph Bolden is this year’s breakout, out-of-left-field, running back superstar."

I agree on almost everything he says here...but I think this team is actually pretty good and is going to get better.

Joey Elliott might have a first half of a season like a Frosh, and a second half of the season like a 5th year Senior.