Fans of Lawrence Phillips' Alma Mater Casting First Stones

Is that a corncob on your head, or are you just happy to see me?

Well, it didn't take long for Big 12 fans to begin mocking Big Ten teams. You remember the Big 12, right? That conference that Big Ten expansion will probably force to dissolve?

Well, on Saturday, Cornhole Nation (I think that's what it's called -- can't remember) put up a "profile" of Purdue. It's what you might expect from a trade school graduate: uninformed.

Some highlights:

They put up a photo of the Boilers celebrating winning the Bucket and mock the empty stands and hold that up as evidence that it will be easy to "invade" Ross-Ade. Someone may want to tell them that photo is from a road game at Bloomington. Solid reporting.

They say this:

Purdue has just a scant few bragging points with regards to their football program.

And then immediately say this:

Purdue QB's have registered more NFL starts, and accounted for more NFL touchdowns than any other school. 15 Boilermaker quarterbacks have been sent to the NFL, with the most recent and notable being Super Bowl champ Drew Brees. PU has turned 3 of these (Len Dawson, and Bob Griese) into Super Bowl MVP's...also the most from any other school.

I'm curious... when is it not "scant" anymore? Also, how is Eric Crouch's NFL career going?

Some more:

Football Games are played at Ross-Ade (like Gatorade?) Stadium. Recent renovations have reduced it's former seating capacity from 70k down to around 62k seats. So, basically only about 30k will be seeing Purdue black and gold on Husker gamedays.

Ah, I see. Because 30,000+ Husker fans will invade Ross-Ade, right? Not sure if they're aware, but the Big Ten already has football programs like OSU and UM and I'm fairly sure there aren't 30,000+ fans of those programs in R-A when the Boilers play them. But yes, Nebraska, I'm sure your fans are different. Keep in mind, though, 612 miles is a long way to drive a tractor.

The only trophy tradition I could dig up for Purdue was the Old Oaken Bucket.

Must not have dug very hard.

Under a description of our fans, they write:

Smart people. Nerds. (77% of residents hold a bachelors degree or higher).

It tickles me that having a bachelor's degree in Nebraska makes you a nerd.

To their credit, they do share this link in the hopes that Purdue fans resemble her.

Go ahead and read the whole thing and be sure to check out the comments, too, as it didn't take long for Boilermakers to begin going after them. I look forward to the day when we can welcome the Cornhuskers to West Lafayette.

(Thanks to Eric for the heads up.)

Much Better This Weekend

Purdue's Baby Boilers faced a more-respectable opponent for the first time this season in the form of Horizon League school, Loyola of Chicago. Painter had the team ready as the Boilers won by more than 30...and the shooting woes that hampered them v. Lipscomb weren't evident. E'Twaun Moore started the game on the bench and responded well. He led Purdue with 18 points in a 7 of 9 shooting night. In doing so, I think he showed why he's so highly touted and might be a great one as his career at Purdue progresses. Martin continues to impress (scored 15) and JaJuan Johnson stayed solid as did Hummel; both scoring 10. Nemanja Calasan started his Boiler career by hitting his first shot, a three pointer...he finished with only 7 points.

Something to think about...
If things were just a bit different, Purdue's starting lineup might look something like this:
F Gordon Watt (Sr.)
F Nate Minnoy (Jr.)
F Scott Martin (Fr.)
G E'Twaun Moore (Fr.)
G Chris Kramer (So.)
Watt and Minnoy's strength would be greatly appreciated, especially as the BT schedule rolled around. Instead, Purdue's lack of bulk will very soon hurt them...Possibly v. Clemson, next game. No matter, Painter's got them heading the right direction- I think it will take a season or two, but this team will be good in the near future.

Where's he now? Boiler Update
I had it brought to my attention this week that ex-Purdue offensive coordinator has gone through a bit of a change since leaving West Lafayette. You can be the judge for yourself (please note, these photos have not been doctored...seriously):

Jim Chaney following his hiring by the St. Louis Rams in 2006


Jim Chaney prior to the 2007 season

Eric Jordan Update
Kelvin Sampson's rock star freshman Eric Jordan led the Hoosiers by scoring 20 points and shot 33% in IU's loss versus Xavier Saturday night. IU was #8...they will not be anymore. This doesn't change the fact that IU is a good team and that Jordan is a great talent...but I enjoy seeing them lose.

College Football
-Mizzou surprised few by beating Kansas...Much like Hawaii, Kansas had played an extremely weak schedule and their lack of play v. tough competition showed. This just in- Chase Daniel is a bad ass.

-Nebraska fired Coach Bill Callahan and stunned no one in doing so. Nebraska was coming off of a contest in which they scored 51 points...and lost by 14! I guess the Black Skirts aren't what they used to be. Callahan was 27-22...Frank Solich was 58-14 when he was fired.

-Notre Dame manhandled yet another extremely tough opponent. Despite the Manatee's decided schematic advantage, the real student athletes on the field had a chance to tie the game as the contest drew to a close. For those keeping score at home, the Irish are 2-0 in their last few games. Looks to me like the Irish will go bowling again this season.

Lee Corso may be onto something. He suggested that UND should anchor a new football conference that they would dominate...It would be comprised of academically-strong, private schools. Duke, Stanford, maybe Northwestern and others will be invited...Wake Forest, Boston College, you are not invited.

-Auburn Beat 'Bama and overpaid jackass, Nick Saban's team officially became bowl ineligible. But, more importantly, one of Auburn's own police force attacked Tiger DB, Jerraud Powers.