The Dark Night (Game) Rises

It was announced earlier this week that the Purdue-ND game -- Coach Hazell's second home game and first against a FBS program -- will be an 8 PM start on September 14. I have to be honest -- I love this. Much like Danny Hope had some early night games to make a strong first impression (and despite how things ended for Danny, the close calls vs ND and Oregon early in the 2009 season had a lot of us juiced), this is a terrific opportunity to inject life into the Purdue football program quickly. Joe Tiller took advantage of Notre Dame in this way; so can Darrell Hazell. (And really, given their history, wouldn't like to take advantage of ND football players? Usually, it's the other way around.)

According to Purdue sports information, this is the 36th night game Purdue has played since 1935 and only the 8th home game under the lights. That feels like such a low number, but maybe that's because we all remember the night games so clearly so it feels like there have been more of them.

It's indeed been a dark time for Purdue with regard to night games. In fact, Purdue has only played four games under the lights at Ross-Ade since 1996, with three of those against Notre Dame. The Boilers are 0-4 in those games and 1-6 overall. Maybe this is the real reason Morgan Burke is against permanent lights: he's worried the Boilers may never win again. The only win in a home night game for the Boilermakers was a game I've sat back in my rocking chair and regaled you about before. It was a crisp, clear night on September 10, 1994 and a young and handsome J attending his first Purdue football game. This game was so long ago, Tim still liked sports! Boilerdowd still had hair! I'm talking a long time ago! (Try the veal!)

But seriously, 1-6 at home all time under the lights? That's a trend that needs to be changed. The Boilers are 16-18 all-time in games starting at 6 PM or later, including bowl games, which I think are a little bit of outliers in this. In bowl games at night, the Boilers are 5-1, leaving them (for you math majors) at 11-17 in all regular season night games.

We'll obviously talk more and more about the 2013 season and what it can mean and what will constitute "success," but this game if nothing else provides a tremendous opportunity for Coach Hazell and the new brand of Purdue football to make a splash on national television.

Choo choo!

Raphael Davis Show Comes Up Short in Indy

Raphael Davis led the Boilers with a game high (and career high, for that matter) 21 points in just 18 minutes...but the 23 point deficit that he and the Boilers had dug proved to be too much to overcome.

Frustrated.

In shockingly-familiar fashion, Purdue went nine and one-half minutes with just one bucket to start the second half.  But a few minutes after one of Matty's rare technical fouls, Purdue began running and Davis started scoring...in bunches. In one stretch he scored on five-straight Purdue possessions...and had about 2/3 of Purdue's offensive output in the second half.  He drove into the teeth of UND's bigs, hit jumpers AND hit free throws.  Maybe more important that that, he played with a ton of energy and was the perfect compliment to Ronnie Johnson's up-tempo style.  Purdue has no option but playing the faster pace, in my opinion...and they showed their collective inability to shoot, yet again.  And if you can't shoot, you gotta drive...and you can't let defenses set up.

You know it's a lousy season when a 13 point lends some excitement...but there's been so little to cheer for this season, just an interesting second half versus an OK opponent is a soothing salve.

This team is still struggling to find continuity and an identity outside of having a pitiful offense and inconsistent defense...so the hustle plays that we saw flashes of this afternoon in the first half, and the high energy offense that was on display for about six minutes in the second half could prove to be a turning point of sorts. Will they lead Purdue to the post-season? I doubt it...but they might help our Boilers find their way to what's coming next season.

This is a pretty bitter pill for a guy like Byrd to be forced to swallow...but after two games that will help Purdue claw its way back to .500, they'll be rudely welcomed into conference play by three-straight ranked opponents; two of them in the top-10.

Not only is Purdue more down than they've been in the last seven seasons, but the B1G seems to be better, top-to-bottom than it's been in nearly 20 years.  In order for Purdue to complete, let-alone be above the lower third of the conference, they'll need Davis...or somebody to play huge nearly every night.

Byrd played a solid game, scoring 13, pulling down five and stealing the ball three times. RonJohn had 15 points and three assists and Hammons struggled against UND's bigs, but finished with seven points and four rebounds.  But AJ wasn't the only one who struggled against UND's defense- Purdue turned the ball over 15 times and had five shots blocked. Our Boilers also struggled rebounding the ball for only the second time in the season. BUT, they hit their free throws; 74% of them...that could be a big deal, if they continue to do that.

Now, I hope I'm wrong, and this team gels and figures a lot out versus the next two opponents...But if I was a betting man, which I'm not, I wouldn't be betting on Matty's boys playing into the third week of March.  Hope I'm wrong...and if I am, I'll gladly admit it on this very site.

A bit more salve...
I got to watch the game with my pal Ed who came all the way from Tejas to see his Boilers play in today's contest...that was fun, but the highlight of our afternoon was probably watching IU lose to Butler.

We've said it before, this IU team is awfully good.  They've got slashers, shooters and the best center in the nation.  BUT, Tom Crean's in-game nervousness and inability to effectively use #40 knocks the Hoosiers down a rung or two.  Conversely, Butler's Stevens is a good witch who can take a handful of brass and make it shine like gold.  Butler plays hard all the time...and smart almost all of the time.  And while they don't have anywhere near the individual talent that IU has, he had a better team this afternoon in Indianapolis.

The atmosphere in Banker's Life was pretty damned electric for the upset as Purdue fans joined Butler fans to cheer against the forehead's squad.  This is why this event is superior to the old Wooden Classic- odds are, one or two of these four teams will probably be solid, if not better, each season...and everyone in the place loves their team, and hates at least one of the other three playing.

I'm already looking forward to next season's Crossroads Classic...but in the meantime, I'm excited to see these Boilers get better now.

BS Readers Think ND Should Stay On The Schedule

Just closing the loop on our poll, with more than 500 responses, 63% of BS readers feel that ND should stay on the schedule and would prefer it to stay that way.

We're of the opinion that Purdue will be on the chopping block as ND tries to figure out how to fit in football powerhouses from the ACC like Duke and North Carolina.

I know, I'm as shocked as you are that BS reader opinions don't move mountains as much as they should.

Next up, in the sidebar, let's just cut to the chase as Purdue steams towards conference play. Will the Boilers' win their division and wind up playing in Indy for the Big Ten title?

Is The Shillelagh Game In Trouble?

It was announced yesterday that Notre Dame will move from the Big East to the ACC in all sports except for football and hockey. As per usual, ND has kept their football entity separate because, you know, it's such a national brand.

But there was something more significant in the announcement -- the Domers have committed to play five ACC schools per year in football. That's a big deal, actually. This year, for example, the Irish play no more than three schools from any one conference, with the three being the Big Ten (Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State). Playing five "conference games" (which is effectively what they are, even if they won't be reflected in the ACC standings) eats up a lot of real estate in ND's schedule.

Why am I bringing this up? Because Purdue and Notre Dame have played every year since the '40s (even though it's not a rivalry, remember) and I think that could be in danger.

Morgan Burke was quoted yesterday as saying it "only make sense" that Purdue and ND will continue their regular meetings, but I'm not sure it's something that Morgan can just hang back and assume will happen. It might take some effort/lobbying on his part.

Consider that Notre Dame AD Swarbrick said the Domers are committed to playing USC, Stanford and Navy every season. They also currently face Michigan and Michigan State on a regular basis, and it's fair to say that at least the game vs. Michigan is a marquee matchup on a more national level. If you assume those five games remain and then you add in five ACC games, Notre Dame is down to two slots left. They already have some agreements in place, such as Miami this year in Chicago and a home and home with Oklahoma starting this season, and while I'm too lazy to research their ongoing committments in this regard, it's safe to say Army and others might be already on the schedule in upcoming seasons.

The point is, the 12 game slots are more quickly and easily filled now. You might be thinking you remember reading that Purdue and ND are committed to play through early next decade, and you'd be partially right. But the ever-thorough Mike Carmin of the J&C reported the following:

The schools have an agreement to play annually through 2021, but only the 2013 and 2014 games have signed contracts.

According to information provided to the Journal & Courier through a public records request, the contract for the 2015 game hasn’t been signed and a “letter agreement” exists for the 2016 and 2017 matchups.

I find this interesting and telling. There are also reports that ND is already floating the fact that some of their regular opponents are going to need to get used to the idea of, for example, a two years on, two years off arrangement.

While Purdue and ND have a longstanding history of playing each other regularly, I think this may be the beginning of the end of having ND automatically on the schedule every year. From what Carmin reported, it looks like it would be tough for ND to get out of the games through 2014, but not difficult at all after that. I also think it would be possible for ND to negotiate with Burke and offer future guaranteed matchups (though not annually) in exchange for letting them out of those contracted 2013 and 2014 games. The point? This "rivalry" could dissipate faster than you think.

It also does bring me to a question: do you care? Vote in the poll to the right and let us know your thoughts on this in the comments.

Boilers Show Well But Fall In South Bend, 20-17

TD maker

Sometimes Purdue games are very predictable. Joe Tiller teams were usually spooked in places like South Bend, Ann Arbor, Columbus, etc., for example. In recent years, Danny Hope teams have seemed to buck the predictable trend in the "micro" analysis, in that you never knew what might happen in a given game. From the "macro" perspective, though, you knew the season result would probably be 5-7 wins. So that has remained, sadly, predictable.

To avoid another typical season record, we said Purdue needed to change some of this unpredictability during the season. And what better way to stabilize a team that can beat OSU one week and lose to Northern Illinois in another? Why, to manufacture a quarterback controversy, of course! Welcome to the Danny Hope school of thought.

The Boilermakers went to Notre Dame with Caleb TerBush penciled in as the starter, a week after he was suspended for a game and Robert Marve had his best game at Purdue. TerBush actually began the game pretty well, making sound decisions and relatively crisp passes. The Boilers moved the ball well -- always good to avoid those early three-and-outs -- but the drive stalled after roughly 60 yards and the Boilers had to punt.

This wasn't unusual, as the teams combined for a dozen punts in the game. TerBush remained in the game for the bulk of the first half, but Robert Marve found himself on the field late in the second quarter and engineered the Boilers' first scoring drive of the game, ultimately finding Antavian Edison on a 3rd and 10 after Purdue called a time out and then came out of the TO looking more disheveled than most teams do right before they're forced to call a time out.

Backup

Everyone felt Marve had clearly shown more than Caleb -- even Doug Flutie said that they would stick with Marve -- but Coach Hope again bucked conventional (and even elementary) wisdom and brought the cold TerBush back off the bench for the bulk of the third quarter. TerBush committed the first Purdue turnover of the day with a pick -- what he's supposedly not going to do, as per Hope -- and the Domers got a FG out of it. Fortunately, Purdue's D -- specifically Josh Johnson -- forced and recovered a fumble later on deep in Notre Dame territory, and thus the turnover battle was essentially even (TerBush threw a Hail Mary INT at the end of the game, but that obviously doesn't matter in terms of the turnover battle).

We saw Marve get crunched on a sack late in the game, bringing TerBush back into the game yet again, and Caleb actually had one of the biggest plays of the game for the Boilers, drilling a pass to Edison on 4th and 10 with about two minutes to go for the tying score. For the first time in a while, the Boilers had hung even with the Irish in their building. Of course, with a couple minutes to go and Coach Hope with his goofy, happy-to-be-here grin on, the Boiler defense bent more than they had most of the day and allowed Tommy Rees to come off the bench for ND and -- the way the NBC announcing crew of Mike Mayock and Tom Hammond told it -- overcame having no legs or something. As a BS twitter follower noted to us, "the guy punched a cop, he's not coming back from serious adversity."

Well, let's be positive for a few moments -- what did I like?

I liked the defensive line living up to their press. They were in the ND backfield quite often and got to Everett Golson a number of times. I also liked the defense in general. They allowed 376 total yards and only 52 on the ground. It wasn't a shutdown performance but it was very much a bend-but-don't-break effort for most of the day. The Irish would move the ball between the 20s, but they were forced to punt five times themselves. Only allowed 20 total against a ranked team in their house is a quality performance. While I still worry a bit about everyone behind the D-line, today's effort against a team that rolled up 50 points last week goes a long way towards making me a believer.

I also liked what I saw out of the QBs, honestly. Let's always keep in mind that these guys are doing what the coaches tell them to do. As I said last week, Caleb TerBush is just following orders so let's not make this about him personally. And he actually did start the game well, moving the Boiler offense and as I said, making smart decisions. However, then Marve came in and showed that last weekend's performance was not a fluke, as he clearly was the better QB. Their first half numbers were similar, but the offense just clicks with Marve in there. He also makes plays that TerBush simply cannot and is actually making smarter and smarter plays. Marve took a sack that led to Purdue's field goal in the fourth quarter and when he took the sack, I immediately thought, "That would have been a pick last year," because Marve would have tried to force it in somewhere to avoid the sack and to make something magical happen. This year, he at least didn't make the bad throw. A sack isn't good, either, but it's better than turning the ball over.

As mentioned, Marve looked like he might have hurt his knee late in this one on a sack. He had to be tended to on the field, but then he got up and jogged off. I believe he's having an MRI tonight so we'll find out soon if there's anything seriously wrong. I sincerely hope not and not only because I want to see him play.

What did this game show us? It demonstrated that Purdue is not going to be afraid of teams. They did not look spooked in Notre Dame Stadium and they also didn't look overmatched in any way against these guys. Usually this game shows some gap in the depth of talent at a place like Notre Dame and a place like Purdue, but this game was as even as the score indicates. The Boilers pushed the Irish around a fair amount and that's what we like to see.

This game also showed us why people are concerned with college-level referees officiating NFL games. There were a number of missed calls that seemed fairly obvious, with perhaps the most egregious coming on Notre Dame's final drive when Tommy Rees let the play clock hit zero and yet was able to snap the ball after the :00 was showing and complete a critical third down pass for a first down. That's kind of a game-changer right there. Word is he was also trying to signal timeout right before the play but then realized ND didn't have any. Guess it's a good thing the refs helped him out and didn't allow him to call it, eh?

And speaking of trying to call time outs, Danny Hope was evidently frantically attempting to call a TO late in the first half when the Boilers took a delay of game and made their TD drive that much more difficult. Hope was ignored for whatever reason and then the Boilers scored, so it doesn't seem like it matters, but I hope that is matters to Danny and he speaks up about it. These were just two sloppy situations by the officials.

On the subject of coaches, I once again find myself thinking that this team has potential... but how much of that potential will be realized with this staff? We've said it before and we'll say it again, we like Danny Hope and think he's a very good man. However, the decision-making -- particularly around the QB situation -- does nothing but make us scratch our heads. I understand all the crap about how we're not in the locker room so we don't know what's really going on. But we do know enough about football to know that if a guy has the offense humming, that it makes sense to leave him in there. It's not that complicated. Marve not starting the second half after his very strong finish to the second quarter made absolutely no sense, as Panda alluded to in a post earlier this evening. I can't think of a reason. I assume, also as the Panda said, that this was just the Purdue coaching staff's game plan and they were going to run with it no matter what. Adjustments have clearly never been this group's strong suit and that's being put on full display right now.

Obviously, we'll need to see how Robert Marve's knee is before being able to fully assess what's to come, but assuming he is okay, there is a lot of feel good about. The Boilermakers now absolutely must focus on their game next weekend and ensure a convincing win. Then on to the Marshall game, which they must also force themselves to take as seriously as a Notre Dame game and not look ahead to the challenging start to the Big Ten season.

However, I can look ahead because I don't have to play, and I will say that even though it's just two games in and the Boilers lost one of them, I find myself feeling some optimism. Sure, I do think anything Purdue accomplishes will be in spite of the coaching, but when you see how mortal Wisconsin and Michigan look, and you see how confident and talented the Purdue D-line is...and how poised these Boilers look so far....it's easy to begin to get excited.

In the end, there were things that frustrated me today, but not nearly as much as usual, and very little on the players' part. There were no special teams breakdowns, there were no completely boneheaded mental mistakes, and there was only one bad turnover (which Coach Hope, interestingly, called a "stupid interception" by TerBush). That, folks, is a big, important step in the right direction for this program. I hope it's a portent of things to come. 

Nothing against Catholics, but...

I hate Notre Dame.

There are years when simply competing in South Bend would have been an accomplishment.  This is not one of those years.  Purdue played well enough to win but soft coverage allowed Notre Dame to move down the field at the end of the game and complete a huge 3rd and 10 in the process.

There were not a lot of stupid penalties or multiple egregious turnovers but there were at least 4 dropped passes.  Just when I thought Marve may have finally won the starting job he goes down and Terbush completes a 4th and 10 for a touchdown.  Then I had to listen to the idiot announcers talk about how the TD may have to be reviewed after Edison was practically napping on the ground before the ball came out.  There are so many things I hate about Notre Dame and having to listen to their announcers while hating them is certainly near the top of the list.

Also, if Tommy Rees is good enough to be "the closer" the why the crap isn't he starting?

*insert yelling here*

Suck!

Purdue Quarterbacks vs. Notre Dame Fighting Suspensions - Predicto

It's an annual rite of passage for so many Boilermakers. How will this year's crop of students, new fans, old fans, players, etc., deal with Notre Dame? Will they be like so many before them and find themselves frustrated, confounded, angry, etc., after yet another Purdue implosion? Or will they be among the precious few who feel that common bond of times when Purdue put a hurting on Notre Dame by turning the tables?
There's really no in between, right? Sure, there were some lean years, where it was a simple guaranteed loss (I'm looking at you, Jim Coletto and Fred Akers). No fuss, no muss. The Domers would just go out and run the Boilers over like vermin on the highway to bigger and better things. But there were also the good years and good times.

Most of what was in between those two were things like the 1995 game -- my first in-person Purdue-ND tilt -- when the Boilers got the ball down near the ND goal line trailing 35-28 with a scant minute or so to go... and then, with Mike Alstott on the roster, chose to pass into the end zone four times with Rick Trefzger. (Truth be told, I always liked Trefzger for his willingness to take his lumps as an undertalented QB -- and I've always secretly wanted a Trefzger throwback jersey, so if someone can make this happen, please let me know.)

No, it's been a sordid history, with Purdue winding up on the wrong end too many times, usually in painful fashion. Everyone remembers the Boilers failing to show up last year in a nighttime, blackout, home game. If you've been watching a little longer, you probably recall the 2009 game, when the Boilers first displayed the Danny Hope-era, all-black uni look, and looked terrible for a large portion of the game... only to stage a riveting comeback in the second half, culminating with a brilliant play and long TD pass back across the field to good soldier Jaycen Taylor with less than four minutes to go. Some have told us it's the loudest they've heard Ross-Ade, certainly since the halcyon days of Brees and Tiller.

Alas, the Boilers found a way to find the banana peel again, between a strange time out call from the Purdue bench when ND was scrambling to line up for a 4th & goal attempt with under 30 seconds to go and then Jimmy Clausen finding Kyle Rudolph for the game-winning TD.

I've actually often thought about that game and how that one minute of game play could have changed the course of Danny Hope's career at Purdue. Who knows what the 2009 team does without another early heartbreaking, soul-crushing loss (the other being the 38-36 loss at Oregon two weeks earlier)? But that's all in the past.

What do your fearless editors think of this year's chapter? Well, not good things.

Danny Hope: Chessmaster?

I'll give Danny Hope this: he's got the Purdue fanbase talking.

And it really wouldn't be Purdue football if there wasn't uncertainty in the air, would it? Sure, there's a QB available who just had a better statistical game -- by far -- than Caleb TerBush has ever had on the college level. But then there's the caveat that, hey, it was against EKU.

Okay, fine, but do you think Caleb would have carved them up the same way? If so, you're certainly entitled to that opinion and hey, you might very well be right. Let's remember a few things here...

For one, Danny Hope has been unwavering on the fact that Caleb TerBush is the number 1 guy and has looked like the number 1 guy since the spring. A lot of us have a hard time believing that -- including media members who are there to see it with their own eyes all the time -- but there are times when you have to say, hey, the coach knows best.

Caleb TerBush started 13 games last year, plus he had a mop-up role in a drubbing up in Madison two years earlier. Saturday was Marve's 26th game where he saw action on the college level. That's nearly twice as much game experience, which can go one of two ways -- either it strengthens the argument that he should be the guy, or it could give you pause about criticizing the selection of TerBush.

Maybe -- maybe -- Caleb TerBush used that experience gained last year and actually has developed as you might expect an upperclassman QB to develop. If he is the guy and Coach Hope and Coach Nord say he's the guy, do we as fans owe it to give him a chance? I think so.

Understand something here: Just because we've publicly supported giving Marve the chance to show what he can do as the healthy starter doesn't mean we don't like or support Caleb TerBush. We do have a problem with him making poor decisions, be it nearly flunking out of school and losing a year due to academics or getting himself suspended just prior to the season opener this year.

However, we also respect him for stepping up and taking the reins as he was asked to do last year with practically zero college experience and a full year of inactivity between his last time in uniform and taking the field against Middle Tennessee. TerBush answered the bell and did exactly what the coaches asked of him. Let's not forget that. And let's also not forget that he wears the same black and gold as Robert Marve, Rob Henry and everyone else out there. If you read here regularly, you know we don't advocate blanket support of the players -- sometimes they do deserve your unwavering support, but other times they do things that we can not and do not support.

All that said, if a guy has "paid his dues" or done his punishment and the team and coaches have deemed him deserving of being back on the field, I think the fanbase owes it to that guy to back him. Caleb is a student at your University. He represents you. Yes, we would rather see Robert Marve starting, but that doesn't mean we don't support TerBush.

Hope's announcement that Caleb was going to be the starter vs Notre Dame set the Boilermaker faithful abuzz. I think there is still some support for Terbush out there, but Marve's game on Saturday has certainly gotten people scratching their heads about this decision. However, before you run off calling for Coach Hope's head, you have to keep it in perspective -- this was just an announcement. What does that really mean? Caleb was the starter last week, too, until about an hour before gametime, and then he wasn't. I'm not saying that will happen again, but I saw a reader make an astute point that got me thinking. He asked why you would announce any starter at all -- let Notre Dame plan for two QBs, or even three. That byproduct of an unsettled QB situation is one we can all live with... if it even gains the Boilers a tiny advantage, I'm fine with it.

And what if this "starter" talk actually is all subterfuge? What if Caleb starts and plays two conservative series and then Marve takes over and suddenly Purdue attacks like an angry dog? What then, Boilermakers? If Purdue does something like that and actually wins in South Bend, does Danny Hope become crazy like a fox? Or just a lucky dog?

The point is, none of us know what is happening or what the plan is for Saturday. I hope the coaches and players do. If so, that's good enough for me.

ND Paid Chuck Weis Almost As Much As Brian Kelly in 2010-2011

Reader Gregg chimes in with yet another quality find and assessment of it. He sends along this link to a Chicago Tribune story detailing how much Notre Dame is still paying Charlie Weis -- at about $8.7 million and climbing. From July 2010 to June 2011, Weis made over $2 million from ND, while Brian Kelly netted $2.4 million. 

Three more years, suckas!

In addition, it appears that Weis will continue to receive buyout money through December 2015. Amazing, really. But I wish I had such a contract.

Gregg's commentary with the link was as follows:

Basically, Charlie Weis has, ahem, "earned" $8.7 Million dollars since he was fired from Notre Dame, and will continue to get paid through 2015-- note that this figure does not include his ridiculously high salary from his coaching days-- this is merely his buyout so far (after all is said and done, the buyout will reportedly total around $20M). 

Not bad for a guy who went 15-22 in his last 3 years, and a lifetime coaching average of .564-- and even then, this number is inflated because 2 of his "victories" came from NCAA-mandated forfeits of opposing teams (USC and North Carolina were forced to vacate their wins for tainted seasons).  So it really is a .532 average.  UND was that desperate to get rid of this loser-- I have a colleague with a connection to a big shot within the alum association, and trust me, they passed the hat around.  His current salary at Kansas?  $2.5M.  Dude does less with more than anybody I've ever seen in CFB. 

If mediocrity has a price, I guess the going rate at Notre Dame is $20M.

Well-said, Gregg, and thanks for stoking the embers of Weis-hate. They always keep us cozy and warm. 

Nearing Rock Bottom? Boilers Crushed By Domers 38-10

Two weeks off to prepare for Notre Dame yielded nothing that we could discern on the field. In fact, that players played with less discipline than usual, which is saying a lot given how poorly Coach Hope's teams have performed in that department over the past two-plus seasons.

The only somewhat "trick" plays were a pass play from Tommie Thomas (which we knew was coming two weeks ago from one of our spies) and a nonsensical play where Justin Siller lined up at QB and handed the ball off. Whoooooo!!! Craaay-zeee!!

The Boilers were embarrassed tonight in their own building. It's as simple as that. And yes, Notre Dame was unquestionably the better team. But then, we said that from the start of the season, throughout this week, on the podcast and in our predicto for the game. So that was never really in doubt.

However, while the Boilers cannot control a talent disparity, they can control effort and discipline. They racked up 118 yards in penalties and only had 272 in total offense (versus almost 550 yards for ND). Curiously, the Boilers passed more than they ran, despite the fact that the run game has seemingly been a strength for this Purdue offense and, unlike last year, they actually have healthy, talented running backs. Bolden and Shavers got the ball 11 times for 22 yards -- combined. What? I don't know, either.

As I said, Notre Dame is much better than Purdue. However, they're not all that good and Purdue did not make them earn it by putting the Domers under pressure at all. Interceptions bouncing off DBs, Purdue unable to fall on fumbles, etc. This is not an opportunistic team at all. They don't create their own breaks, they don't get lucky, and so forth. And as we've said before, good teams make their own luck.

To beat -- or compete with -- a team like ND, Purdue needed to take advantage of easy picks and grab a fumble or two. Or return a kick for a TD. Or anything. They simply don't do those things.

Purdue did not look prepared to handle ND, either, and their adjustments -- if there were any -- did not slow the Irish down.

We would have liked to see Marve get a complete game and get to see what he could have done had he not come in down 14-0 and with the team reeling. He moved them down the field at times and, frankly, they just looked better -- though the results weren't ultimately much different -- with Robert at the helm. Marve's ball has a better zip on it and he appears far more confident. I like Caleb TerBush and don't want to disparage the young man, but he's simply not a better QB than Marve and I don't see how Coach Hope and the rest of the staff can possibly keep Marve from starting going forward. Sure, they're 2-2, not 0-4, but they're not good and the season is in serious danger of getting away from them. We think it basically already has, but if there's hope to hang on to anything, Marve is the guy to do it. Of that we are convinced.

I'm sure there are still those who will make excuses for why we shouldn't be disgusted with the direction of the program. However, yet again, there is no excuse for looking this disjointed, especially after an extra week to prepare.

As per usual, the defensive scheme was ineffective, the play-calling was uncreative and uninspired, and the players -- while amped to play tonight -- were undisciplined and sloppy. It's a systemic problem at this point and it's not going to just magically vanish one day. It's here to stay, for as long as this regime stays in place.

The Predicto - Notre Dame

Our team of uniform informants are setting our black helmets aside and going to actually talk football for once again.

Predicto starts...right now!

Guest Post: View from ND

by Sharon Pirouteck
Special to Boiled Sports

I'm only writing this because I was asked nicely and was promised payment. I normally wouldn't stoop so low as to actually acknowledge that Purdue exists. We only look at Purdue when we're looking down at our boots to see what we're stepping on. Oh, or when we need an engineering tutor or someone to fly a space shuttle or land an airplane on the Hudson River in an emergency or explain calculus to us. But that's pretty much it. Otherwise, you guys suck!

Your campus is ugly, too. All the clean walkways, friendly people, brick buildings and unique fountains -- ugh! Who can take that? You need more strip clubs right near campus. It would give your girls the opportunity to live the American dream by earning a living!

And speaking of the people, who are those funny-looking, different people I saw on your campus? There were people of different colors, races, ethnicities... what's that all about? Seriously.

I know our two schools are playing football this weekend, but we barely notice. You're just a speedbump, Purdue. Stick to basketball, where we'd also kick your ass but don't feel the need to do so. Your football team is just another easy hurdle to jump on our way to yet another world-beating, dominant 7-win campaign. See, that's what makes us unique at Notre Dame. We have tradition and history and we wake up the echoes. What do you guys do in West Lafayette? I mean, besides produce NFL quarterbacks?

Drew Brees? Am I supposed to be impressed by him? Give me Brady Quinn any day. Brady is far prettier and doesn't have weird birthmarks. And no, I'm not impressed that Orton is a starter and Quinn isn't.

You guys just don't understand our vaunted history. If you did, you'd totally root for us. In fact, that's really what's going on here -- you guys say you hate us, but you're just JEALOUS. You want to be us. We have our awesome THE SHIRT every year and you don't. We have TOUCHDOWN JESUS and you don't. We still claim to be NATIONAL TITLE CONTENDERS every year. You don't. Suck on that!

Just Remember...They Are ND

Best worst video ever?

For those who haven't seen it, the below video was created last year by an out-of-touch, middle-aged Notre Dame alum who actually thought this would have the fans "dancing in the aisles." It sounds like something my mom would say, that's the level of cringe-worthyness. And it's pure awesome.

Are You Excited?

Are you excited? I know I am. It's April 15 and, aside from the excitement of tax day, it's the day the Notre Dame 2011 "The Shirt" is revealed.

Just the title "The Shirt" speaks volumes about the arrogance and self-importance associated with Notre Dame football. The idea that it's actually exciting to see which poorly-designed shirt concept was selected for this fall is also silly. But since there's not much to write about, it's always fun to make fun of Notre Dame.

Since this year's shirt isn't announced until late afternoon today (with special appearance by Brian Kelly -- OMG!!!), we'll just take a look back at some previous shirts, including our favorites...and perhaps make some suggestions for this year's slogan.

2009 -- "Rise and Strike. Defend our Honor."

Or, just get your honor violated week after week after week, while your obnoxious, arrogant coach alienates absolutely everyone and throws his own players under the bus.

2008 -- "Wake up the echoes. Notre Dame will rise again."

But not this year. We'll let you know when.

I also like that they couldn't think of too much original so they copied the '94 shirt and did "wake up the echoes" again.

2006 -- "Tradition. This is the day and you are the team."

...that will continue the decade-plus bowl victory drought.

2003 -- "Here come the Irish. There's a magic in the sound of their name."

Their name is Houdini?

Ah, but perhaps our favorite of all time was 2005:

"The Spirit Lives. If you could bottle the Notre Dame spirit, you could light up the universe."

Wow. I am still awed by horribly stupid that is. I remember us running into UND guys who were mortified by it. That slogan sounds like something one of our mothers would come up with after leaving church or something. Yay, spirit!

As for 2011, what would be a good slogan?

"Notre Dame football: Celebrating one bowl win since our freshmen were born."

"Notre Dame football: Too sexy for a conference."

"Notre Dame football: Reminiscing with IU basketball fans about the mid-to-late '80s for a quarter century."

"Notre Dame football: Remember when we mattered?"

"Notre Dame football -- It was honestly a beautiful day."

Please feel free to improve upon these.

SHOCKING NEWS: Story About Notre Dame Football Embellished

Sit down, everybody.  This is kind of a bombshell.

It turns out that Rudy, everbody's* favorite underdog, was a bit of an exaggeration. I know, I was shocked, too. What is there to believe in anymore?

Joe Montana went on the Dan Patrick Show yesterday and, in between sounding like he was completely baked, Joe sighed through a grudging explanation that, yes, he was there when Rudy was there and yes, Rudy got to play in their last game... but no, nobody turned in their jerseys and threatened to quit and no, they were not playing anything but a cupcake and no, despite having carried him off the field, it wasn't done seriously. It was done as kind of a joke. You know, the kind of dick thing they do at Notre Dame that makes opponents and fans hate them.

Can you believe it? I know I can't.

To think.... a story involving Notre Dame football three-plus decades ago has been stretched and distorted beyond reality. I mean, what's next? IU basketball fans wanting to have Bobby Knight back for a night to honor him?

Oh.


*Everybody is defined as really sad, clueless people who think movies like Rudy and The Blind Side are actually true-to-life.

Boilermakers Bounced in South Bend

Yep, that one hurt -- any loss to Notre Dame does. However, there were some things to be optimistic about coming away from this game.

Let's start with what happened in front of us. Notre Dame's defense exposed Purdue's thin running back corps and made tackles (which Purdue didn't for large chunks of time). They pressured Marve by flooding through a somewhat porous O-line for much of the day. It also didn't hurt that Notre Dame was called for only two penalties... the entire day.

As for what to be optimistic about, well, I think we saw Marve settle in throughout the game. This is a guy who hadn't seen live action in nearly two years (Nov 2008). He started a little rough, but led a couple of impressive drives in the third and fourth quarters. The ND pressure caused him to rush a couple of passes, leading to INTs, but I know that I came away from this happy with what he clearly is capable of. Seeing him let fly with those long downfield attempts -- even though neither was caught -- was fun to watch. Seeing the ball aired out -- accurately -- more than 50 yards is something that Joey Elliot just, well, wasn't quite able to do. Guys like Justin Siller are going to catch those as we move forward.

Marve's touchdown was a play I loved. As NBC's Mayock pointed out, the Domers were in man-to-man and there was nobody behind the line. Marve saw this and audibled -- though I think his audible may have just been nonsense to get the defense thinking. And then he took off after the fake handoff and, well, we all saw his dive into the end zone. Sure, not the smartest thing and I'm usually one to come down on guys who do dumb things resulting in dumb penalties, BUT.... well, it wasn't that dumb.

Excessive celebration penalties came about to curb taunting. I think it's fair to say that wasn't exactly taunting. That was a kid having fun. However, I don't think you'll see him do it again.

I was also pleased with his 74% completion percentage (31 of 42) and I think that bodes well for the kind of offense run at Purdue.

On the defensive side of the ball, well, the growing pains are there. In what feels like a recurring theme (for years), the Purdue defense did not tackle particularly well. This is not good. Too many times, they had held ND to a third down and then allowed the first down to happen. That's where the games are won and lost. Giving new life and improved field position is crushing, especially in what turned out to be a fairly low-scoring game. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Ryan Kerrigan, who is simply the beast we all expected him to be. Early on, Mayock was pointing out that Notre Dame needed to start getting some help over there to deal with Kerrigan. Interestingly, it seemed like every time a replay was shown of Kerrigan manhandling the UND line, it prominently featured someone holding him brutally. Guess we have to get used to that.

And now, a special note to the fans.... I know many of you are loyalists. You love these guys and you already can't wait for next Saturday to show the love. However, I saw a disconcerting number of remarks on Twitter like "Is it basketball season yet?" and other similar remarks. Let me make this clear: That's something a Notre Dame or IU fan would say. Someone who doesn't support their sports teams. That's not something we do at Purdue. Again, I know most of you aren't like that... and maybe some of the people making those remarks were doing it in jest.

I still don't like it.

Remember the support the students gave the basketball team when they returned to campus after big wins? Remember how happy it looked like it made the players? Well, just imagine the football team starts seeing remarks about how we're all looking forward to basketball -- one game in. Well, how would YOU feel? Yeah, let's not discuss this again.

More later on today's game. For now, have a drink, relax and try to enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend. This, my friends, is just the beginning.

Purdue-Notre Dame Pump Up, Courtesy of The Paint Crew

Those whippersnappers can cobble together video clips!

Watch this and feel your heart race.



(Thanks to the Paint Crew for creating this and H&R for pointing it out.)

Looking at the Offensive Two Deeps for Saturday

Mirror Images

Quarterback

Robert Marve will be starting his first game as a Boilermaker...we've got such high expectations, we've put our money where our mouths are. The combo of Marve's athleticism and his arm strength will be like nothing we as Purdue fans have seen. The questions are- how will he a handle full-speed game and will he find rhythm quickly. His back-up, Rob Henry is just as, if not more athletic, but doesn't have an arm like Marves...I think everyone in black and gold is hoping not to see Henry behind the center on Saturday.

Similarly, Notre Dame fans don't want to see Rees or Montana play versus Purdue. Crist was the bluest of blue chips out of high school, but hasn't played for UND in anything but spot duty. His combination of running ability and accuracy should be a good fit for Kelly's offense.

Offensive Line

Both teams have mostly-rebuilt offensive lines. Purdue's Guard, Ken Plue, is the most fearsome of the returnees at 6'7" and a lively 322. Purdue has great size as the two deeps average around 6'4.5" and just under 300 pounds.

UND is similar- they return a couple starters, most-notably, 6'5" 351 lb. biggin G, Chris Stewart. After that, the Irish are also sizable averaging 6'4" and 295 pounds.

Wide Receiver

Purdue's most-notable receiver is of course, Keith Smith. He's not the deep threat that Floyd is, but is just as dangerous. His strength, hands and ability to keep his feet after contact made him dangerous in '09. He'll be accompanied by Siller and Cortez Smith who, like K. Smith are big and sure-handed. Purdue has a ton of athletic young guys who are shorter, smaller and quicker than the 1s. Freshman O.J. Ross is the fastest player on the roster...and the true-freshman will hopefully get a chance to show some of that off on Saturday.

Everybody knows Michael Floyd. His season was cut short last year due to injury. His body control and hands might be the best in college football...but he got fat off of Clausen's deep ball. Crist will probably be able to easily find the NFL-ready body of Floyd. Behind Floyd, UND has a ton of speed and talent for Crist to utilize, Riddick is the burner of the group.

Tight End

Kyle Adams has good size (6'5" 251) and sure hands...and his back-up, Lindsay is a bit more athletic, but not the blocker that Adams is. Elliott didn't look Adams way too often, but I think Marve will find Adams underneath as the hot route more-routinely.

UND's Kyle Rudolph is a large (6'6" 265), prototypical NFL tight end who catch everything and his size allows him to brush off would-be tacklers. His back-up, Eifert, is just as large and is probably a better receiver than Rudolph.

Not the Same

Running Back

If Purdue had Ralph Bolden, this comparison would also be pretty similar as well. But, Bolden's bum ACL helped to thrust ATM up the depth chart to #1. McBurse had a handful of carries in '09, but most of his play came as a kickoff returner. We'll know very soon if McBurse is a 20+ carry/game back. I hope so, because if he gets holes to run though, I think he'll break one. His back up, the compact Dan Dierking is solid, but won't get past the second level too often.

UND's Sr RB, Armando Allen has played a lot in his career, but under Weis the Irish weren't able to run effectively except in rare occasions. His back-up Cierre Wood was highly-touted, but didn't show off his abilities in '09.