Quick glance back at the week

Media day for B1G football was this week...you all know that. Here are a few things that stood out to me:

Shavers in BG Game

-Hope and his teammates like Akeem Shavers a lot...I hope he's as good as they've observed. He need to be, in my opinion. Even if Bolden is healthy all year, he's not the biggest back and a change up who is a legitimate threat is imperative for moving the chains.

-Hope is fully expecting Robert Marve to be 100% when camp starts...that's very different from how things looked just a month ago. Kevin Pamphile is also seems to be finally improving after battling a nagging foot injury.

-Hope said about the QB situation, "For the first time since I've been the head coach at Purdue, we went into the spring game with a quarterback who had played in a college football game." That's simply not the case- Elliott played in three games as a Junior, four as a Soph and three as a Freshman. Granted, he didn't play a ton (if any) serious snaps...but he played. Plus, Marve started over half the season at Miami and threw for over 1,200 yards for the 'Canes.

-Purdue will use a two QB system as Hope sees both Marve and Henry as starter-caliber players. Plus, he likes TerBush's potential. Hopefully Robinson will be able to redshirt as it would help the depth chart quite a bit in coming seasons.

It was asked on Twitter if we could think of any teams that were good with two QBs that played regularly. I believe Carr, while at Michigan, used Drew Henson & Tom Brady, then Drew Henson & John Navarre and averaged around 9 wins/season during that period. Also, Texas used both Major Applewhite and Chris Simms under center during the same season. Sure, UM and UT had tremendous depth at nearly every position and was loaded to the gills with talent...so it's not exactly the same situation. But, it can and has worked.

At the same time, I can think of a ton of examples when it failed miserably...but it doesn't always.

-And speaking of quarterbacks who used to be part of a two-QB system, Kirk Cousins delivered a great speech at the luncheon. In it, he mentioned Purdue specifically as a place he would have liked to play...and after watching the speech (and of course watching him play), I can honestly say I wish he was wearing gold and black right now.

-IU HC, Wilson, says he hasn't watched one minute of tape from last season because he's only looking forward. On one hand, I appreciate the idea of looking to the future...probably a good idea for IU. But, as a guy who thinks attention to detail is important, watching a few hours of what happened last season might behoove the first year former OU OC.

-Joe Paterno isn't getting any younger...and while the man is simply a marvel simply because he's as active as he is at age 84, it's amazing to me how many laughs the man gets every time he speaks to the media. I guess to the 46 year veteran goes the spoils.

Quick Peek at Recruiting

-Austin Appleby still seems solid with Purdue after being named an Elite 11 QB. In spite of receiving high marks at the camp and outshining a lot of talented guys like Gunner Kiel, his rating remains at a respectable, but not noteworthy, three-stars. As he gets healthier during the season, I fully expect Appleby to do big things...and get run on by a few big programs. Danny Hope and the program really needs him to not pull a Bellomy before signing day.

-Verbals are slowly, but surely, rolling in for Hope's 3.5th recruiting class at Purdue. Along with Appleby, Hope's got a couple of solid players who have verballed, but not anybody that's highly-ranked. There is still a gaping hole the offensive line recruiting...and Hope needs to go get a few gigantic, ugly fellows in the very near future.

In the League

-Keith Smith is camping with the Lions, Kyle Adams & Dan Dierking with the Bears and Keith Carlos with the Eagles. Hopefully one or more make it to the regular season.

Of course, Kerrigan is signed with the Redskins. He got a bit dinged up yesterday, but should be healthy in the next week to ten days.

Kerrigan is a 'Skin...and NCAA Basketball Attendance

Like everyone else, I'm not too surprised that Ryan Kerrigan was picked in the top-20 of last night's NFL draft. I am surprised that prognosticators got it so right though. On both EsPN & NFL's tickers in the last few days, he was either 16 or very near that spot...and he ends up getting picked up at the 16th spot by the Washington Redskins after a trade from the Jags.

Washington was in need of a pass rusher...right now. They get that from another guy in a long line of quarterback terrorizing DE from God's country. Kerrigan might have the best combo of motor and strength of all of the guys who ended up in the NFL from Purdue. Like many of them, 94 said he'd be willing to move to OLB if the Redskins needed/wanted to give him a try there. They most-definitely will see if he works there.

Congrats to Ryan Kerrigan...Man, are you going to be missed.

Elsewhere in the draft, all-around great and likable guy, Cam Newton went as #1 overall to the Panthers. He'll be joining another totally-awesome and uber-likable guy who also plays QB in Carolina named Jimmy. Something tells me that the Panthers aren't fans of their young QB from ND as much as he, himself is.

If nothing else, Carolina has made it very easy for me to decide whom I'll be rooting against next season...regardless if the Panthers decide to keep both QBs or not (which they won't), one of those guys is enough of a jack to draw the ire of plenty of fans on his own.

Now, Newton, Kerrigan and the rest of the fresh-faced draftees can join their brethren in solidarity as they all fight with the owners in a battle that I don't care to watch for one more second.

Hopefully Keith Smith finds a home in the coming days. Adams and Werner will probably also get camp contracts at minimum after the draft is over...good luck to all of these guys- they were all easy to root for, at least for me, while playing for both Hope and Tiller.

2011 NCAA Attendance

You're going to hear me do something I don't do a whole lot: Give IU some credit...and it's deserved. In spite of having a coach that demotivates his team as the season progresses and the fact that IU spent its third-straight season in cellar of the BT, IU fans still show up in droves. That says a lot. IU was 12th in the nation, third in the conference in basketball attendance averaging 15,529 tickets sold/game. That's around 2,000 unsold tickets/game.

At the same time, Purdue came in at sixth in the conference, 17th in the nation. This number might be an indictment of the shrinking Mackey Arena, more than the Purdue fans. Mackey only averaged a few hundred empty seats/game.

See more here...but here are a few things we found noteworthy:

Six of the top-20 arenas in the nation were in the BT. The only upper-half team that wasn't in the top-20 was Michigan (37th). UM had over 3,000 empties each game. Sure, that number is probably off because of their early-season performance. But, poor performance didn't keep Iowa fans away (31st in the nation).

Penn State came in at an embarrassing 70th place. This in spite of the surprising Lions finishing better than many thought they would and playing extremely well during the season. Penn State boasts of an enrollment of over 44,000 students, and the Bryce Jordan will hold over 15,000 whimpering kitties...but the PSU only had around 7,000 fans at each contest.

Outside the conference, it wasn't surprising to see the likes of the win-at-all-costs UK fans atop the list and the massive Carrier Dome close behind, but there were a few surprises. Memphis' small-ish enrollment didn't keep the out of the top-10 as the city of Memphis has decided the Tigers are their sports team as they attracted 2,000 more fans/game than the Grizzlies.

Jimmer helped propel BYU to the top-10 and record-setting numbers in Provo (Spain?). The 123rd (RPI) ranked Creighton Blue Jays landed at an astounding 22nd in the nation in attendance...Iowa State was only a few spots behind them.

The Big East had three teams in the top-20. The national champ Huskies were in 32nd place averaging a bit over 11,500.

"Purdue Guy" gets honored and honors others...and Notes

When I say an athlete is a "Purdue Guy", do you know what I mean? My definition is pretty easy to understand- They're typically hard-working, talented (yet a bit under the radar) and always respectful and respectable as they represent the university.

This year's trio of Seniors on Matty's squad are pretty good representations.

For the football team, Keith Smith, Craig Terrell, Rosie Colvin and the Ambassador- Drew Brees come to mind right away. There are others.

But, possibly the most-decorated "Purdue Guy" in recent memory, Ryan Kerrigan helps personify my definition.

First off, he's a great athlete. His teammates know it, his opponents know it...even the media and coaches know it. But it hasn't always been that way...he worked hard to become the lovable monster we became accustomed to expecting big things from, by his Junior season.

He was recruited out of Muncie, with his best offer, outside of Purdue, from Cincinnati. He was a 3-star player- solid...but by no means was he the talk of the nation or the apple of powerhouses in the nation, but he became one of the best players in the nation.

After being recognized by everyone because of his abilities, he decided to publicly-recognize those who had helped him get to where he is today via a note to the Starpress. He thanked the city of Muncie, the people who supported him, his coaches and his High School.

Hats off to Ryan Kerrigan for being a guy that's easy to wish success upon...and for being one of the good guys to do big things! Can't wait to see what he does at the next level.

Afternoon Delight

If you've looked at Purdue's upcoming schedule, you might have noticed an oddity.

Our Boilers will be playing at Michigan in the BT opener in a rare, non-weekend, non-holiday, 2:00 pm game. I think this is a real positive for our Boilers as the students will already be out of town for Christmas break and much of the fanbase will have to work on that Tuesday. Maybe it's just working stiffs like me who have to work the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, but I doubt it. Hopefully this one has the feel of a neutral court.

New York State of Mind

Coach Keady made it official that he has moved on from his time living in West Lafayette by hosting an auction of some of his "prized" possessions. There's some interesting stuff in here...but there's some stuff that looks like it was taken from my grandma's house as well.

Who wouldn't want a green velvet chair? I know the answer to that question.

Check it out for yourself.

Perfect last-minute gift

If you're interested in giving one of the greatest t-shirts ever produced to a loved one for Christmas, there's still time...but barely. If you want to have a Mission Houston shirt by Christmas, order quickly...we'll get it in the mail as soon as we receive the order. If you're in the Midwest, you probably have until Monday...outside of there, I wouldn't gamble with the USPS' delivery guarantee- order today.

The Media Giveth...The Media Taketh Away.

All growns up.

Kerring for Ryan

Ryan Kerrigan is a talented, fast and strong football player. Plus, he seemed to put a maximum amount of effort into each down. There are plenty of guys that have that motor that coaches want, but don't have the production that Kerrigan does. But because of the combination of effort, ability, production and beautiful, flowing hair, Kerrigan received some well-deserved attention on Monday.

He is the first, first-team All-American at Purdue since Anthony Spencer. He is the BT's & (of course) Purdue's defensive player of the year and MVP. Kerrigan was also Lineman of the year and received recognition for his sportsmanship. That's pretty cool- he'll knock you on your ass...then help you back up.

He'll receive other awards by the media too in the coming weeks. But, his most prized award will probably be the large, solid gold-plated trophy that's on the way to him right now- The (coveted) Boiled Sports Purdue Defensive Player of the Decade. Due to cost, only one of these has been (or perhaps ever will be) given...Keep checking your mailbox, Mr. Kerrigan. J's 11 month old son packed it up and shipped it himself. It's molded out of all of J's gold chains, ear rings and bracelets that he wore in the 80s and 90s.

Other Boilers Honored

Wiggs, Beckford and Allen were all All-BT Honorable Mention. For some reason, I couldn't find any Purdue offensive players on the list. It could be because many were thrust into action after not being on the depth chart in camp...(related) it could be because the offense simply couldn't score for halves at a time. Regardless, I think Rob Henry could be a guy who receives some awards in the next few seasons. If so, he needs to work on an acceptance speech. Because every time I've heard him talk, I can barely hear him or understand him. That'll come in time.

All signs seem to be pointing to Keith Smith getting his sixth year of eligibility in '11. He'll be Purdue's 3rd player in three seasons to be granted this. Hopefully no one has to do this on the Purdue roster for the next five, because in all cases, it was due to horrible injury.

Here's to Bolden, Smith, Siller and Marve all making full recoveries and making one of these post-season recognition lists next year. Everyone already knows their names...but most of the media has probably forgotten about them. Purdue fans haven't.

Free Fallin'

I didn't get to post yesterday due to interwebnet problems at the BS world headquarters...But a lot happened.

First, Purdue dropped from 10th...to 22nd in the writer's poll (8 to 18th in the coach's). A significant drop was warranted, in my opinion...but 12 spots is a pretty huge drop. If you want to analyze the lack of consistency within the poll, it's not difficult. I'm not going to do that today. But, I will say that it makes Purdue the hunter once again. That might not be a bad thing. They played with no edge or grit versus Richmond. Painter should have been, and was embarrassed by the lack of effort by his squad. There will be others this season, but this is a pivotal moment for the team.

Bucket Predicto

After a rip-roaring 3-0 out of conference start, the Hoosier faithful were once again excited about their Hoosiers. Ben Chappell's offense was humming as they averaged 40+ per game and Lynch's squad was feasting on tasty cupcakes that would've made Joe T. blush. But, the BT schedule has not been kind...so, a lousy IU team heads to Ross-Ade to play a banged up Boiler squad.

If you're not in Indiana or an alum of Purdue or IU, you probably don't care...but the players will.

What will happen tomorrow at high-noon?

J says
If you're a pessimist or think the team is cooked, then I can't fault you for worrying about this game. A loss here would be a really terrible way to finish the season. Not just because it's IU, but because this is an 0-7 in conference IU team. They're really bad. So is Purdue, sure, but I think Purdue's still got better athletes. That plus being at home plus Danny Hope's ability to get them up for certain games... like this one... and I think it's enough.

Purdue's defense was able to severely slow down Michigan's vaunted offense as well as Wisconsin's, so I reason that they'll be able to handle IU's offense. On the other side of the ball, that's where it could be hideous. Purdue's offense is just terrible right now and IU's defense is... perhaps even more terrible. Ah, but what about last week? For three quarters, Purdue's offense actually moved the ball effectively....and against a team that in any other year would be in the national title discussion right now. IU can make no such claim.

If THAT offense (from the MSU game) shows up tomorrow, then this will be another Purdue blowout and likely, one would think, the end of Bill Lynch's time at IU. If the typical Purdue offense shows up, then it'll be a closer game, but one that I would still expect the Boilers to win. When was the last time they played this game at home and didn't come out fired up?

Purdue hasn't lost a home Bucket Game since the Wabash was clean, Boilerdowd was young and Tim had hair.

Sorry, that's just me being silly.... the Wabash wasn't clean.

Purdue 35
IU 21

"Hey ladies...did you know we have a football team?"

boilerdowd says
If you like statistical rankings, this intro will be as delicious as Thanksgiving leftovers:

Weakness v. Weakness:
The worst scoring offense in the BT (Purdue) plays the worst scoring defense in the BT (IU).
The worst pass offense in the BT (Purdue) plays the second-worst pass defense in the league (IU).

I could go on as IU's defense is the worst or in the bottom three in nearly every category. At the same time, we have reason to believe that Purdue's offense has figured out its identity, finally, as the rash of injuries has settled down and Rob Henry's finger seems to be healing each week.

Offensively for the Hoosiers, Chappell is a very good quarterback with some very good receivers. Purdue has a few pretty good DBs, a great DB and the best pass rusher in the league...possibly the best we've seen in a Purdue uniform in the last 20 years (that says a lot). Kerrigan should make that official on Saturday by passing Colvin's all-time sack mark (he needs 1.5 to tie).

As we've seen time and time again, Bill Lynch teams get worse as the season progresses and Purdue has been able to benefit from this a couple times. They will again. Without a rushing attack, look for Kerrigan to get three sacks...and at the same time for Henry to give us a lil' something to look forward to in '11.

Purdue 33
IU 17

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

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

Bits of BS for November 18, 2010

It's all in the details...listen in.

Gabcast! BS Bits & Pieces #4

The Next Step: Purdue v. Minny Wrap-Up

My day started with an e-mail from my pal and co-BS editor J asking a simple question that had been asked to him- Have you heard any rumor of Hummel being injured?

I hadn't...and if there's one thing I've learned as a Purdue fan this season, it's that these rumors usually don't mean much. Oh wait, no I haven't learned that. I've learned they're pretty much always true...but worrying about something that I couldn't control wouldn't do me any good. So the BDowd family headed to God's Country for homecoming.

Perfect day- sunny, warm, but not hot, a ton of friends in town to see our alma mater play...Love days like this.

Purdue wore throw-back uniforms that kind of looked more like knock-offs, to me. The colors weren't quite right, the numbers were too small, the stripes on the sleeves weren't the right shape and the icons on the jersey all seemed to be the wrong size. Nike had done it again- just as they had for the Alstott throwback- they had butchered it. But, Purdue paid homage to the BT Co-champ team from a decade ago...and unlike in Pasadena, our Boilers won with roses through the P on the side of the helmet. I guess it kinda helped that they were playing Minnesota and not New Weasel's Huskies.

The game started in pretty-horrible fashion. Both teams seemed to be locked in a battle of who could move the ball less. Three-and-out, three-and-out, FIVE-and-out...etc.

But, eventually, Purdue's o-line started making space, Nord called a few zingers and Dan Dierking made Minny look mini. Danny D finished the day averaging more than 10yds/carry on 12 carries and Henry had an efficient 57 yards rushing...with 3 TDs. The last time a Purdue QB did that, J hadn't yet been born.

Purdue also passed the ball a bit better than last week- Henry was 13/20 w/ 163 yard, 1 TD, 1 Int. Not horrible...definitely better than what we saw in Evanston. But, as a starter, he's now 2-0. The bestest stat of all.

Back to that rumor about Rob's injury. It was all confirmed via multiple sources as Purdue was beginning to take control of the game on the field...and you could feel it throughout RossAde. Purdue was manhandling their opponent, but it was quiet in the concourses and restrooms. I even saw a grown man crying about it- no joke. Granted, all of us felt like crying or vomiting then crying...but most of us didn't do it.

The salve in the Purdue family's massive would was this homecoming game. Honestly, I don't think it wasn't enough to make us feel better, but I'm kinda glad I was in Ross Ade when I got the news...and it would have been much worse had Purdue lost.

But, this Minnesota team looked as bad in person as the rumors told us they were. They made bad decisions, shot themselves in the foot time and time again, their receivers dropped a ton of passes (particularly, former Purdue recruit Marquis Gray) and their white helmets looked stupid.

If you screw with a school's uniforms, I think the alums generally think, it's OK if you're winning. Brewster wasn't. And another rumor that was circulating before the game is now reality- Tim Brewster is out...kinda...following their loss in West Lafayette today. You know what's worse than an interim coach? An interim coach that's already been fired. Nice work, Minnesota Athletic Dept!

Here are some of the noteworthy things I saw today:

-Antavian Edison looked like he was controlled via the R1 button a few times today. On more than one play, he was surrounded by Gophers, then juked one direction, then the opposite to escape nearly untouched.

-Henry's poise is impressive. He seems to be confident when he breaks the huddle and tends to just make good decisions. Plus, his offense looks to be improving each week. In today's game, they scored a TD/qtr...solid.

-Kerrigan is a bad dude...you all knew that already, but holy crap does he hit hard...and gets held EVERY SINGLE PLAY. Plus, he was the victim of a simply horrible personal foul call late in the game. This, following an absurd no-call after Henry took a knee and then was popped by a Minnesota D lineman...with no call made.

What next transpired was pretty great. The anger that Purdue fans had built up was taken out on the officials as the Ross Ade faith reminded the officials for a solid 5 minutes how bad these two calls were.

-Coach Hope made another lousy play call at the end of the first half. With Purdue up by 14 and Minnesota not able to move the ball effectively, Hope and Co. decided to kick a field goal instead of going for the 4th and 1 from the 1 yard line.

I love Hope's ability to motivate and stay positive...but some of the questionable Xs & Os decisions are infuriating. There seems to be one-or-so a game.

Speaking of Hope- where are our pals who have been calling for him to be fired? I guess we'll see you guys next week?

-GBI and a few post-game radio shows remarked about how lucky Purdue got on a few plays this afternoon...true. But, much of that luck was a result of Goldy's poor coaching and Purdue doing some things well. Our Boilers are hitting much harder, seem to be spaced better, are blocking better (both on the line and on the outside) and seem to be playing inspired.

-Rob Henry and OJ Ross were able to do what hadn't been done up to this point in the season- connect on a deep ball...that's a good sign.

-Purdue's DBs are now catching most of the interception opportunities given to them- I think there was one dropped ball, but the defensive backfield is getting better at taking advantage of QB mistakes.

Burning Questions

-Do you think Urban Meyer actually did retire after he decided to come back? UF now has 3 losses and will assuredly be unranked in this week's poll.

-Michigan's now 1-2 in the BT. If they drop another next week, will Jim Harbaugh be asked if he's available after the first of the year? Was anything less-surprising than Robinson getting hurt v. Iowa? For a guy his size taking that man shots, it's amazing he's taken as many snaps this season as he has.

-With MSU continuing to play as they have and aOSU losing easily in Madison, who's your prediction for BT champ at this point?

-If you saw the aOSU game, you watched Pryor while like a lil' baby for a full quarter. Do you think this is isolated or will his attitude problems continue throughout the season?

Ryan Kerrigan Podcast With College Football Insiders

Can't get enough of handsome lad Ryan Kerrigan of that stout, ranked-team-beating Purdue defense?

Want to know more about Ryan?

Of course you do.

Listen to this podcast with Ryan Kerrigan, courtesy of College Football Insiders.

Enjoy.

Handsome Hour: 9/22/10

It's a family affair on tonight's Handsome Hour as the brothers Dowd address all things Purdue football.

How good is 94 when compared to other great Purdue DEs in recent memory?

What are we expecting as we look ahead???

And what should we see on Saturday vs. the Rockets.

Listen to internet radio with Boiled Sports on Blog Talk Radio

Tune in now!!

Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon Wisely Invites Only One Lineman From Purdue

The Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon will be held in Chicago on August 4 and will feature Robert Marve, Keith Smith and Ryan Kerrigan, along with Coach Hope. (I never get tired of this picture.)

Whenever you're hosting a lunch and inviting football players, it's a good idea to invite quarterbacks and receivers, since they usually don't eat as much as linemen.

It's unclear who from IU will be allowed to attend as officials from the Big Ten are worried about sandwiches at the luncheon being fumbled at a critical juncture and Coach Lynch throwing his chewing gum across the table in disgust.