SWC75
Bored Historian
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- It was another wild SU- Purdue game and again we came out ahead. We now have a very real chance to be 4-0 going into the Clemson game. But first we have to beat Army, who must have admired the four rushing touchdowns we got from our quarterback.
- And that’s the image that will remain of this game in the years to come: Garrett Shrader either blasting past startled defenders, (with the help of good downfield blocking), and bulling his way into the end zone or pulling off a deft but simple fake and walking into the end zone. Actually he ran for two touchdowns and walked for two more. And he could have had a fifth as we were running out the clock as the Boilermakers once again went for the fake and Garrett turned and ran down the empty left side of the field. But he decided to take a slide both to avoid rolling up the score and also to avoid getting a cheap shot from any Purdue defender who wouldn’t have liked it. Garrett had taken enough shots his job was done. He ran for 195 yards and passed for 184 more for 379 yards in total offense and 4TDs. (We’ve seen our share of last play of the game scores that weren’t needed by the opposition. I seem to remember a couple of those from Connecticut and Louisville.)
- It was an exciting comeback of that play we used two years ago to roll up impressive rushing totals: the running back goes in one direction, the quarterback in the other: who has the ball. Shrader added the twist of the QB dropping back with the ball hidden by his hip, waiting a second, then turning, like a basketball center on a pick and roll and heading downfield. There’s nothing new about this maneuver but you don’t see it much today and Purdue not only had never seen it – they never adjusted to it. I suspect future opponents but it won this game tonight.
- But our defense deserves to be remembered as well. They thwarted a potent Purdue offense. People wondered if the 3-3-5 could stop the run against the big Purdue line. The Boilermakers ran for just 80 yards on 32 carries- 2.5 yards a shot. They never had a run beyond 10 yards. What was awesome was how they responded to the second fumble we recovered that the revs didn’t give them credit for in two late fourth quarter possessions. It was second and 5 and the ‘D’ stopped a short pass over the middle for just 4 yards and then stuffed a run and broke up a pass to get us the ball anyway on downs. Three plays later, the Shredder crossed the goal line for the 4th time to make it 35-20 with 3:19 left.
- Then there were the 6 takeovers they produced, 4 of which counted, (see the Downside). The only one unforced was the botched handoff between Card and Tracy that ended a drive in the second half. They all came at key times and prevented this game from turning into the shootout last year’s game was.
- Our perfect kicking game wasn’t so perfect but Grady Denaburg continued to prevent any kickoff returns by Tracy, who took one back 98 yards last week.
- It was the first time we’d opened consecutive seasons 3-0 since 1959-60. We’ve had a lot of dreams crushed in September. We’ve still got Army and Clemson to have our straight undefeated September.
- Our all-time record in road games against teams that were in the Big Ten when we played them was 8-32 and now it’s 9-32. I would have guessed that our last win was the 38-28 demolition of Michigan’s defending national champs in 1998 but G-Rob somehow beat Illinois 31-21 in 2006. My memory of that is blank. But then my memory of the whole G-Rob era is fuzzy at best.
3-0 with 9, (or 10) to go
Let’s Go Orange!
- And that’s the image that will remain of this game in the years to come: Garrett Shrader either blasting past startled defenders, (with the help of good downfield blocking), and bulling his way into the end zone or pulling off a deft but simple fake and walking into the end zone. Actually he ran for two touchdowns and walked for two more. And he could have had a fifth as we were running out the clock as the Boilermakers once again went for the fake and Garrett turned and ran down the empty left side of the field. But he decided to take a slide both to avoid rolling up the score and also to avoid getting a cheap shot from any Purdue defender who wouldn’t have liked it. Garrett had taken enough shots his job was done. He ran for 195 yards and passed for 184 more for 379 yards in total offense and 4TDs. (We’ve seen our share of last play of the game scores that weren’t needed by the opposition. I seem to remember a couple of those from Connecticut and Louisville.)
- It was an exciting comeback of that play we used two years ago to roll up impressive rushing totals: the running back goes in one direction, the quarterback in the other: who has the ball. Shrader added the twist of the QB dropping back with the ball hidden by his hip, waiting a second, then turning, like a basketball center on a pick and roll and heading downfield. There’s nothing new about this maneuver but you don’t see it much today and Purdue not only had never seen it – they never adjusted to it. I suspect future opponents but it won this game tonight.
- But our defense deserves to be remembered as well. They thwarted a potent Purdue offense. People wondered if the 3-3-5 could stop the run against the big Purdue line. The Boilermakers ran for just 80 yards on 32 carries- 2.5 yards a shot. They never had a run beyond 10 yards. What was awesome was how they responded to the second fumble we recovered that the revs didn’t give them credit for in two late fourth quarter possessions. It was second and 5 and the ‘D’ stopped a short pass over the middle for just 4 yards and then stuffed a run and broke up a pass to get us the ball anyway on downs. Three plays later, the Shredder crossed the goal line for the 4th time to make it 35-20 with 3:19 left.
- Then there were the 6 takeovers they produced, 4 of which counted, (see the Downside). The only one unforced was the botched handoff between Card and Tracy that ended a drive in the second half. They all came at key times and prevented this game from turning into the shootout last year’s game was.
- Our perfect kicking game wasn’t so perfect but Grady Denaburg continued to prevent any kickoff returns by Tracy, who took one back 98 yards last week.
- It was the first time we’d opened consecutive seasons 3-0 since 1959-60. We’ve had a lot of dreams crushed in September. We’ve still got Army and Clemson to have our straight undefeated September.
- Our all-time record in road games against teams that were in the Big Ten when we played them was 8-32 and now it’s 9-32. I would have guessed that our last win was the 38-28 demolition of Michigan’s defending national champs in 1998 but G-Rob somehow beat Illinois 31-21 in 2006. My memory of that is blank. But then my memory of the whole G-Rob era is fuzzy at best.
3-0 with 9, (or 10) to go
Let’s Go Orange!
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