SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
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- 65,798
- Because they handed last year’s game to us, (with a series of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties), and won’t do it two games in a row.
- The Boilermakers have played real teams. Fresno State’s win there was their 10th in a row. Sagarin rated them 36th last year. Purdue was #53 and we were #62. Then the Boilermakers traveled to Blacksburg to play Virginia Tech and in a game delayed 5 ½ hours by four inches of rain. We’ve had two tiptoes through the tulips.
- Yeah, they lost Aiden McConnell and Charlie Jones. But this is 2023 college football. They brought in Hudson Card, “a hand-in-glove fit for the air raid-based offense” former Mike Leach QB, now Purdue OC Graham Harrell wants to use. He has 13TD passes vs. 2 interceptions thus far in his collegiate career and has rushed for 45 yards and a score.
- TJ Sheffield had 46 catches for 480 yards and 4TDs last year and has 7 for 82 yards this year. Deion Burks has 5 catches for 170 yards and 2 scores.
- Devin Mockabee ran for almost 1,000 yards last year, (968/9 TDs) and has gained 155 yards and scored twice this year. And they’ve added speedster Tyrone Tracy from Iowa. He’s averaging 7.7 yards on 7 carries and has scored twice.
- Tracy took a kick-off back 98 yards for a score against Fresno and Sheffield had a 38 yard punt return vs. the Hokies. Purdue is admirably equipped to win a shoot-out.
- New Coach Ryan Walters was the defensive coordinator for Illinois last year, where they were #1 in scoring defense, #3 in total defense, #9 vs. the run and #8 vs. the pass. Imagine putting that kind of defense with a Purdue-like offense.
- We’ve botched an extra point, dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone, fumbled two punts that bounced into a teammate’s hands and twice in a row lined up offsides when the other team faced a 4th and 9. Those have been our most egregious but not our only ones. They haven’t matter because we drown them in a tsunami of big plays. Each one of them could cost us a game against a team that can hang with us and all of them together could prevent us from hanging with Purdue.
- It’s two games and we already have three offensive linemen out in a unit that was, at best, an unknown quantity. We’ve had trouble running the ball or maintaining the pocket beyond one quick look. Two of them may be back. What if they aren’t and what if they are: they haven’t played since last season and will be facing a very aggressive front that may go five across.
- Carlos Del Rio Wilson against Colgate looked like the back-up QB we’ve dreamed of: a guy who wouldn’t let us skip a beat if Shrader went down and who would be the guy to take over for him when his career here ends. Against Western Michigan he looked like anything but. That makes me nervous about how our season could remain afloat over 12 games.
- In this century, we’ve beaten Buffalo 63-7 and finished 6-5 in 2000. Beaten Rhode Iland 63-17 and finished 4-8 in 2002, beaten Colgate 42-7 and finished 8-5 in 2010, beaten Wagner 54-0 and finished 7-6 in 2013, beaten Central Michigan 40-3 and wound up 3-9, beaten Rhode Island 47-0 and wound up 4-8 in 2015, Beaten Central Connecticut State 50-7 and wound up 4-8 in 2017, beaten Wagner 62-10 in 2018 and wound up 10-3, beaten Albany 62-24 and wound up 5-7 in 2021 and beaten Wagner 59-0 in 2022 and wound up 7-6. Looking like a powerhouse against over-matched teams doesn’t mean you are one.
- I feel like the real season begins now. It’s like we have torn it up in Triple A, (Like Baty, Alvarez, Vientos and Mauricio) but now we’ve to prove we can hit major league pitching. Last year we opened with a dominating win over a power 5 teams and we knew we were good, (until too many guys got injured). Right now we THINK we are good. By midnight Saturday, we’ll know if we are or not.
- The Boilermakers have played real teams. Fresno State’s win there was their 10th in a row. Sagarin rated them 36th last year. Purdue was #53 and we were #62. Then the Boilermakers traveled to Blacksburg to play Virginia Tech and in a game delayed 5 ½ hours by four inches of rain. We’ve had two tiptoes through the tulips.
- Yeah, they lost Aiden McConnell and Charlie Jones. But this is 2023 college football. They brought in Hudson Card, “a hand-in-glove fit for the air raid-based offense” former Mike Leach QB, now Purdue OC Graham Harrell wants to use. He has 13TD passes vs. 2 interceptions thus far in his collegiate career and has rushed for 45 yards and a score.
- TJ Sheffield had 46 catches for 480 yards and 4TDs last year and has 7 for 82 yards this year. Deion Burks has 5 catches for 170 yards and 2 scores.
- Devin Mockabee ran for almost 1,000 yards last year, (968/9 TDs) and has gained 155 yards and scored twice this year. And they’ve added speedster Tyrone Tracy from Iowa. He’s averaging 7.7 yards on 7 carries and has scored twice.
- Tracy took a kick-off back 98 yards for a score against Fresno and Sheffield had a 38 yard punt return vs. the Hokies. Purdue is admirably equipped to win a shoot-out.
- New Coach Ryan Walters was the defensive coordinator for Illinois last year, where they were #1 in scoring defense, #3 in total defense, #9 vs. the run and #8 vs. the pass. Imagine putting that kind of defense with a Purdue-like offense.
- We’ve botched an extra point, dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone, fumbled two punts that bounced into a teammate’s hands and twice in a row lined up offsides when the other team faced a 4th and 9. Those have been our most egregious but not our only ones. They haven’t matter because we drown them in a tsunami of big plays. Each one of them could cost us a game against a team that can hang with us and all of them together could prevent us from hanging with Purdue.
- It’s two games and we already have three offensive linemen out in a unit that was, at best, an unknown quantity. We’ve had trouble running the ball or maintaining the pocket beyond one quick look. Two of them may be back. What if they aren’t and what if they are: they haven’t played since last season and will be facing a very aggressive front that may go five across.
- Carlos Del Rio Wilson against Colgate looked like the back-up QB we’ve dreamed of: a guy who wouldn’t let us skip a beat if Shrader went down and who would be the guy to take over for him when his career here ends. Against Western Michigan he looked like anything but. That makes me nervous about how our season could remain afloat over 12 games.
- In this century, we’ve beaten Buffalo 63-7 and finished 6-5 in 2000. Beaten Rhode Iland 63-17 and finished 4-8 in 2002, beaten Colgate 42-7 and finished 8-5 in 2010, beaten Wagner 54-0 and finished 7-6 in 2013, beaten Central Michigan 40-3 and wound up 3-9, beaten Rhode Island 47-0 and wound up 4-8 in 2015, Beaten Central Connecticut State 50-7 and wound up 4-8 in 2017, beaten Wagner 62-10 in 2018 and wound up 10-3, beaten Albany 62-24 and wound up 5-7 in 2021 and beaten Wagner 59-0 in 2022 and wound up 7-6. Looking like a powerhouse against over-matched teams doesn’t mean you are one.
- I feel like the real season begins now. It’s like we have torn it up in Triple A, (Like Baty, Alvarez, Vientos and Mauricio) but now we’ve to prove we can hit major league pitching. Last year we opened with a dominating win over a power 5 teams and we knew we were good, (until too many guys got injured). Right now we THINK we are good. By midnight Saturday, we’ll know if we are or not.
