SB Nation - Keith Smith

Pre-Thanksgiving Boilermakings

BoilerTMill — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:00:15 -0000

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. I'll be headed home to Kokomo to visit family and watch my beloved Kats open the basketball season in their traditional first game against Western. As much as I love all things Purdue, nothing compares to the few times a year I get to go back to Kokomo's Memorial Gym. Before we get to the holiday, here is a quick Boilermakings.

Smith and Kerrigan named First Team All-Big Ten, get surgery as a reward - Credit to regular reader Carmen_fanzone for posting these two items as fanshots over to the right. Kerrigan's injury can be a little tricky. I had a stress fracture in the same spot once and it can take a while to heal. He seems to have had a clean break though, so surgery might help. Smith is simply a badass for playing 10 games with his injury and still making the all-Big Ten team.

More honors for Kerrigan - Ryan was selected today as a Second Team Academic All-American by ESPN.

Wrestling begins season with major upset - The Boilers upset 9^th ranked Missouri on the road this past weekend.

Caden Shields gives us a reason to pay attention to Cross Country - As mentioned a week ago, Shields was the first Purdue male athlete to participate in the Cross Country championship since 1987. He placed 132^nd overall with a personal best time.

Volleyball nearly makes history - Penn State has now won 93 consecutive matches, but Purdue hung tough last week before losing three sets to one. Purdue took its first set against the Nittany Lions since 2005.

Women's basketball struggles early - Depth is going to be a huge issue with so many people hurt. The ladies beat Western Illinois and Seattle to start the season, but lost games in Mackey Arena to Dayton and Georgetown in the Basketball Travelers Classic. Projected starters Chantel Poston and Alex Guyton are out at the moment, as is freshman Sam Ostarello.

A Final salute to Jaycen Taylor - You will be missed.

All-Big Ten Awards Announced, Swept Once Again By Toto

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:45 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Northwestern won 17-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

View full size photo »

Good news, everyone!* The Big Ten announced its picks for the all-conference teams. Naturally, the offensive and defensive player of the year are both Terrelle Pryor. Okay, not true; he's not even honorable mention.

But there's plenty of actual good news. First, the devil media named Kirk Ferentz coach of the year, and here he is reminding them that they can go suck it and he hasn't forgiven them for the slights of the regular season.

Such language, Kirk!

As for the players, here's the link to the voting results. The media named Bryan Bulaga to the first team on offense, while the second team featured four of his friends from the line: Rafael Eubanks, Dace Richardson, Kyle Calloway, and Tony Moeaki.

On defense, the first team had a little more Iowa representation; Adrian Clayborn, Pat Angerer, and Tyler Sash all received their no-brainer merits. On the second team, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey. Iowa put eight players on the media's honorable mention team: Ryan Donahue, Broderick Binns, A.J. Edds, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Karl Klug, Daniel Murray, Adam Robinson, and Ricky Stanzi.

Not surprisingly, the coaches had a slightly higher opinion of the Hawkeyes; here's the link to their voting results. Bryan Bulaga was named their offensive lineman of the year(!!!), an award the media doesn't give out. Bulaga is joined on the first team by Moeaki and Richardson, both of which are worthy selections. Calloway and Eubanks didn't make the second team--not sure why on Calloway--but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos snuck in on a three-player tie for second-team WR.

On defense, the coaches agreed with the media in putting Sash, Clayborn, and Angerer on the first team roster. They also added Amari Spievey; as coaches, they're more likely to know that the reason Spievey didn't have a ton of picks wasn't that he's not good at football, but that there's just no hope in throwing at him; Spievey was a machine this season, and we're starting to lose hope that he's got more than one game left in an Iowa uniform. A.J. Edds is the lone Hawkeye on the defensive second team.

For honorable mention, it's as follows:Christian Ballard, Kyle Calloway, Ryan Donahue, Brent Greenwood, Karl Klug, and Adam Robinson.

Full All-BXI teams and a few thoughts are after the break.

MEDIA

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	JOHN CLAY, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Tandon Doss, Indiana	Blair White, Michigan State
WR	Keith Smith, Purdue	Zeke Markshausen, Northwestern
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa
G	Justin Boren, Ohio State	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Dace Richardson, Iowa
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Kyle Calloway, Iowa
T	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin	Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin	Tony Moeaki, Iowa
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan State	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	GREG JONES, Michigan State	Josh Hull, Penn State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Brent Greenwood, Iowa
DB	Donovan Warren, Michigan	Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern	Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

COACHES

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	John Clay, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Eric Decker, Minnesota	Tandon Doss, Indiana*
WR	Blair White, Michigan State	Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa* Keith Smith, Purdue*
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa* Joel Nitchman, Michigan State*
G	Dace Richardson, Iowa	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Justin Boren, Ohio State
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Rodger Saffold, Indiana
T	Dennis Landolt, Penn State	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE	Tony Moeaki, Iowa	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Jared Odrick, Penn State	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa Linebacker	A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB	Greg Jones, Michigan State	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Donovan Warren, Michigan*
DB	Amari Spievey, Iowa	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern*
DB	Brad Phillips, Northwestern	Brandon King, Purdue*
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue* Jay Valai, Wisconsin*
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

Okay. While we're quite happy that Bulaga got such high accolades for the season, we can't be alone in thinking that he was hardly the best lineman in Iowa City, much less the Big Ten. He was either on the sidelines or out of sorts for the majority of the season, and we still haven't seen the elephant-tusk-covered road grader from last season on display. He totally would have deserved a preseason OL of the year, but his performance over 2009 didn't merit such superlatives.

This is hardly a new development from these postseason lists, however; generally, the lists are crafted off of the preseason lists, and anybody whose knee blew out with more than four games left was excised and replaced by someone else. After all, Bulaga was only a second-team All-BXI player last season, even though he was by far the best lineman on the team in 2008. Seth Olsen, meanwhile, had the good fortune to be a first-teamer to start the year, so he was on the first team after 2008, despite a relatively blah senior campaign; we'd have put him about fourth on the list of Iowa linemen for 2009, behind the two bookends at tackle and Rob Bruggeman at center.

Essentially, Bulaga won the award in 2009 for his play in 2008.

At the end of the day, this comes down to stats; there aren't any for linemen, despite the ill-fated attempt to get the "pancake" introduced about a decade ago (for this, we blame Orlando Pace). It's assumed that linemen are sure things, and that as long as they stay healthy, the narrative has stayed true. After all, without stats, most scribes have no time (or no idea) how to watch linemen individually.

Frankly, though it's a subjective stat, we'd love to see how linemen grade out per play (remember that Blake Larsen famously graded at 100% during his senior season at Atlantic; lord, had those knees survived...) Without having the means to undertake such an activity ourselves, we'd imagine that if you graded each Iowa offensive lineman, Kyle Calloway or Dace Richardson would probably be at the top.

If they're not, which is possible, then it would probably be the guy who didn't even get an honorable mention: Riley Reiff. He was stout in relief of Bulaga--hell, we're pretty sure O'Brien Schofield would not have batted Reiff around like a catnip mouse, unlike some Iowa linemen--and he basically forced his way into the starting lineup even before Big Dace went down. But since he wasn't even a projected starter, to say nothing of a preseason honoree, Reiff didn't have much of a chance for postseason mention. Shame, really; dude is legit, and he hasn't even filled out his frame yet.

As for the skill players, it's a little disappointing that Stanzi only made one honorable mention team. But we get how that can happen. Spievey only making second team in the media is flatly ridiculous. If he'd put together that same season in an Ohio State uniform, he'd be getting All-American talk.

Other than that, we don't have a ton of beef; Stanzi killed himself by leading the conference in interceptions when he went down to injury, and the rest of the offensive skill players were far too inconsistent or hurt to merit much consideration. Jeremiha Hunter not getting any honorable mention love is a little disconcerting, but the BXI was lo-ho-hoaded at linebacker this season; we're not quite sure whom we'd place him above. He'll get some love in 2010 if he stays healthy. Also--given the play of Jeff Tarpinian in relief--if Hunter stays healthy between now and next September, there's no position battle at weakside backer next season, right?

So, all in all, a fair list, even if the voting on offensive linemen is basically a year behind schedule. It's a year behind for everyone else, after all. Anybody else that you folks think got shafted? Did Marvin McNutt deserve a nod, or is he still a year away from recognition?

*/Farnsworth'd

Top Five All-Big Ten Football Team Errors

Pete Rossman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:04:01 -0000

The picks are here.

And here are the travesties:

5. Jared Odrick, Coaches' Defensive Player of the Year. There's no doubt that Odrick was one of the top five or six defensive linemen in the conference. However, here were the other All-Big ten first team defensive linemen named by the coaches: Adrian Clayborn, Brandon Graham, and O'Brien Schofield. If I gave you those names, where would you rank Odrick? Third? Fourth? And he's the one the coaches named defensive player of the year?

4. Eric Decker, Coaches' First team Wide Receiver. If Decker had stayed healthy all year, I'd have no problem with this placement. However, he only played two-thirds of the season, and I'm certain that there are least two wide receivers out there - Keith Smith of Purdue and Darrell Johnson-Koulianos of Iowa - who deserved the honor more than Decker.

3. Seriously, Jared Odrick? I mean, Pat Angerer can't get some love? Tyler Sash? If you were asking me, "Name two players on the same team who deserved the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award", those would've been the first two names out of my mouth.

2. Brett Swenson, non-unanimous selection. I promise this is the only section where I'll be a homer. Apparently making 90% of your field goals and being far and away the most consistent kicker in the Big Ten wasn't clear cut enough. Was it that extra point he missed in September? Is it because his kickoffs only made it to the ten? I don't get it.

1. JARED ODRICK? I don't want to bash Odrick, he's been a great player for Penn State all season. I'm happy that Greg Jones got the honor from the media, but I would've understood if he didn't receive the award. After all, I'm pretty sure Graham Zug scored again on a wheel route, and the failures of the MSU secondary drags the whole defense down, fair or unfair. However, I would've named Schofield, Graham, Angerer, Sash, Amari Speivey, Navarro Bowman, or Sean Lee DPOY before Odrick. Once again, Odrick deserved the honors he received as All-Big Ten, but there were several more deserving players this year in the Big Ten to be defensive player of the year.

The Bucket Stays: A Bloomington Road Trip

BoilerTMill — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:27:40 -0000

As regular readers know, I love going to see Purdue on the road. Unfortunately, my road record is not the best. In fact, coming into today I had not seen Purdue win a game away from Ross-Ade Stadium since going to Illinois in 2006. Since then I have seen us lose at Hawaii, Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. Like many other streaks this season, my five game road losing streak is now done. As always, we have the road trip diary, even though it was just an hour in the opposite direction.

A belated thank you to Purdue football broadcaster Joe McConnell. Joe called his final Purdue game today, retiring because of failing eyesight after being the voice of the Boilers for the better part of the last two decades. McConnell is a class act who helped grow this young Boilermaker's fandom while in high school. Thank you, Joe. You will be missed.

I am a pilgrim in an unholy land

12:09pm - Indianapolis - Instead of enjoying at least half of the Miami-Duke game before leaving, we're forced to leave now because of the notoriously bad Bloomington game day traffic. I hope we make kickoff. I text Chris Summers' dad (a former co-worker). He responds; "Traffic is already bad." Crap.

12:25pm - We decide to hit the Pita Pit in downtown Indy. Unfortunately, no quick off the street parking can be found. Not the best start to the journey, as I was craving a pita with teriyaki sauce.

12:45pm - Chick-fil-a will do.

1:39pm - Eschewing the clusterf*** that State road 37 becomes on game day, we decided to go towards Nashville, IN and make the turn to Bloomington in Beanblossom. Beanblossom is the home of Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe's Museum. There isn't much else there, but this town goes apeshit over him.

2:11pm - Though state road 45 is the curviest road in the state of Indiana, we avoid all the traffic and we are tucked behind the centerfield wall of IU's baseball stadium. I rule. For good measure, we're parked next to a fellow Boiler, meaning the giant Purdue tire cover on my Jeep has company.

2:14pm - Walking out onto 17^th street we see the insanity confirmed. Once again, I rule. Time to look for tickets

2:24pm - Walking up to the stadium we have the completion of a joke made six years ago. When I took Mrs. T-Mill to Bloomington for the first time in 2003 I pointed to the stadium at the top of the hill. Her response: "Where's the rest of it?" As we see IU's new addition (very nice, by the way) we finally see the rest of it.

Nice of IU to finally finish their stadium.

2:57pm - This is becoming an odyssey. Each scalper is trying to charge $60 per ticket. We can walk over and buy them for $50 from the ticket office. one guy asked for all the cash we had. As Mrs. T-Mill said, "That's called a stick-up." Maybe it wasn't a good idea to have each of us wearing Purdue jerseys.

3:21pm - We resign ourselves to waiting until after kickoff for a better deal. This is especially true after some jackanapes, when we turned down $75 per ticket, said, "This is IU, we pay to get into games. I thought you were a good program." We have bathroom break at Assembly Hall. It is my first time entering the building. I feel dirty.

3:40pm - Success! Just as we're about to give up and walk back to the car we hear Jaycen Taylor's first TD. We also find a guy with two seats not together for $35 each. We grab his last two and hightail it to the stadium to sit in an empty corner. Patience is a virtue.

7:47 1^st quarter - We're finally settled into the open seats in the Northwest corner of the stadium, just in time to see David Pender block a field goal attempt. He is one of many seniors that played very well today.

6:04 1st - Jaycen Taylor is officially playing like a man possessed.

5:04 1^st - Dan Dierking finishes the drive with a nice catch, his first TD of the year. Boilers up 14-0 (first time I have seen a lead on the road since Hawaii). Is a blowout in order?

4:56 1^st - Nope. Our piss poor kickoff coverage returns as my grandmother could have had the same length of return that Tandon Doss just had. 1. She died last September. 2. She got around in a motorized scooter the last five years of her life.

3:02 1^st - It means nothing as the D forces a 3 and out. What follows is the ugliest punt sequence you will ever see. IU has a bad snap. Chris Hagerup bops it around against no rush before finally getting it off. It is partially blocked by a very late rush, Purdue touches downfield, but recovers. This is why both teams are 4-7.

14:23 2^nd - Darius Willis just gashed us on a play that looked exactly like Marcus Thigpen in 2007. ugh.

12:30 2^nd - The D holds, forces a field goal, which IU misses. Meanwhile, the four drunk IU students behind us have been obnoxious, stepped on Mrs. T-Mill's coat, derided their players by name, called West Lafayette a cesspool, and stated, "We need to come to games more often." This is all in the last 15 minutes. We were told Wisconsin had awful fans but they were great. Indiana actually stopped tailgating to show up and they were obnoxious.

Spelling is a graduate level course at IU.

6:46 2^nd - Easy pick by Torri Williams. It is awesome that he ended his career on a very high note.

2:03 2^nd - Taylor keeps running hard. He sets up a nice TD pass to Jared Crank (his first). It should be noted that with this TD, Elliott threw his 22 touchdowns to eight different receivers this year. We're getting outgained in yardage, but we're up 21-0. Meanwhile, the IU jackasses behind us keep talking trash as we ignore them. I plan to just point to the scoreboard if they call me out.

1:58 2^nd - The word GIBBONEY is written down as we give up a big return again. Most teams get better at coverage as the year goes on. We got worse. This is after being one of the best in the nation before he came.

0:40 2^nd - They feature this sign on the scoreboard. Okay, we'll take it. Thanks!

Thanks! We will. It's ours anyway...

0:35 2^nd - A coverage scramble leads to a near TD (called back on review) it sets up IU's first score. Stuff like this can't happen next year. At least we're up 21-7 despite getting outgained.

15:00 3^rd - Dierking is deep on returns? This is new.

14:49 3^rd - ATM! ATM! ATM! ATM! MONEY! MONEY! (Translation: I am very happy that Al-Terek McBurse just returned the 2^nd half kickoff for a touchdown. These are my shouts as he runs.) After this, I say that if we're truly Purdue we give it right back to Doss.

13:23 3^rd - A good three and out here. I continue to cross myself every time Aaron Valentin is back to return punts. As previously stated, I am not Catholic.

9:25 3^rd - More drunk fans behind us keep saying, "IU Fuck Purdue." This is in addition to the dozens of Puck Furdue shirts we saw walking around. Again, this is a classy place.

7:11 3^rd - More poor tackling. Even though we're up 28-7 I am still worried.

6:39 3^rd - Shades of Wisconsin as we bite on the reverse.

4:28 3^rd - Indiana shows that it has a hairy scrotum by going for it on 4^th and five down three scores. It pays off with a TD to Mitchell Evans. The jackanapes behind me celebrate like IU just won the Big Ten. I feel like reminding them that 14 is a smaller number than 28.

Counting: Another graduate level course at IU.

2:41 3^rd - Keith Smith plays pinball wizard with a big catch over the middle. We're already in scoring position again.

1:51 3^rd - "IU Fuck Purdue! IU Fuck Purdue! IU Fuck Purdue! IU Fuck Purdue!..."

1:30 3^rd - Carson Wiggs bangs home a Figgie. Up 31-14. We should have this.

0:11 3^rd - It looks even more in hand as we force a three and out again. Pete heads to the Bloomington Mall to have the new P engraved at Things Remembered.

Between 3^rd and 4^th quarter - Wisconsin has Jump Around, which is awesome. Purdue has Shout, which is okay. IU has John Mellancamp as the students sing Jack & Diane. No wonder they can't hold fourth quarter leads. This lulls them to sleep. Maybe they can recruit Jack because he was gonna be a football star. It might help.

13:34 4^th - Savvy move here. We put in Frank the Tank Halliburton to punish them for a few plays. He has some nice runs, but it only leads to a missed field goal. At least we took 5 minutes off the clock.

9:47 4^th - In the timeout after the missed field goal we have trivia FAIL. They ask, "What was the year the Bucket was first awarded?" The correct answer, 1925, isn't even a choice. They say 1930. For the record, that is the first year IU won it.

9:15 4^th - We give up a big pass (shit)

8:47 4^th - Chappell gets a big run (more expletives)

8:04 4^th - Demarlo Belcher touchdown. My butthole officially tightened. An IU basketball commercial follows. I loudly comment that it is nice they are deciding to field a team this year.

7:53 4^th - Why are we throwing the ball?

6:59 4^th - Three and out. We didn't even take a minute off the clock. The stadium is alive again.

6:09 4^th - Kawann Short finds the plug with a huge interception. When is the last time we had a defensive tackle with two interceptions on the year?

4:07 4^th - Elliott is sacked. It is a good sack, as we take 2:05 off the clock, move field position, and force them to use a timeout. Summers' final punt is a good one downed inside the ten. Thank you, Chris!

3:46 4^th - Belcher makes a circus catch, but is ruled out of bounds on the review. That is why these officials are great! The girlies behind us, who have no concept of football, shout advice like "Throw the Hail Mary!" and "get an interception" (even when we run the ball). They are swearing like sailors against Purdue with little to no knowledge of the game. The students from India in front of us know more.

2:41 4^th - The defense gets a big stop. It's our Bucket now.

2:14 4^th - After IU uses its last two timeouts to set up 3^rd and long and have one final chance Keith Smith breaks a big TD. He basically says, "Oh you want this ball back? Well, I am done with it now. You can have it."

Keith Smith does his best Mariano Rivera impression.

0:00 4^th - The Bucket stays where it belongs. The one day it is seen in Bloomington every two years is over.

I know I will have a more complete entry to wrap up the season, but this was a great dominating effort today. The senior class was outstanding. Boilerdowd texted me during the game and said Mike Neal was playing like it was his last game. He might have broken a hand, but he came back. He and Kawann Short had a dominating day in the middle. Pender had a blocked field goal. Elliott went over 3,000 yards. Chris Summers averaged over 46 yards per punt. Jaycen Taylor went out with maybe the best game of his career. Torri Williams had a pick. This game was for the seniors, and they came ready to play.

I don't think I have loved a group of seniors more than this one. They went out with a 5-7 record. They didn't go to a bowl game their last two years, but they have instilled an attitude of never quitting. They could have rolled over and died at 1-5 with Ohio State coming to town, but they didn't. If there is a group that ever deserved the Bucket, it is them. I will miss them.

On the other side of the coin, we got key contributions from some guys that will be here awhile. Kawann Short (redshirt freshman) had a fumble recovery and an interception. ATM (true freshman) had his huge kick return that looked easy. Keith Smith will be back. Jeff Lindsay and Kyle Adams will be back. Jared Crank threw some nice blocks and got his first career touchdown. All three linebackers had a good game and will be back.

The future is bright for Purdue. Next year will not be a bowl-less season as we have a lot to look forward to.

Our trip to Notre Dame is on September 4^th. I am so excited I am considering a lift of my vow to never go there.

The Bucket makes a rare appearance in Bloomington.

Game 12: Indiana Hoosiers v. Purdue Boilermakers (preview).

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:21:17 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

Let's hope that Greg Middleton and Jammie Kirlew can re-enact this scene a few times tomorrow.

Browse more photos »

Purdue Boilermakers

2009 record: 4-7 (3-4)

2008 record: 4-8

2008 Sagarin: 78

2009 Sagarin: 78 (IU is 91)

Coach: Danny Hope (first year, 4-7)

Series: Purdue leads 69-36-6

TV: 3: 30 p.m., Big Ten Network

Blogs: Hammer and Rails, Boiled Sports

IU and Purdue renew their annual rivalry in Bloomington tomorrow. As I noted earlier in the week, Purdue dominated the series during the Tiller era. While IU never beat Tiller in West Lafayette and played only one competitive game there (a 28-19 loss in 2006), the series was more respectable in Bloomington. Four of the last last five Bucket games played in Bloomington have been competitive (IU wins in 2001 and 2007, Purdue wins in 1999 and 2003). Purdue comfortably won the 2005 game. Of course, last year, IU lost 62-10. The IU players have talked about it quite a bit, as have Purdue fans, who seem to think that a blowout win last year somehow innoculates them from defeat this season (don't tell them what happened after IU's 45 point win in 1988, or after Purdue's 37 point win in 1995).

Ultimately, history will not decide this game. How do the 2009 teams measure up?

INDIANA	category	PURDUE
356 (74)	total offense	397 (51)
407 (94)	total defense	369 (70)
24 (87)	scoring offense	27 (65)
29 (87)	scoring defense	30 (92)
124.7 (76)	pass efficiency	125 (72)
135 (86)	pass efficiency defense	114 (32)
246 (35)	pass offense	259 (30)
245 (95)	pass defense	197 (37)
109 (83)	run offense	137 (73)
162 (82)	run defense	171 (92)
1 (8)	turnover margin	-.8 (107)
1.9 (60)	sacks	2.64 (24)
1.2 (25)	sacks allowed	1.45 (42)

It's very striking how statistically similar the teams are. Both teams rely heavily on their passing games for yards, but neither pass offense is a model of efficiency. Really, the only categories that differ markedly are pass defense/pass efficiency defense (Purdue's is good, IU's isn't), and turnovers (IU has been one of the most turnover-blessed teams in the country, and Purdue has been one of the most cursed). While not in the table, Purdue's rushing offense has been better than IU's on a per-play basis (4.3 to 3.6). According to Sagarin, Purdue has the #31 schedule in Division I-A and IU is #59.

Who are the individuals to watch?

Purdue QB Joey Elliott has been a big part of Purdue's offense, and he is averaging 256 yards per game and has thrown 18 touchdowns. On the other hand, he has thrown 13 interceptions and is completing 60.2 percent of his passes, a solid but not overwhelming number. His numbers are pretty similar to Ben Chappell's (Chappell has is completing 63 percent of his passes and has 15/13 TD/INT).
Ralph Bolden has been Purdue's primary rushing threat. He has run for 931 yards and 9 TD and is averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
~~Freshman~~ junior receiver Keith Smith (the details of my cluelessness is outlined in the comments) has been a pleasant surprise for Purdue, catching 86 passes for 1015 yards.

"Throw out the records" is the cliche thrown around regarding rivalry games, but that's not necessary this year. These teams are in the same ballpark. Certainly, Purdue has modestly better statistics against a tougher schedule, and the win over Ohio State far exceeds anything IU has accomplished. Aside from that game, however, their profiles are pretty similar, and I can't say that any result would surprise me.

It's not going to rain tomorrow. We didn't gain an unfair motivational advantage from the death of our coach. In other words, unlike in our two wins over Tiller, if IU wins tomorrow, Purdue might have to admit that it counts.

The 2009 Bucket Game: A preview of something more?

BoilerTMill — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:53:42 -0000

The records paint a familiar story. Purdue and Indiana both come into this season's Bucket game with losing records. Both teams are already eliminated from bowl contention. While this was also the case in 2005 and 2008, this one in particular feels like a throwback to the mid-90's when neither team was very good. A case could be made that 2005 would have been different if the current 12 game schedule had been in effect. Purdue likely would have scheduled a 1-AA or MAC opponent, grabbed another win, and would have been 5-6 playing for a bowl instead of 4-6 and done under that last 11 game year. In 2008, however, both teams took a huge step back after just the second season in which both Indiana and Purdue went bowling. Indiana was downright awful. Purdue suffered injuries to its top two quarterbacks and wasn't much better even when they did play.

The Bucket Game itself has rarely meant much nationally. Only in 1979 and 2007 did both teams go to a bowl game. In 1967 it decided the Big Ten title when the Hoosiers beat an undefeated (in Big Ten play) Purdue team to go to Pasadena for their only visit. A Purdue win might have meant a National Championship for the boilers, though a non-conference loss to Oregon State had knocked them from #1 earlier.

2009 feels different though. Both teams are 4-7 going into Saturday's contest. As John from Crimson Quarry stated yesterday, it is just the eighth time both teams have carried identical records into the season-ending game. It feels different because both teams could have identical records, yet be playing for so much more. With just slight improvement in a few areas, Saturday's game could be setting the table for a much better 2010 season on both sides.

Someday these scenes may mean more outside the state of Indiana.

Purdue has beaten Toledo, Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan. Indiana has beaten Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan (a Toledo clone), Akron, and Illinois. The Wolverines and Buckeyes are hardly on the same level as Akron and Eastern Kentucky, but the Toledo and Illinois wins are similar. The losses paint an even closer picture. Indiana got blown out at Virginia in a game it probably should have won. While Purdue didn't get blown out, the Northern Illinois loss was similar, while the actual Wisconsin game was a similar blowout. Both teams had Northwestern beat and blew it. Indiana's implosion at Iowa was like Purdue's at Minnesota. Indiana outplayed Michigan only to lose in Ann Arbor much like how Purdue outplayed Oregon in Eugene. Indiana's Wisconsin loss is a lot like Purdue's Michigan State loss in that the teams traded blows until one finally was left standing.

Among the four teams not going to bowls this year, I think Purdue and Indiana each have the best hopes of making the jump next season. Michigan is a wild card that may still take another year to come around. Illinois is, well, Illinois. In a conference that has been south of mediocre, however, Purdue and Indiana have each shown enough improvement to be encouraged for next year. It will begin with the non-conference season, as both teams have realistic shots at going 4-0 next year. Purdue has no excuse not to be 3-1 after a disastrous 1-3 this year. We should never lose games to the likes of Toledo, Ball State, and Western Illinois. Notre Dame could be in a total rebuild. If they are, the opener in South Bend has to be a win. Indiana has an even easier non-conference schedule against 1-AA Towson, at Central Michigan (without Dan LeFevour), at winless Western Kentucky, and at home against a bad Akron team. Again, there is no reason to not be at least 3-1 against that record, and 4-0 is more likely.

Once you get to the Big Ten there is more than enough room to get at least four wins. Both teams play Illinois, who might take a step back with Juice Williams graduating and Rejus Benn thinking of pro ball. Northwestern is not going to be significantly better. Michigan is going to be a question mark for at least another year. If anything, Purdue catches more of a break as they face Minnesota and Michigan State, who will be worse than Iowa and Penn State. Wisconsin and Ohio State will be tough games for both, especially since the Badgers only come to West Lafayette.

Both teams want this as momentum going into next year. There is enough talent returning on offense that each team can legitimately think about eight win seasons next year. Purdue has a wild card in Robert Marve, who does have 10 starts under his belt. he'll definitely be helped by having a 1,000 receiver come back in Keith Smith as well as a 1,000 rusher in Ralph Bolden. That is why this is an important preview game for both teams. Purdue wants to show that even in a rebuilding year it is still better than Indiana. If there is one thing Tiller did consistently it was keep the Bucket in West Lafayette. His 10-2 record against IU featured a series of blowouts. The only two losses were to the two best Indiana teams in that time by nine total points. Tiller had wins of 62-10, 63-24, 52-7, and 56-7 in there. Danny Hope wants to show he can keep that trend going.

Indiana wants to show they have turned around from a 52 point blowout. The Hoosiers surprised me this year by being much more competitive than originally thought. If they get the Bucket they will gain momentum that was lost in a disastrous 2008 season. They also want to show they can close a game after blowing so many late leads this year. Both teams have overachieved from preseason expectations. The winner will have a leg up on the "Team That Could Surprise in 2010" category, which is rarified air for IU's program.

I am stripped of all but pride

BoilerTMill — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:14:04 -0000

by Tom Strattman - AP

26 days ago: Michigan State running back Edwin Baker (4) picks up yardage as he tries to get away from Purdue safety Torri Williams (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

View full size photo »

The above lyric from Metallica is appropriate. After today's 40-37 loss we have only pride and the Bucket to play for this season. While it is disappointing, it is far from a horrible thing considering where we were going into the Ohio State game. We went from questioning if a 1-11 season was probable to playing for a bowl in the penultimate game of the season. Now we can build for next year with a statement win over Indiana.

That is why I think this season is a success regardless of the outcome of so many games. Yes, games against Oregon, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, and Michigan State would absolutely be wins if not for our own mistakes. Still, this season was not the 1-11 disaster many were picking even before it started. This team has shown more heart than recent Purdue teams. This team has never quit. This team has performed above expectations and has a win over the Big Ten's Rose Bowl representative and a close loss against the likely Pac-10 representative. This is growth from last year.

As for the mistakes that cost us today's game, they were unfortunate, but they can be corrected. That is also a sign of growth. We were 3-8 at this point last season, yet we seemed to have no heart or direction. The eight losses were by 6 (in overtime), 17, 14, 13, 22, 11, 14, and 5. This year, our seven losses were by 2, 7, 4, 3, 6, 15, 37, and 3. To me, that is a huge step forward from where we were. We are now to the point where other teams are not beating us except for our own mistakes. The next step is to correct those mistakes. If we do so, we will become a very good football team.

Positives from the Michigan State game:

Joey Elliott - Can you imagine if he had been a starter earlier in his career? If anyone deserved to lead this team to a bowl it was Elliott. After his TD pass to Cortez Smith you could see the passion as he ran off the field. He has grown by leaps and bounds this year, and I will miss his attitude.

Cortez Smith - Cortez has had a phenomenal two weeks and is putting himself in position to fill Aaron Valentin's role next season. The guy knows how to get open and get first downs. We can always use a guy who can use the chains.

Keith Smith - Keith will be a top target for Robert Marve next season. We have plenty of other options too. This is why I am already excited for next year. We return a bunch of experience at the skill positions and Keith will lead the way.

Jeff Lindsay and Kyle Adams - This was another fine week from our tight ends. They kept the chains moving with several critical catches. It is nice to add these weapons and we need to keep them involved in the offense next year.

Dan Dierking - I've always thought Dierking was undersized as a running back, but he made two huge catches today. That running back continues to be wide open on the wheel route, as Bolden was uncovered several times if we had looked for him.

Michigan State - It is rare that I credit the other team, but dammit if I wasn't impressed by the Spartans today. We truly outplayed them, but they made us pay for every mistake and made some huge plays when they needed to. I thought the game was over after Bolden's second TD. We had an 11 point lead on senior day with under 12 minutes left. The defense was rested, so I thought they would come out fired up. What ensued was a frenzy not seen since The Fumble game. Sparty earned this one today. They won a hard fought game.

Negatives from the Michigan State game:

Special Teams - I want J.B. Gibboney gone. Things were better without him. The past two seasons we were among the top 10 in kickoff coverage without a special teams coach. Today we acted like it was illegal to tackle the returner. The breakdown on the block field goal was huge. I don't mind Carson Wiggs missing the 49 yarder before halftime. You can't hit them all, but the other stuff is getting ridiculous. Chris Summers at least had a good game.

The defense - They had a great effort ruined by just a handful of plays, but they were big plays. They held for field goals after two long returns, but all three offensive touchdowns were the result of big MSU plays. They had a chance to really make a statement when up 11 and it last one damn play. To be fair, MSU provided excellent protection all day, but still. We had breakdowns two plays after we would look great. Just frustrating.

Covering Keshawn Martin - I hope this young man has a comfortable trip home because I don't want to see him again.

Up next:

As I said above, I am still incredibly proud of this team. The season will finish better than people thought, but not as good as it could have been. It is still progress. While I as at the Black & Gold Mine after the game I was listening to the call-in show after the game. Those that are attacking Danny Hope and saying he won't learn or it won't get better than this need to calm down.

Danny Hope did not miss tackles on kickoff coverage. Danny Hope did not miss the block that caused the blocked field goal. Danny Hope did not fail to execute on the field. What we are seeing are things that can be corrected. As long as the coaching staff recognizes this and works to do it for next season we will be fine.

Is it really that bad that we have lost seven games, five by less than a touchdown. We have been much more competitive than anyone expected. It is a base to build on for what can be a breakout year next season. The talent will only get better, while the departing seniors have never once quit on this team. That attitude will hang around. I will only be worried if the same mistakes continue unabated next year.

Keeping the Bucket next week is paramount. Both teams are 4-7, but both teams were 3-8 last year and 62-10 happened. We must exert our will and show that we are still much better than Indiana to gain confidence going into next year.

As for next year, I am expecting a big leap forward. First of all, playing Toledo, Western Illinois, and Ball State should be three easy non-conference wins. As middling as the Big Ten has been this season we should count on at least three conference wins, and if we improve I think we can win five. Are you really going to count us out of any game except maybe Ohio State? We can even make a big statement by ending Notre Dame's national title hopes in week one.

We're playing for next season now. It is this team's choice as to which way it wants to go. If we choose to focus on the positives of what we accomplished while striving to fix small mistakes we will do very well. If we choose to be negative and blame others for our failures we can expect another bowl-less season in 2010.

Welcome to the Fold: O.J. Ross, Ricardo Allen, and Chevin Davis

BoilerTMill — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:02:13 -0000

I apologize for the lateness of this entry. I started a new job today that I'll be working through the end of the year and did not have a chance to work on an entry. The entries will probably be later on the day for a few days at least until the job schedule settles down.

In the meantime, I don't know a single Purdue fan that wasn't excited with yesterday's news. O.J Ross' commitment means that we will have a four star lineman (Ken Plue), running back (Al-Terek McBurse), quarterback (Robert Marve), and receiver on offense. Allen is a guy that can play immediately in the secondary, probably pairing with Jhonny Faustin to give us to very fast corners. Davis is more of a mystery, but it will be interesting to see how he fits it in with a young and suddenly very crowded receiving corps.

Boiled Sports beat me to the punch a bit with some video today, but here is what else I found on these three guys:

O.J. Ross - WR - Speed, speed, speed. Ross appears to be ready to step in at the slot receiver position and produce like Dorien Bryant did for four years. If he has better hands and can avoid Dorien's trademark tipped-pass-interception it will be even better. If Ross is good enough to start immediately, expect him to be inside with Keith Smith on the outside. If he has the talent to start immediately it could be a very good thing, as we will go from barren to deep at wide receiver in a hurry. Remember, we still have Keith Smith, Keith Carlos, Cortez Smith, Waynelle Gravesande, and Antavian Edison back as guys that have caught passes this year. We also get Gary Bush, Eric Williams, and Xavier Reese from this year's class that are currently redshirting (Edison may yet redshirt as well). In 2010 We get Jeremy Cornelius, Charles Torwudzo, and Isaiah Williams to go with Ross and Davis. Cornelius, Torwudzo, and Williams are more likely to be outside receivers, but the common component is speed.

We desperately need good hands from Ross

Cornelius is clocked at 4.45, Ross 4.4, Edison 4.45, and Williams 4.4. Coach Hope has already shown that it will be open competition every week, so whoever can catch the ball with regularity will get to play. That is especially true after this past week's display in Madison, where even Keith Smith had the drops.

Ross is a big play guy. His stats last year tell the story. Like many of our other recruits, these guys come from a program that knows how to win as well. Mainland was 11-1 last season, falling by just a single point in round 2 of the state tournament. This year they are 6-2 so far.

Ricardo Allen - CB - More speed. I can see Allen pairing with my quickly developing man crush Johnny Faustin to be a pair of lockdown corners. The only knock against them I can see is size. Faustin is 5'10" 170, While Allen is 5'9" 175. It has been said of both that if they were taller they would be even more sought after. I like these guys, but Have visions of the short Chris Clopton getting dominated on fade after fade in the Rose Bowl to Washington's bigger receivers.

It is a very good sign when you search a cornerback and the first photo you see is him with the ball.

I don't think size will be much of an issue though if they can live up to their athleticism. I also really like E.J. Johnson as a ball-hawking safety, so I think he fits in well with these guys. They aren't as tall as David Pender and Brandon King, but they may be more athletic.

Chevin Davis - WR - With all the receivers mentioned above where does Davis fit in? He is a bigger receiver than Ross, but he might be suited to a slot role more because he doesn't have a ton of size. I see him more as a developmental player that will redshirt next year, but I could be wrong. Mainland's coach has talk about how all three of these guys are hard workers, so I wouldn't rule out seeing him on the field immediately. His stats last season were comparable to Ross', so we might have a hidden gem here.

The mystery of this group?

We can't think of Davis as simply riding the coattails of Ross and Allen to Purdue. He is a damn fine ballplayer in his own right that has been gathering plenty of interest from other schools.

Accomplishing Nothing in Madison.

BoilerTMill — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:36:42 -0000

Well, that 700 mile round trip was fun. At least I got a great deal on a hotel room, a cheap rental car for the weekend, and I got to experience one of the best venues in all of college football. I have decided that I have a new number one on my favorite venues list. The fans at Wisconsin were the most pleasant fans I have ever been around. Madison is a fantastic college town and Camp Randall Stadium was one of the most accommodating places I have ever watched a football game. We never heard a single harsh word uttered to us before or after the game. Most everyone even welcomed us with open arms.

It would have been nice if the Purdue football team had joined us.

What follows is the travel log from the weekend. All times are Indianapolis time:

This is as close as anyone in a Purdue jersey got to the end zone. Yes, I was rocking my Kory Sheets jersey.

5:43pm Friday - Indianapolis, IN - We're rollin' this weekend in a Chevy Cobalt from Hertz. Why? 1. It was only $27 for the weekend. 2. My Jeep has 112,000 miles on it, it's paid for, and I need it to stay that way. 3. I'll save more than $27 in gas mileage anyway. 4. Because you know everyone is Big Pimpin' in a Chevy Cobalt.

6:05pm - Interstate 65 - The first major snag of the weekend. Just past 465 on the northwest side of Indy we hit a traffic backup. There appears to be no reason for this other than being frightened by rain.

6:48pm - Lebanon, IN - It took us over an hour to go what normally takes 15 minutes. Fortunately, the folk at Subway will get us on our way.

7:23 - Lafayette, IN - We pass God's country as we nearly met Him. Between tons of cars, tracks weaving across the highway in the wind, and a steady rain I swear I have now lost five years off my life. As Denis Leary would say, at least it is the adult diaper wearing years at the end.

8:32pm - Hobart, IN - Better weather prevails north of Lafayette, but nothing humorous along the way. Maybe I have done this drive to Chicago too many times. Time for a stop at Jamba Juice and their Pumpkin Smash. For the uninitiated, Jamba Juice is fantastic, but the one in the Merrillville area is the nearest one to Indianapolis. Just another reason living in Indy sucks.

9:17pm - southside of Chicago, IL - I can't remember where along I-94, but I remember seeing a billboard for a strip club that promised all-bare models. How many girls from the Hoosier state flock across the border to flee the oppression of pasties and G-strings? Is it really that much of an issue in strip clubs?

10:40pm - Outside Rockford, IL - One of the most dull drives I have ever done just keeps going on. There is NOTHING along I-90 west of Chicago. I question if this travel journal is worth it. At least Mrs. T-Mill is getting caught up on The Lost Symbol. It is coffee and pretzel time from the toll oasis.

11:51pm - Madison, WI - Finally, we are there. The hotel of choice the fabulous Crowne Plaza East on Madison's east-side. God bless the good folks at Hotwire.com for letting us essentially thieve the room for $57.

12:01am - We park after checking in. A strange guy ina Wisconsin Badger hat comes running up spinning a story about needing gas money. Among the highlights (all said in 30 seconds):

Are you Purdue fans staying the night (seeing my hat)?
I have all kinds of collateral in my truck
I'm calling my ex-wife and she is selling her wedding ring
I'll wire you the money, I just need to go about 140 miles.
Believe in Western Union

This, people, is why I rarely carry cash. We back away slowly and flee into the hotel.

12:49am - Time for bed. Just before signing off I see that Charles Torwudzo had a big 6-yard touchdown in Brownsburg's 20-14 win over Zionsville. Sweet!

8:09am Saturday - Going 1 for 1 with the Jamba stop in terms of having food from good places not in Indy, I hope to keep things rolling by finding a Buregger's Bagels for breakfast...

8:11am - and fail. Neither of the two in Madison are near the hotel. BLAST!

9:17am - Panera Bread will have to do

10:16am - I run into a few more Purdue fans leaving the hotel, leading to this exchange:

Fan: Are we gonna kick some butt oday?

Me: I sure hope so. It has to be better than when I went to Michigan two years ago.

This, my friends, is what we call a bad omen.

10:44am - We pass the infamous State Street on the way into campus. Just a fantastic bar scene. Even without a breakfast club going on I can tell it is great.

10:53am - As we park, we get warned we must leave by 3pm or they will tow all cars left because of the hockey game. I ask if they have leniency in case the game goes long. They say they think so. I am not encouraged, but what can you do. (Little did we know, time would certainly not be an issue)

11:39am - After another Subway stop on the walk to the stadium I figure out how to save lunch for halftime. I manage to stuff an entire footlong sub down the sleeve of my jacket and walk into Camp Randall Stadium undetected. I tell Mrs. T-Mill I should have done it in the pants and, if they asked questions, replied with, "Don't act like you're not impressed."

Following directions at Subway FAIL

11:43am - No wonder everyone likes Camp Randall after seeing this sign inside:

I approve! We showed up, and we certainly blew.

11:51am - I am seated with fans that don't lament being there. They actually cheer and want to watch football. I will like these people over the next three hours.

11:56am - Mental note: It's On Wisconsin = bad, not Onward Kokomo = good today. Don't enjoy the fight song. The U2 Streets Have No Name entrance is very nice. Camp Randall also has the best sound guy in the Big Ten, though their band is conspicuously quiet when not wandering through the stands. (All times will now be in game time)

15:00 1^st Quarter - Carson Wiggs bombs the kickoff deep for a touchback. Little did we know, this would be the highlight of the game, and the only play involving Wiggs. Does this make him team MVP?

All of our highlights in one photo!

11:40 1^st Quarter - We are refusing to adjust to the run. All they are doing is handing off to Clay and we can't tackle him.

9:27 1^st Quarter - Touchdown. 11 plays, 80 yards. All of it on the ground. They shouldn't attempt a pass until we prove we can stop them. Which way is State Street again?

7:26 1^st Quarter - Welcome back, turnovers. We've missed you

7:13 1^st Quarter - It's overturned and ruled an incompletion as Keith Smith never had possession (the first of many drops). A great Summers punt pins them inside the five.

6:23 1^st Quarter - The Wisconsin students begin chanting "Eat Shit, Fuck You." Classy! I don't want to hear a single Purdue alum ever gripe about 1,2,3,4, FIRST DOWN, BITCH again.

5:22 1^st Quarter - The defense holds, we get great field position, and do nothing with it.

3:02 1^st Quarter - The PA seems to be stuck on repeat. All I am hearing is, "John Clay on the carry."

Trying to figure out yet another way to write, "Clay with the carry"

14:23 2^nd Quarter - Random observation here: has Ralph Bolden become too patient? He seems to want to make an extra move now he doesn't need to make instead of just attacking.

10:37 2^nd Quarter - We go for it on 4^th down around the 30 on our best drive of the day. We fail, plus Aaron Valentin gets a 15 yard penalty for spiking the ball. Good job!

10:08 2^nd Quarter - Defend the sweep!

6:58 2^nd Quarter - That pick was just like the one Walter Thurmond took to the house at Oregon. Ugh.

5:02 2^nd Quarter - And Clay makes us pay. That's -7 points the offense has generated.

4:39 2^nd Quarter - The good: we try to get the ball in McBurse's hands. The bad: he doesn't want it with three drops (though the first two passes were bad)

4:30 2^nd Quarter - Game over with the blocked punt for TD. This was the worst four play sequence of the day. Even if McBurse had caught the first down pass he gets lit up for a four yard loss. The block is not on Chris Summers. Why do we run that 3-man protection when it invites a more persistent rush? Our own guy vaulted the defender up to block it!

0:02 2^nd Quarter - Give us the ball around the 25 with seconds to go in the first half and we are great. We misuse a timeout, eschewing it for a hurry up which costs us a few seconds (and at least one play). Elliott gets a WTF for not even throwing the Hail Mary.

Halftime - Props to the random guy in a white suit tossing peanuts at passersby on the concourse, encouraging them to catch with their mouths. Is this the Show N' Blow guy? Our best offense is officially ATM on kick returns.

14:38 3^rd Quarter - Catch the ball!

14:14 3^rd Quarter - "Another friggin' sweep!" The woman behinds me bursts out in laughter.

13:19 3^rd Quarter - All they are running is sweeps and draws. It's nothing fancy, and we look stupid. They overpowered us on the first drive and we never rose to the challenge.

12:04 3^rd Quarter - Another poor throw on third down. Another 3 and out. Joey Elliott regressed today, but he did have a ton of dropped passes that were on the mark.

10:39 3^rd Quarter - I am now officially staying just for Jump Around. It has gotten that bad.

8:26 3^rd Quarter - Is it now time for TerBush after another three and out? We can't even keep the clock running to mercifully end this.

6:01 3^rd Quarter - Still Elliott? Really? I mean I like the guy, but he can do no more today. I don't think it is his fault, either.

5:21 3^rd Quarter - This is how bad it was all day. They were manhandling us with the defensive front four. Those guys were getting pressure and stopping us any time we tried to run. That let the other guys step back in coverage, so no one was ever open. It's easy to play defense when your defensive line has a fantastic game like Wisconsin's did.

2:53 3^rd Quarter - You know you are sucking when the other team puts in their backup QB in the third quarter.

1:15 3^rd Quarter - ATM fumbles on another busted run. It is now a total disaster.

End 3^rd Quarter - Finally, Jump Around. For those of you who have never seen it in person, it is very impressive. Just a great tradition and I was very glad to see it. I even did some jumping myself in section DD. This just added to the atmosphere, as this is the most lively crowd I have ever experienced at a football game. These guys come to support their team and have fun doing it. Some Purdue fans could learn a lesson from them.

14:33 4^th Quarter - Wisconsin shows no mercy by going for it on 4^th and short up 34-0. I'm done. I bid farewell to the section and thank them for being great hosts. On the way out of the stadium I simply text Boilerdowd, "No mas" as the last field goal sails through the uprights. His response: "I left the house."

That's about right.

4:35pm - One final note after experiencing Madison a little more and getting some excellent coffee from Coffeebytes. We pick up a local microbrew, Ouisconsing Red Ale from Central Water's Brewing Company. "At least we'll get something good out of this trip," says Mrs. T-Mill.

I also got a call on the way home from Drew of the Big Ten Football Tour. He is wondering what the hell happened, as today was their Wisconsin day. He picked Purdue to win and had become a big fan after their visit two weeks ago. He does thank me and all Purdue fans for a wonderful experience last week. The discussion of beers in Indy after the Pacer game next Friday is raised. This must happen.

To sum things up, this was our worst effort on the season. We need to forget about it, never watch the tape again, and get ready for Michigan. The Wolverines got pantsed by Illinois today, so if we're ever going to win in Ann Arbor now is the time.

Fun With Statistics: TFL v. Iowa, Cupcakes in Happy Valley, B10 WR's Explode

grahamfiller10 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:32:39 -0000

A huge win over Wisconsin, coupled with the initial BCS poll, led to an avalanche of Iowa stories and publicity. But hopefully you all won't forget this statistic from Saturday's game: 8 runs for negative yardage, 3 sacks on Stanzi for 22 yards. Great line play by Wisky, plus some shaky blocking from Kyle Calloway and company showed that the Hawkeyes have a long way to go.

Adam Robinson rush over left end for a loss of 3 yards to the Wisc 45.

Brandon Wegher rush left for a loss of 4 yards to the Wisc 30.

Adam Robinson rush over left end for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 26.

Brandon Wegher rush over left tackle for a loss of 2 yards to the Iowa 17.

Brandon Wegher rush up the middle for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 34.

Adam Robinson rush up the middle for a loss of 2 yards to the Iowa 27.

Brandon Wegher rush over left guard for a loss of 1 yard to the Iowa 39.

Brandon Wegher rush right for a loss of 7 yards to the Wisc 37.

...

The combined record of Penn State's opponents: 24-21, surprisingly solid for a cupcake laden schedule. Of course this is skewed by 7-0 Iowa, 4-2 Temple, and FCS Eastern Illinois, which stands at 5-2.

...

Keith Smith of Purdue, who runs to space better than any wide receiver in the Big Ten, had another huge game against Ohio State Saturday. Here are the stats of arguably the most effective seven wide receivers in the Big Ten. And a quick nod to Ohio State's DeVier Posey, who is the next Chris Carter/Ted Ginn in Columbus.

Receiver	Size	REC	YDS	TD	Saturday's Statistics
Eric Decker	6'2'' 215 lbs	47	731	5	1 rec, 42 yds
Keith Smith	6'2'' 230 lbs	54	710	4	12 rec, 125 yds
Tandon Doss	6' 3'' 197 lbs	48	676	2	7 rec, 130 yds, TD
Blair White	6'2'' 200 lbs	45	635	6	12 rec, 186 yds, 2 TD
Derek Moye	6'5'' 195 lbs	27	472	4	6 rec, 120 yds, TD
Z. Markshausen	5'11'' 180 lbs	50	459	1	16 rec, 111 yds, TD
Aaron Valentin	6'1'' 205 lbs	39	453	7	10 rec, 97 yds, 2 TD

As I was watching Saturday's action, it became increasingly clear that a couple receivers were having huge huge days. Valentin made a circus catch for a TD and then ran in a bubble screen late against the Buckeyes, proving that he might be the most explosive player in the Big Ten. Markhausen, who looks like a walk on, pulled in 16 receptions against MSU - he is Kafka's #1 option now. And Blair White, who didn't have a scholarship until this year, torched the very torchable NW defense and gave support to my opinion that White has the best hands in the Big Ten.