Bleacher Report - Purdue Football

Purdue Seniors Go Out In Style With 38-21 Win Over Indiana

Tim Cary — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:47:55 -0500

The Bucket stays in West Lafayette another year.

:Yawn:

Should we be surprised?

Purdue knocked off arch-rival Indiana for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons Saturday afternoon, posting a road win in Bloomington by the score of 38-21. The victory improved the Boilermakers’ 2009 record to 5-7, one triumph short of the six wins needed for bowl eligibility.

The Boilers’ seniors played their hearts out in their final college football game, led by quarterback Joey Elliott. Elliott threw for a career-high four touchdowns to spark Purdue to the win and deserves special credit for helping lead his team back from a disastrous 1-5 start.

Elliott will be remembered as the first Purdue quarterback to win in Ann Arbor since Bob Griese, the first to beat both Michigan and Ohio State in the same year since Drew Brees, and the building block who got the Danny Hope era started.

For the season, Elliott threw for 3,026 yards and 22 touchdowns: impressive numbers for a player that hadn’t started a single college game before the September opener.

Jaycen Taylor also closed out his career in style, breaking loose for 110 rushing yards at Indiana. Taylor got the majority of the snaps in the backfield ahead of usual starter Ralph Bolden, and he made the most of his opportunity. In addition to the big numbers on the ground, Taylor had a team-high seven catches for 59 yards and a score.

On the defensive side of the ball, David Pender forced a fumble, Torri Williams picked off a Ben Chappell pass and made 13 stops, Mike Neal fought through the pain from a dislocated finger (finishing with six tackles in all), and the Boilermakers’ veteran unit generally imposed its will on an overmatched Hoosiers offense for sixty minutes.

In the midst of the seniors’ contributions, the underclassmen showed flashes of brilliance as well, most notably Al-Terek McBurse. The highly-touted recruit finished his freshman year with a bang, returning the second-half kickoff for 87 yards and a score to extend Purdue’s lead to three touchdowns. McBurse and Ralph Bolden (who gained 935 rushing yards in 2009) should combine in an exciting Boilermaker backfield the next few seasons.

All in all, Danny Hope’s first season as head coach in West Lafayette should be considered a mild success. I predicted in August that Purdue would finish with exactly five wins, but didn’t expect the Boilers to reach .500 in the Big Ten (4-4).

Highlights such as being the only conference team to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes, nearly shocking the Oregon Ducks (a likely Rose Bowl participant) in Eugene, and ending a 40-plus year drought in Ann Arbor were more than I expected from Year One of the Hope era.

Unfortunately, with those highlights comes the bitter realization that if it weren’t for a heroic Jimmy Clausen fourth-down touchdown pass, two dropped punts against Northern Illinois, or six (count ‘em—six!) turnovers against Northwestern, Purdue could be anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4, enjoying postseason play and the extra month of practice that comes with it.

Instead, the three consecutive heartbreaking home losses against the Irish, Huskies, and Wildcats—part of a horrible five-game skid—ended up dooming the Boilers to thoughts of what might have been.

Now it’s time for Hope and his team to turn their attention to 2010. With Miami transfer Robert Marve under center, returning star Keith Smith and emerging threat Cortez Smith out wide, as well as the Bolden/McBurse combo in the backfield, next year should see the Boilermakers once again becoming “Bowl”ermakers.

It all starts Sept. 4 in South Bend (probably against a rookie Notre Dame head coach!).

Until then…

For more Big Ten football coverage from Bleacher Report writers Tim Cary, Kristofer Green, and Kevin Paul, visit FirstandBigTen.com .

Read more Purdue Football news on BleacherReport.com

Creature vs. Creature: Why Purdue Will Retain the Old Oaken Bucket

Tim Cary — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:43:30 -0500

The Purdue Boilermakers close the 2009 regular season Saturday in Bloomington against their archrival, the Indiana Hoosiers. Purdue coach Danny Hope will be looking for a win in his first Old Oaken Bucket game at the helm (although he's been around for quite a few as an assistant); his predecessor, Joe Tiller, boasted an impressive 10-2 record against Indiana in his twelve-year tenure.

The Boilers will have their work cut out for them on the road, as Purdue has only won one game away from Ross-Ade Stadium this season, a 38-36 thriller at Michigan. However, expect the Old Gold and Black to finish the season strong by once again disposing of their southern rivals.

As kickoff draws near, allow me to list three reasons Purdue will be taking the Bucket back to West Lafayette.

1. Psychology

Purdue owns a significant mental advantage over Indiana based on last year's result alone: the Boilers scored on each of their first ten possessions en route to a 62-10 beatdown that wasn't even that close. While the Hoosiers will certainly have the "revenge" factor on their side, they run the risk of being intimidated well before the first snap, facing a squad that beat them by 52 just 52 weeks ago.

In addition, Indiana has to be reeling after losing seven of their last eight outings during this disappointing 2009 season. The Hoosiers have competed valiantly, most notably throwing scares into nationally-ranked Iowa and Penn State, but their penchant for obtaining and subsequently blowing large leads has without doubt taken its toll on IU's confidence.

With both teams playing for nothing but pride (and an old wooden pail), the edge has to be given to a Purdue team that's recently dominated the series and has earned some momentum over the past two months (beating Ohio State at home and Michigan on the road).

2. Joey Elliott

The Boilermakers' senior quarterback will be playing in his last college football game this weekend, and the Indiana native should enjoy a banner day to cap off his Purdue career. Elliott only needs 179 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the season, an impressive feat for a first-year starter.

Elliott has to be licking his chops against a Hoosiers defensive unit that allows over 400 yards a game of total offense, and while he may not match last year's 62-point outburst, expect No. 14 to go out in style with a high-scoring afternoon he'll remember long after his playing days have finished.

3. Two-Headed Backfield Monster

Elliott consistently gets time to throw and enjoys open receivers because of the Boilermakers' rushing game. Ralph Bolden should pass 200 carries and 1,000 yards for the season against IU, and his backup, senior Jaycen Taylor, has turned in his share of big plays when Bolden needs a breather.

The Purdue offensive line is playing its best football in the latter half of the season, and the holes they're opening make it easy for Bolden and Taylor to gash defenses. When offensive coordinator Gary Nord establishes the run early (as he likes to do), the play-action game makes Elliott even more dangerous through the air.

Look for Bolden to have one of his best rushing outputs of the season, and don't be surprised if Taylor reaches the end zone as well in his final game.

Prediction

Bottom line: Neither team has an amazing defense, but the Boilermakers have a few more weapons for putting points on the board. When Purdue's lost, it's been due to turnovers and their penchant for beating themselves—don't expect that to happen in Bloomington.

Purdue 30, Indiana 20

For the Hoosier viewpoint in this Creature vs. Creature debate, check out Dan Karell's article.

Read more Purdue Football news on BleacherReport.com

MSU-Purdue: Fourth-Quarter Collapse Ensures Boilermakers Home for the Holidays

Tim Cary — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:46:18 -0500

When a football team outgains its opponent by over 160 yards and scores a touchdown in every quarter, it’s supposed to win the game.

Unfortunately for the Purdue Boilermakers, things didn’t work out that way Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium.

In a game they needed to win to keep bowl hopes alive, the Boilers blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead and dropped a heartbreaking 40-37 loss to the visiting Michigan State Spartans.

Purdue was victimized by late meltdowns on defense and special teams, overshadowing a brilliant day for the offense and senior quarterback Joey Elliott, who was playing in his final home game. Elliott finished 39-55 for 373 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and his efficiency especially showed in the Old Gold and Black’s remarkable third-down conversion rate (14-22).

After the Boilermakers took a 34-23 lead with less than 12 minutes to go, Michigan State finished the game with three scores on its final three possessions, each of which was set up by one huge play.

First, the Spartans answered the Purdue touchdown with a one-play drive, as Kirk Cousins hit BJ Cunningham for a 73-yard scoring strike.

Next, Michigan State used a 45-yard reverse from Keshawn Martin to set up its go-ahead touchdown with just over seven minutes remaining.

And finally, after the Boilers had fought back to tie things up at 37, the Spartans got an 87-yard kickoff return, also from Martin, to get in position for the game-winning field goal.

Michigan State definitely took care of business in special teams, something the Boilermakers should take notes on and emulate in 2010 (after all, they simply have to improve in special teams…things certainly can’t get worse!)

In addition to Martin’s long return, MSU kicker Brett Swenson converted all four of his field goal attempts, including a pair of 52-yarders. Conversely, the Boilermakers missed a kick and had another blocked—costly mistakes in a three-point loss.

Of course, the Boilers probably should have known it wasn’t going to be their day when tailback Ralph Bolden fumbled on the very first play and the Spartans’ Chris L. Rucker ran the loose ball back for a touchdown. After getting in an early 7-0 hole, Purdue really dominated until the fourth quarter, but there are no moral victories in college football.

The Boilermakers’ seventh loss guarantees they’ll be staying home during the holidays for the second straight year, a disappointing turn of events after coach Danny Hope’s team had won three of its last four games to revive thoughts of the postseason.

However, Purdue continued to prove on Saturday that they are developing weapons that can help the program’s cause in 2010: thoughts of a more experienced Keith Smith (15 catches for 152 yards and a score), Cortez Smith (8 grabs for 52 yards and a touchdown), and Ralph Bolden (76 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground) returning to pace the offensive attack next season must bring a smile to Hope’s face.

Since next year is still a ways away, Purdue’s focus now must turn to retaining the Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers travel to Bloomington this weekend, playing for pride, rivalry, and a strange trophy (after all, I have three extra buckets in my garage if the Hoosiers want any). The Boilers won last year’s meeting 62-10 and are hoping for a similar result on the road to close the 2009 season.

If you were to search “How to blow a big football lead” on Google, you’d probably find a picture of the 2009 Indiana football team, which has seemingly patented the late collapse, most notably against Northwestern and Iowa in October.

However, they have continued to compete after a season full of horrible luck and disappointing outcomes, so don’t expect the Hoosiers to roll over for Purdue in the season finale.

Maybe we can summarize the scouting report this way: a Purdue team that collapsed late against Michigan State this past weekend takes on an Indiana team that seemingly collapses late against every opponent every weekend…so make sure you don’t turn the Bucket game off until the final whistle.

Week Twelve prediction: Purdue 30, Indiana 20

For more Big Ten football coverage from Bleacher Report writers Tim Cary, Kristofer Green, and Kevin Paul, visit FirstandBigTen.com.

Read more Purdue Football news on BleacherReport.com