Purdue Football: Little Caesars Bowl Win Sparked by Nice Change of Pace

Purdue football will keep the W flag flying outside of Ross Ade Stadium until next fall, something that will make a lot of Boilermakers happy while walking to classes. With the exciting win in the bowl game, Purdue has its first winning season under head coach Danny Hope.

Purdue was led by junior running back Akeem Shavers, who became the first Boilermaker to ever rush for more than 100 yards in a bowl game, recording 149 yards for the Boilermakers.

Purdue also had a monster game by senior Justin Siller, who rushed for 44 yards and caught five passes for 44 yards.

Although a lot of things stood out after this game, one in particular comes to mind: the play-calling.

Usually play-calling is something that is forgotten about, but Boilermaker fans know all about questionable play-calling, and conservative calls, but they were non-existant in this one.

In his new two-year extension, Purdue must have added a clause to Danny Hope's contract that says no more bubble screens on 3rd-and-long situations, because the play-calling was stellar in this one.

It was definitely highlighted by two onside kicks in a row that were both recovered by Purdue in the middle of the first half, which really gave Purdue a spark.

Along with the gadget plays, Purdue actually threw the ball down the field, something Purdue fans had not seen in a while. 

Maybe this is a sign of change for Purdue football. The aggressive decisions are nice, and a win is definitely nice.

Although I do not agree in the extension of Hope's contract, if he coaches like he did against WMU, he will do great things at Purdue.