2010 Indiana opponents, week 12: Purdue Boilermakers.
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 20, 2010 1:15 PM EDT
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After enjoying a positive turnover ratio for most of the 2009 season (IU was plus 11 after the first 11 games), IU's luck, or execution, or whatever it was ran out against Purdue. The Boilers enjoyed a 4-0 turnover advantage, one that began on the first series, when Purdue forced a Ben Chappell fumble and quickly established a lead that they never relinquished. IU flirted with getting back into the game. After falling behind 28-7 when Al-Terek McBurse returned the second half's opening kickoff for a touchdown, IU pulled with within 10, at 31-21, with 8 minutes remaining, but after forcing a three-and-out and gaining good field position, another Ben Chappell interception ended any lingering hope for IU. Over 450 yards of offense went to waste, thanks to empty possessions that ended in turnovers.
As I have noted before, the IU-Purdue game has not operated as a typical rivalry since Joe Tiller came to town in 1997. Since then, certainly Purdue typically has had better teams than IU. The only two times that IU has won recently, 2007 and 2001, IU probably had the better team. Still, IU has never taken down a heavily favored Purdue team under Tiller and Hope, and some of the most disappointingly lopsided losses (2005 and 2008 are two) have come to some of Purdue's worst teams of the era. Again, the overall quality of Purdue's teams has been better than IU's, and that accounts for much of the 11-2 disparity, but the average score of 38-16 can't be entirely explained by that. I don't lightly accuse teams or coaches of quitting or mailing it in, but something approaching a majority of post 1996 Bucket games, under multiple coaching staffs, have felt that way. It's a shame that IU's failure to quit last year feels like some sort of accomplishment, and IU has to start pulling its weight in this rivalry. Since winning at Purdue in 1994 and 1996, IU is 0-6 in West Lafayette and only one of the games has been remotely competitive. It would be nice to change that trend this year.
Purdue had a strange season in 2009. The Boilers beat Ohio State, and not in a fluky way, but lost to Northern Illinois and were obliterated by a mediocre Minnesota team. Joey Elliott was competent in his only season as starting quarterback, and now Purdue essentially is starting over in the offensive backfield. Transfer Robert Marve will be the starter at quarterback this season. At Miami, Marve played quite a bit as a freshman and not all that impressively. He completed 54 percent of his passes and threw 18 interceptions to 13 touchdowns. He twice was suspended while playing for the Hurricanes, once for academic reasons and once for an arrest for criminal mischief/resisting arrest. Although he wouldn't have been eligible in 2009 in any event, Marve tore his ACL last summer. While noting about Marve's checkered college career is impressive, he was a very highly regarded recruit when he signed with Miami and may well have the potential to have a strong career at Purdue. At running back, the Boilermakers' returning leading rusher, Ralph Bolden, injured his knee and will miss some or all of the 2010 season. That means that Purdue's leading returning rusher is fullback Jared Crank, who ran for 15 yards last season. As far as I can tell, McBurse, who had four rushing attempts last season, but who returned a kickoff for a TD against IU, will be the man until and unless Bolden returns. At receiver, the outstanding Keith Smith returns, but overall Purdue's skill positions will be occupied by players with little experience. On defense, Purdue returns some starters from a so-so unit, but must replace the entire secondary.
By the time this game rolls around, the fortunes of both teams will be more clear than they are today. I wouldn't be surprised if both teams are in the hunt for or are qualified for bowl games, and I wouldn't be surprised if neither team is. Unfortunately, based on recent history, a competitive game in West Lafayette would surprise me, but there is no time like the present to change that trend.
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With respect to the 2001 games...
The 2001 game was played in a monsoon, which, as we all know, is a great equalizer. The 2008 game was the Terry Hoeppner game. Not a very representative sample of games. It’s hard to make the claim that IU had the better team in either year.
Well, in 2001, IU and Purdue had identical (4-4) conference records, IU was favored by three in a spread set with no knowledge of the weather conditions(suggesting an even matchup on a neutral field) and IU won by 6. Keep in mind that this was the IU team that scored 63 on Wisconsin at Camp Randall. While I realize that Purdue fans love to make excuses about that game, perhaps it was IU, the team that was the favorite and had the more potent offense, that was slowed down by the weather.
As for 2007, while Purdue was favored by 2, the teams finished with identical conference records and identical regular season records. The 2007 game wasn’t “the Terry Hoeppner game.” It was the 12th game IU had played after its coach died of cancer, which generally would be considered a disadvantage, yet Purdue fans continue to use it as an explanation for why the win didn’t count. We beat Iowa that year, too. Their fans are decent enough to blame Kellen Lewis and James Hardy for the outcome, not the ghost of a dead coach. Where was the “dead coach advantage” when IU blew a 14-3 lead at Northwestern?
Posts like yours are why I badly want to win in West Lafayette, and of course in the damn sunshine.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 21, 2010 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I think 2007 they were about even
As I ahve said before,t here was a lot of emotion going in IU’s favor for that game. Purdue did not match it until very late, and Indiana made the plays it needed to in order to win.
A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance
HammerAndRails, SBNation's Boilermaker Blog
by BoilerTMill on Aug 22, 2010 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
If I were a Purdue fan
I would take some pride in the recent dominating record against my biggest rival. However, I’d be modest enough to admit that while my team has largely been a mid-tier B10 team in the past decade while my rival has been a bottom-tier team over that same span, the best Hoosier teams have been on-par or better than the Purdue teams in those same years. It wasn’t luck or weather that beat the Boilermakers in those two years.
Since I’m not a Purdue fan, but an Indiana graduate, I’ll simply point out instead that your post oozes “Purdue Mentality”. That complex doesn’t seem to fade from the minds of many Boiler fans, no matter how many times your favorite football team wins the Bucket.
And Leon Burtnett
Come to think of it
by hoosierdaddynow on Aug 23, 2010 8:36 AM EDT up reply actions
The only two times that IU has won recently, 2007 and 2001, IU probably had the better team.
Disagree. That Purdue team was robbed at Penn State by Stephen Pamon and would have been 8-2 had they won. Who knows what happens then. That was a talented offense and they underperformed dramatically in the bucket game.
Ever Grateful. Ever True.
I suppose if I had it to do over, I would say that the 2001 and 2007 games were games that IU could reasonably expect to win, setting aside which team was better. As I said, IU was favored in 2001 and was a 2 point dog in 2007, and both games were at home. As for 2007, well, you guys (justifiably) have been yanking Bill Lynch’s chain for his silly “12 plays from a bowl game” stuff. We all can think of games in every season that our teams could have won. IU should have won at Northwestern in 2007 and was driving against Penn State before a Kellen Lewis fumble sealed a five-point loss. We didn’t. You guys could have won at Penn State, but didn’t. You could have shown up at home the next week against MSU, but didn’t.
My overall point, perhaps not clearly made, is that neither of IU’s wins in the last 13 years was a surprise. Since Tiller took over, we never have had a “throw out the records” moment analogous to Purdue’s win in 1989, for instance.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 24, 2010 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Defend the Rock
Maybe you should worry about defending the Rock next year… I’ve seen The Hoosiers roll in to Ross-Ade quite a few time the last 12 years. They haven’t been ready once.
Of course, you don’t have to tell me how poorly IU has played at Ross-Ade since 1998. I noted it in the post. I’m sure you guys have enjoyed the last 12 years, and with good reason. But from 1982-1996, IU went 5-3 at Ross Ade and all three of the losses were by a touchdown or less. Nothing lasts forever. One of the reasons it has lasted this long is because Purdue’s players and coaches aren’t as complacent as the fans about it.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Aug 30, 2010 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions
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