Final Thoughts: Purdue

On Offense:

• Must we always go on the conservative side when on the road?
• Royster is a beast, especially when led by Lawlor
• The only thing that infuriated me was the punt on the Purdue 38(?) yard line.

On Defense

• Hull stepped up. We'll see how he does this week against PJ Hill untill I completely apologize.
• Odrick is an absolute terror. Koromoa looked good.

That's really all I have. I wasn't able to take pics in Purdue (stupid camera), and the stories are just too long to properly explain. Let's move on to this Saturday night.....

...Like you didn't know this was coming.

And so begins....

...another year as a PSU fan. Like the cherry blossoms that chicks dig here in DC, rebirth for PSU happens about every time this year.

Signing day for recruits has come and gone. If they opted for PSU, they clearly showed faith and good decision making by choosing the foremost producers of men outside of a military academy. Anyone that didn't is a loser and we don't need'em.

The obligatory know-nothing JoePa retirement fluff pieces produced at a rate of 3 a minute are published. What is substantiated? Nothing. What is conjecture? Everything.

Regrettably, the obligatory legal infractions have also occurred, leaving most of us too stunned with Quarless' stupidity to properly react. Snapping us out of the daze was Ridenour letting us know that he still exists, albeit in his own original way.

And spring practice has started, which gives us reasons to remember why we root for PSU in the first place. And that is the promise of football, and tailgating. Actually, that order is wrong; it should go tailgating, football, tailgating.

We look at these kids in spring training and savor every morsel that comes out of practice, like Stephon Green's blistering 40 yard run, the enthusiasm of our returning lineman (all starters!).

In the football doldrums that is February-April, we are reminded, on April 1, that spring is indeed smiling at us once more, with promises of sunshine, women wearing less, sitting outside at the cafe enjoying an iced-t, and enjoying a peek at our upcoming glory in the fall.

On a more personal level, autumn is now even more exciting in that this is the time of year we get together for our annual trip to a PSU away game. Pictured above is the crew who went to Michigan last year. Note the boundless enthusiasm displayed by all at 9 AM (Not pictured: same group at 7 PM staring at each other and silently fueling each others anger. Also, Sameena vomiting. Damn girl, you got soft).

This year we will be traveling to Purdue, and hopefully erasing the 0-2 curse these trips have wrought on our beloved Lions. So here's to 15 friends in two Winnebagos, all looking to a magical weekend in Purdue with eyes full of hope. And Old German.

Purdue its gold and black....

Figure 1-2: Great Iron Horse Come to Valley

This Saturday Purdue rolls into town; it's Senior Day in Beaver Stadium. My, where does the time go. Just seemed like yesterday Connor was cranking ex-coaches.

I can't speak for the team, but I just feel deflated. Our normally formadable D was shredded last week. Whether by injury or not, the PSU D has been the one constant in my universe for awhile. Even during the bad years, It always showed up in one form or another.

So now we come to the pass-happy Boilermakers. Repeat: pass-happy. The same style of offense that killed us in the past two weeks. What can we possibly do to stop them? What possible hope do we have?

For one, Coaching needs to get their collective heads unf_cked. Against OSU, bringing blitzers kind of worked in that it forced Boeckman to make quicker decisions, with some good results on our side. When we rushed four, we got destroyed. Seriously, we should have just put in 3 extra DBs and rushed one lineman.

Secondly, keep running the ball. We were having noticeable success in the running game, and our coaches decided to put the game in Morelli's hands. Bad move. This strategy also doubles to keep the already struggling defense off of the field.

Third, play like you want to win. Words cannot describe what went through my head when we punted on their 38, especially when the running game was working. Let's just say it took me three cigarettes and a bar full of slutty Halloween costumes to get ready for the second half. 10-17, or heaven forbid, 14-17, does wonders for a teams' ego going into halftime, especially when you start the second half with the ball. Prolonged drives and intestinal fortitude will win out against Purdue.

Fourth, tell DWill to stop moving like Austin Scott. Pick a path and take it. Stop dancing. Don't go down in token contact.

Fifth: Quarless, Golden, Norwood, repeat.

Sixth: No more screen passes. Morelli had overshot the RB in screen passes 4 games in a row. By a lot. It just so happenned that OSU was well aware of this fact.

I am not sold on putting Clark and/or Devlin in yet. Clark is still far too inaccurate, and Devlin just isn't ready.

What do I think will happen? I am fully confident that our offense will employ the run early and often. However, this game will be won based on the ability to force Painter's hand. Rush 6 from every conceivable angle.

Final score: PSU 27 PUR 23

B10 Trap Game of the Week

This weeks trap game in the B10 belongs to the Purdue Michigan matchup. Why? Because i need a flimsy premace to issue the seal of Admiral Akbar.