That’s Coaching!

This is the phrase that I heard over and over at the start of the season. Every play seemed to be at some level the fault of Danny Hope. Coach Hope was only six games into his career, and people were trying to get him “fired through his headset.” Every move was scrutinized more than usual. He even had calls to his radio show calling for his head. What did Hope do? He got his team ready to come out and shock the country by beating #7 Ohio State. He then beat an Illinois team that has played really well of late. After a hiccup in Wisconsin he went into Ann Arbor and won for the first time since 1966. He is moving this program in the right direction. This team could have easily packed it in after being 1-5. A good coach gets that team ready to play each week. Danny Hope has done that. The fact that the season is still relevant shows what kind of a coach he is. Give him some time, and I think he will give us a winner. He has the kind of motor that you like to see in a coach. Maybe I am the eternal optimist, but I don’t know why in game four of the season you want to fire your first year coach. This season should prove why you don’t do that. Even if we do fall flat on our face the next two games this team has made the trip to West Lafayette meaningful this week. I was not so sure that I would be excited to come to the games a month ago. Thanks Coach Hope for keeping this team together.

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This weekend we say goodbye to some Boilermaker players who have given us lots of thrills in their careers. Last season some Boiler fans decided to try and ruin Senior Day by actually booing kids during their introduction. I hope those fair weather fans decide to stay at home Saturday. We do not need those kind of people in our fold. I don’t care what a player has done on the field, you do not need to boo them when they are taking the field with their family. You must have been some kind of great athletes in college to be able to do that. Sometimes things don’t work out the way that they would have liked them too. That does not mean that you have to ruin their moment of recognition. These seniors have done some things that have not been done in decades at Purdue. They deserve your praise. I decided to highlight a few of the seniors that I have especially enjoyed watching play over the years.

#2 Torri Williams – Did Torri get here before Tiller? I seems as if Williams has been here forever. He played on the 2004 team before basically losing the next three seasons due to injury. He finally has been healthy, and he provides much needed versatility in the secondary. He may have had some problems off the field, but he really has helped this turnaround this season by playing a solid corner/safety.

#7 Brandon King – King really solidified his place in Boiler history with his two picks during the upset of #7 Ohio State. His second pick was really a thing of beauty. The picture above shows him signing autographs before getting interviewed by the Big Ten Network. He really seemed to be enjoying his moment. Good for him. He also made that great break up on the option in Michigan and pounced on the ball to set up our first touchdown of the second half.

#9 David Pender – We loved him when he was #35 too. David is a good cover corner that can take on the #1 receiver. You can leave him alone knowing that he will get the job done. I have shown a picture from his great day against Golden Tate in 2007, but most will remember his deflection to seal the deal against Ohio State. By knocking the ball down instead of picking that ball he gave us much better field position.

#10 Royce Adams – Royce is a cornerback…no receiver…wait cornerback…well he can play both sides of the ball. The picture above is of his first pick at Northwestern in 2006. You need this type of player that puts team above self to succeed. He lost a good portion of this season due to injury. Before that he was doing whatever it took to help the team win.

#13 Chris Summers – Chris has seen both sides of success. In 2006 he came in to win the game against Michigan State, and was the hero. He also put the kick through to win the game with no time left on the clock to win the 2007 Motor City Bowl. From there though it was downhill. He lost his kicking job to Carson Wiggs last year, and almost lost his punting job this year. As a true sign of where the kicker stands the only picture I could find of him was a crowd shot after Purdue won in Illinois in 2006. These were the happier times for Chris.

#14 Joey Elliot – Joey finally got his chance to shine last season when Curtis Painter was hurt when he was hurt himself. He came into this season as the quarterback. A senior quarterback with a new head coach had me thinking about the magic that was Billy Dicken. During the five game slide people were calling for his head. He has really shown them what he can do in the last couple of weeks. He has done things for Purdue that some of the great quarterbacks could not do. I have enjoyed watching him grow this season. Maybe he has three games left to show us his magic. During the Illinois game we kept calling him Juice because of the way he uses his legs. He is not fast, but smart when running the ball. And will forget the E.T. shirts with Elliot on them?

#17 Aaron Valentin – Much like Elliot, Valentin has seen his share of boos this season. After a rough stretch he has turned things around. He is a real playmaker with the ball. The picture above is of his first touchdown against Ohio State. He has also made some big plays on the receiver screen this season. With a couple good games he can make us forget all about that Northwestern game.

#24 Jason Werner – Jason has been hurt the majority of his career at Purdue. That may translate into a 6th year next season. For now though he gets a senior day at Purdue. Jason has a nose for the ball, and can be effective when healthy.

#33 Jaycen Taylor – What can you say about this guy? He is what a teammate should be. In 2007 he broke his arm early on, but came back as quickly as he could to finish the season with the team. He will do anything you ask of him to help his team win. The picture above shows him scoring a touchdown in his return against Northwestern that season. Notice the large arm cast he is wearing. He is not a large man in size, but his heart carries him. His presence will be missed next season.

#44 Frank Halliburton – Frank endeared himself to my brother and I with his antics on the field. We first started watching him do his dance to shout before the fourth quarter. We have quickly realized that he will dance to almost anything. He is one of the first things we look for during a timeout. Notice the flair with which he blocks on a field goal attempt. He enjoyed his time with the Boilers I would guess. Frank the tank is another favorite that will be missed.

#92 Mike Neal – Mike has held the middle down for the Boilers very well for the last couple of seasons. Through my camera lens this season I have seen him make some great plays. He really disrupts the other teams offense. He draws enough attention that he makes everyone else around him better. It will be interesting to see what Ryan Kerrigan does when Neal is gone.

#95 Keyon Brown – Brown had the game of his life in the 2007 Motor City Bowl. I expected big things from him ever since, but he has not delivered. He has however been a stable force at end for the Boilers. He is a big game player, and what game can be bigger than Saturday? Time to step it up once again Keyon.

These men all will play their final game at home on Saturday. They deserve a large crowd to send them off. Hopefully they can raise the W flag, and then head to Bloomington with a bowl on the line. They have not given up, and neither should we. Another great class leaves us this season. A lot of people are trying to get together to get people in the stadium on Saturday. Do your part and cheer this team on. The place should be rocking high noon on Saturday.

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A week ago today I was walking around Lambeau Field. One of the highlights of the day was revisiting Packer history in the Hall of Fame. On gamedays you need a ticket to get into the Hall of Fame as it is located inside the Lambeau Field Atrium. The museum costs $10, and it is well worth it. As you walk in the first thing that you see is the Green Bay Theater. As you can see in the picture to the left they were showing ‘The Road to Glory’ the day I was at the Museum. The video is not very long, and gets you ready to visit the museum. You learn all about the history of the Packers, and really seemed to get me geared up to tour the rest of the museum. After the movie doors open behind you, and you come face to face with the scene at the goal line of the famous Ice Bowl. As you can see to the right you can look over Bart Starr’s shoulder to see exactly what he saw on that cold day. Just off from this display is a room dedicated to Vince Lombardi. They take you through his life on one wall, have a room dedicated to his quotes in the middle, and on the other wall they show you what he meant to his players. The highlight of the room is a recreation of the man’s office. I have put a picture of the office below. Notice the ash tray in between the players seats. It was a different time for sure. From here you are taken through the years on a historical tour of the Packers. They have kiosks at each display with a short audio presentation that takes you a little further than the display would. Towards the end of the exhibits you get to peer into the lockers of the Packer greats. They have a locker set up for each member of the Packers that has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The highlight for me of course was seeing the locker of Paul Horning. He is after all the reason that I am a Packer fan. It was his trip to Green Bay from Notre Dame that made the Packers my father’s favorite team. It was that simple decision that led me to become a Packer fan. Years later I was finally able to walk on hallowed ground. Seeing the locker of the ‘Golden Boy’ was a great way to start off the day. Just before you enter the actual Hall of Fame they have a little room off to the side where you can watch clips from great games in Packer history. All over the museum they have these little rooms where you can watch different clips from the Green Bay archives. These little rooms add to the experience. I watched most of the clips including the three Super Bowl wins, then went into the Hall of Fame to see the three trophies. It was really cool to see the trophy named after Lombardi in the Hall of Fame. The first two I had heard about. The last one I lived through. It was a great time for me, and it was a great way to leave the museum. After that I was ready to walk out, and see Lambeau Field for the first time.

A helmet signed by all the members of the 1997 Super Bowl team

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Tonight we have lots of mysteries to solve. It is time to turn to our friends at NCIS: South Bend to solve them. Here are the clues:

• Notre Dame is 6-2 coming into the game
• They are also ranked #22 in the country
• Notre Dame rolls for 512 yards of total offense
• Clausen throws for 452 yards on 37 completions
• The Irish do not punt all day, and force five punts
• The Irish hold their opponent to 56 yards passing
• Clausen throws for 225 yards in one quarter

What do you think the outcome of this game would be? Certainly not the second loss in three years to Navy. That is just what happened today though in Notre Dame stadium. The Midshipmen won 23-21 at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame seemed to be able to move the ball at will against the Midshipmen. Unfortunately they just could not put it in the end zone. They finished the day 2-6 in the red zone. They found a new way each time to blow a good scoring opportunity. Their kicker had a record for kicks made in a row, but missed two today that would have won the game. Charlie also continues to go for it on fourth down instead of just getting points. A Clausen fumble at the one, and a pick at the one killed two second half drives. The picture in the upper left hand corner of this paragraph shows Clausen losing the ball at the one. He appeared to have the corner easily, but for some reason cut up into the defender. He paid for it though with a hit that left him on the turf for some time. The Irish moved the ball right down the field time after time with nothing to show for it. Navy did a good job holding onto the ball as well. They slowed the game down a lot. The Irish did not get on the scoreboard until five minutes were left in the third quarter. That brought the score to 14-7. Navy took the ball right down the field to increase their lead again. For some reason the Irish had trouble defending the middle of the field. Whether it be the fullback as the first option, or releasing into a pass pattern. Notre Dame is way too good to look as bad as they did today. I usually don’t get into discussions about firing a coach, but something has to be done. So what did the crack NCIS team come up with for this game. Well they found out that Navy had all the motive. They wanted a win, and would do anything to get it. That includes killing the coaching career of Charlie Weis. The evidence was all over the field today. In the 348 yards rushing, and yes even the 56 yards passing. Ricky Dobbs only passed three times today, but one of those went to the house. He also ran the offense very well. The Irish also showed that they were primed to be picked off. After the Clausen pick and a penalty on Navy the Midshipmen had the ball on the two yard line. They had 98 yards to go to paydirt. Their fullback rips off a 40 some odd run. After he finally went down Notre Dame safety Sergio Brown celebrated his tackle. Really? You celebrate only giving up 40+ yards? That is the attitude of a loser. They showed that today. What normally would take the NCIS team an hour to figure out took this team almost four. The constant play stoppages along with a delayed start sent this game that started at 1:30 all the way to 6:10. For some reason the officials and NBC wanted us there all day. They got their wish. One of the highlights of the day was the way the fans around me started the second half. I bought my ticket outside the stadium from a member of the glee club. As the second half was getting ready to start the people around me stood up and sang the fight song in much better harmony than the team was playing on the field. Both the Purdue and the Notre Dame fight song sound very good with the right people singing them. This was no exception. Clausen set some career highs, and both Golden Tate and Michael Floyd went over 100 yards receiving, but it was too little, too late for the Irish. They will have to step up their game next week when they travel to Pittsburgh to face the fighting Wannastaches.

In other news today the Boilers finally got another road win in Ann Arbor. Now the answer to the trivia question will be that Joey Elliot was the last Purdue quarterback to win at Michigan. The Boilers come from behind to score four touchdowns in the second half to win 38-36 in Ann Arbor. What a win this is for the program. After the debacle last week it gets us back on track for this outside chance of a bowl. Now we just have to beat Michigan State at home, and then win the bucket to become bowl eligible. Who would have thought that we could come back from 1-5 with the schedule remaining to even have a shot at a bowl? Next week is huge for the Purdue football program. Can we send these seniors off right? Time will tell. In other action #4 Iowa lost both their quarterback and the game today when Northwestern beat them 17-10. Jim Harbaugh shocked the nation again as his Cardinal of Stanford won a shootout 51-42 against #8 Oregon. #16 Ohio State beat #11 Penn State 24-7. The Big Ten picture became a little clearer today. And showing that they are not the doormats of the league Illinois beat Minnesota 35-32. Indiana did something we could not do last week, give Wisconsin a run for their money. They lost 31-28 in Bloomington today. One game I got right was Grand Valley State rolling Wayne State. They won 59-28 to win the GLIAC once again. This sets up an interesting last couple of weeks in the Big Ten. No team is technically eliminated from a bowl. The next three weeks will determine what a lot of Big Ten fans will be doing over the holidays.

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Two years ago I was in Notre Dame Stadium to see the Notre Dame game against Navy. The Irish came into the game riding a 43 game winning streak against the Midshipmen. Notre Dame had only one win on the season against seven losses, and Navy was 4-4. Navy needed this game to break the streak, and to get within one win of a bowl game. Here is my very short recap of the game from 2007. I really did not feel like writing much after watching the game. That game was only close because Charlie Weis kept mismanaging the game. He likes to gamble and take chances rather than put points on the board. Notre Dame made a valiant comeback after a fumble was returned for a touchdown to send the game into overtime. They could have attempted a field goal with time running out, but they tried to run for the first down. Both teams traded a touchdown then a field goal in the first two overtimes. Navy scored a touchdown and then converted the two point play to go up 46-38. Notre Dame then scored a touchdown to get withing two. On the first two point try they got a pass interference call to get another try. They failed on that run to give Navy the win. This year I think that Notre Dame will run away with the game. Things will be back to normal with Notre Dame rolling Navy as a tune up game. I have been to two previous meetings in this series. Here is a brief recap of each:

The other interesting game on the docket this week is the Michigan game against Purdue. Both teams are enduring tough seasons. Purdue seemed to have turned a corner before they ran into the buzzsaw in Madison. Michigan did not fare so well themselves losing to the doormat of the Big Ten this season Illinois. If Purdue is ever going to get a win at Michigan it seems as if this is the year. Purdue is 13-41 against Michigan all-time. That includes a 4-27 mark inside of Michigan Stadium. Sadly I think that the streak will continue this week. We handed Michigan a heartbreaker last year with the ‘Tiller’ play. They will have us in their stadium this time with respect on the line. I hope that we can end the streak, but I just don’t see that happening. Once again we must make the quarterback (in this case Forcier) pass the ball to have a shot. If Forcier can run the offense his way we will be in trouble. Purdue needs to just play fundamental football, and I think that they can win this game. Tackle, catch the football, and do not turn the football over. These are easy things to do…for other schools. If we can do that we can keep these slim bowl hopes alive. Go Boilers!

This weeks predictions: Last week I went 6-4. I missed my homer picks of Purdue and the Packers. I also did not see Michigan and Michigan State losing. With a week that close to .500 it brings me to 26-10 on the season. This week I will pick the six games involving the Big Ten teams again along with the Grand Valley State and Irish games. Maybe I can improve my percentage a little this week.

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