The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from Purdue
The Good - A Win. take a win anyway you can get it - maybe style points will matter next year. Defense earned some confidence - critical to making an improvement is believing you are better ... Great job defense. Finshing the Game - finally taking control at the end. Seems like we have been leaving the end in doubt until the clock hit zero, but today the offense finished the drive leaving no doubt. Coaching - RR's decision to not play Martin or Mouton. D didn't need them v. Purdue and Martin hasn't played a full game for at least 3 games. Fans - first game I've missed in person since ND ... but at the start I could hear Go .... Blue ... on the TV !
The Bad - the Weather looked awful on TV. Hard to maintain blocks, throw or kick (though Purdue didn't have as many issues with kicking). Coaching - my only BIG concern here was the end of the half mis-management. Purdue tried to drive late but failed, it was 4th & 8 from their 38ish with 18 secs. left. If RR calls time out they have to punt. It was wet and anything could happen ... like a bad snap, dropped snap, a shanked punt whatever. At least make Purdue punt ... I wouldn't even put a man back to field it. But instead, we gave Purdue at last ditch chance (what if we would have been called for pass interference ?) ... even though it failed (and WTF a lateral after the INT ?) ... they should NEVER have had a chance to do anything ... make them punt ! BTN Coverage - OMG the worst TV coverage ever. The camera angle was sooo close that every pass required the camera to follow the ball ... at times you had no idea where the ball was going. I hate watching on TV, but c'mon BTN you can do much better than that !
The Ugly - The Win - yeah 5 turnovers again, but it was Good - Ugly as we came away with the W ! Purdue's campus & stadium - had to throw this in ... the ugliest combo in the B10.
Back to Ann Arbor next week to take on an arrogant Wisconsin team (no excuse to lay 83 on any B10 opponent other than OSU). I think the team will be ready ... I know the fans will be !!!
Go Blue !
November 14th, 2010 at 2:23 PM ^
beautiful...
November 14th, 2010 at 1:25 PM ^
Most of the game yesterday seemed ugly. I'm ok with never watching it again (except maybe the 1st quarter and omgwtfdefensivetouchdown???). Does anyone feel that maybe the offense was being played a little conservatively to keep people healthy for the final stretch against Wiscy and osu?
November 14th, 2010 at 1:33 PM ^
The offense has gotten more conservative as the season has progressed. I only recall passing once on first down yesterday (the first drive) and we ran a reverse one other time on first down. Other than that, very basic and predictable. Yes, I realize the weather had to play a role as well. Hopefully things will be opened up on offense the next two weeks or there will be two blowouts on tap.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^
November 14th, 2010 at 5:32 PM ^
I promise that Rich Rod did not "know" he was going to win that game going into it. If he honestly thought that, then he has no business coaching.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:28 PM ^
I thought he didn't call time out because we might drop a punt in those conditions and give Purdue the ball right back near the goal line.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:31 PM ^
we gave them a chance ... they shouldn't have had.
Go Blue !
November 14th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^
I give the front seven in our defense a lot of credit for stepping it up and performing well despite injuries to key players. However I have to be a pessimist on our secondary still. I saw a lot of open Purdue receivers who were simply missed by the horribly inaccurate QBs that Hope to resort to playing. I'm still extremely frightened of what a decent QB can do to that secondary.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:46 PM ^
It was pretty tough watching this game on BTN. Especially (and I feel like a snob for just thinking this) since it wasn't in HD. I kept thinking to myself that BTN's poor camera work and lack of HD was an apt metaphor for our offense in the game. Our defense, of course, was something else.
For all of my complaints though, I'm still thrilled BTN exists. I've been out of Ann Arbor for two seasons now and haven't had to miss a single game.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
better switch to DISH network. I get all 4 of my BTN channes in HD.
Go Blue !
November 14th, 2010 at 1:46 PM ^
That end of the half stuff wasn't a mistake. No one expected Hope to take a timeout with 2 seconds left and go for a Hail Mary with his godawful QB. I'm sure RR, along with everyone else, thought he was just going to let it go to halftime. I was really hoping we took it back for 6 just because of how dumb a call it was to go for it like that.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:54 PM ^
by calling a timeout would have been outcoaching Hope. Instead Hope got one more offensive play ... and anything could have happened. Stupid shit happens every wekend in college football ... never assume !
Go Blue !
November 14th, 2010 at 2:34 PM ^
i was screaming from the stands for RR to call TO with about 10 secs left. at best, you all out rush the punter and get a block or a bad snap with enough time to get some pts out of it. at worst you rough the kicker - 15 yard penalty - and they would still be in their own territory with only one play to do anything.
you especially do this given the sloppy conditions. it was a no brainer. it was 14-13; not really a big lead going into the half.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:46 PM ^
I said to my wife (who wasn't listening, because I babble incessantly during games) that it was stupid for Purdue to try something on 4th down. My exact words were, "Robinson can't get the ball within 20 yards of the end zone from there." And sure enough, Rogers picked the ball off around the 20.
Michigan was as likely to score on that final play as Purdue (imagine if Avery had picked that ball off instead of Rogers). So in that light, if RR wasn't planning to try anything if they got the ball back, I don't mind the call.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:37 PM ^
I thought Hope's decision to call the timeout when he did (2 seconds) and go for it was fine. He waited until it was certain that that play would end the half, giving his team one "why not?" chance at a TD. He just probably should have called a different play. A hook-and-ladder might've been a better call.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:31 PM ^
I was glad Rich tried to let the clock run out at the half. The punt return situation for both teams yesterday was scary. The weather+bad decision Gallon=possible muffed punt returned for a TD. That scenario seemed more likely to me than a successful hail mary.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^
you can't return muffed punts. that's why it's dumber to let the clock run out and not force them to punt.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:53 PM ^
if the punt was muffed then they would get the ball back in FG range
November 14th, 2010 at 3:57 PM ^
You can eliminate that possibility by not putting anyone back there. Rush 11 men. With so little time, it doesn't matter if you get a penalty.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
I think one of the biggest positives from yesterday didn't even involve Michigan. It was the Oregon-Cal game. Oregon scored an amazing ONE TD on offense. This wasn't in the raid or cold either. Was just against a weak Cal team. It's easy to have 1 bad offensive game and have a lot of people freak out(Not referencing you OP, you seem very reasonable). But it's harder to remember that even the best of the best offenses will have games where the offense just completely dissapears. We still put up 3 offensive TDs in rather bad conditions against a decent defense.
The fact that we were able to win, and the game never really seemed in doubt to me, is a great sign I think. The team can learn a lot from this win. Confidence for the D, and a lot of tape of how to improve for Denard and the offense.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:18 PM ^
That is all.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:16 PM ^
I find it pathetic how much interest in football has fallen since I graduated from Purdue 5 years ago. Seriously, there were entire sections in Ross-Ade that were empty and only about half of the Purdue students showed up. Then when it really started to rain harder, the purdue fans were heading towards the exits. Seriously, in wet games like this anything could happen. I know the situation with the football team is depressing in west lafayette. seriously, my fellow alums need to get a backbone.
Secondly, nobody in Ross-Ade expected Hope to call a time out with 2 seconds remaining in the first half. I have no clue why he called it other than being a dick.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:38 PM ^
i drove to the game from chi with a purdue grad. she chose to watch the game at Harry's with another purdue grad who drove in from out of town. i went to the game with at least one purdue grad who decided to actually watch the game live.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:44 PM ^
I find it pathetic how much interest in football has fallen since I graduated from Purdue 5 years ago.
Isn't this kind of a pot/kettle situation, given that you're a Purdue grad yourself?
November 14th, 2010 at 2:47 PM ^
do as i say, not as i do...
November 14th, 2010 at 5:43 PM ^
However, Wolverine is currently a grad student at Michigan so I doubt he'd drive down to WL every weekend for games when he has student tickets at the Big House.
November 14th, 2010 at 5:44 PM ^
It seems a tad hypocritical for him to chide Purdue people for not supporting their alma mater when he doesn't do the same.
November 14th, 2010 at 6:01 PM ^
If he weren't a broke-ass grad student living 4-5 hours away, I'd probably be more inclined to side with you.
November 14th, 2010 at 6:19 PM ^
Given that his username is "Wolverine318," I'm guessing he doesn't attend Purdue games for reasons other than finances and distance. It seems a tad bizarre for a guy who went there and changed his allegiance to another school to criticise others who did the same thing.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:48 AM ^
Sorry buddy I have never changed my allegiances. Thanks for assuming things about me. As they say when you assume, you make an ass out of U and me.
People attend Universities for reasons other than sports. Purdue just happens to have one of the top engineering schools in the country, especially with a great program in ChemE.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
1. I have been a Michigan fan my entire life even while I was at Purdue. I would wear Michigan gear in the Purdue student section.I am at Michigan now working on my doctorate. I applied to Michigan but was waitlisted for ChemE.
2. My rule regarding my undergrad is root for Purdue except when they play Michigan.
3. I would attend more Purdue games when Michigan is on a bye or away if; A. I wasn't a broke ass graduate student and B. I wasn't married and I must share my college football interests with my wife who is a Furman grad. We try to make it to a Furman game and a Purdue game once a year. Sometimes finances, family, my research work, and her work get in the away.
I hate how I have to continuously have to prove my fandom on here just because I didn't not attend Michigan for undergrad.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:29 AM ^
I was born a wolverine fan and I am grad student here. Why do I have to prove my fandom? I have been going to games at the big house since I was three years old and wore Michigan gear at purdue games. When I was at purdue, the one thing I knew purdue had on michigan was enthusiasm during the game (pre-big house renovations). Ross Ade was continuously louder than Michigan Stadium during the Orton/Brees era's. I know things are very depressing right now in west lafayette, but is not to the level of giving up on the program.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:49 PM ^
the s*&t is hitting the fan in the classroom. Good time to smell the coffee instead of the beer.
Granted ... Purdue's stadium makes one wretch ... especially with that Allstate net in the endzone in front of all those empty seats. The stadium makes the empty seats much less tolerable than those in the Big House leading up to mid terms.
I think you got Hope nailed. This victory was sweet if only for that (though it was sweet for many other reasons as well.)
November 14th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
I actually thought that the Purdue fans were pretty good, although I agree not in great numbers. I was standing in one of the nearly empty sections next to the students, from my perspective the stadium was largely full elsewhere (I was in the area between the students and the North endzone; probably apathetic student seats). The students who were there were pretty into it and engaged. My wife said that on TV it looked like the South endzone was also empty but that was full of M fans so maybe others were confused by this as well; a maize poncho looks like an empty bleacher.
Also, anyone remember the Badge of Fandom from the 2008 NW game? There were probably <20,000 fans in the stadium by the end of that game. It sure felt like Purdue fans deserved that if they stuck around. It was windy, rainy, and cold and most of them stuck around until M scored to put it out of reach with 2 minutes left. A lot of people did go to the councourse late in the first half (sheltered from the wind), but they had TVs out there and they returned for the second half.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:52 PM ^
was significantly colder. the temp was probably still near 50 at the end of the game yesterday. NW was probably in the 30s. both these games pale in comparison to the 1995 PU game at the big house. rainy near 50 at kickoff. windchill below zero by game's end. worst weather ever, given there was no expectation of the huge temp drop.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^
I stayed for most of that game until my wife forced me to leave because she wanted to warm before we headed out to Kalamazoo for the Michigan at WMU hockey game. I had seats in row 50 ended up around row 12 by the end.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:41 PM ^
J.J. Watt is bigger (though maybe not badder - but bad enough to expose the OL.) I don't think it's arrogant to think Watt is going to challenge the OL in a similar way this week. Kerrigan gave a good measure on Schilling's NFL potential.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:46 PM ^
I'm not surprised that Kerrigan would have smelled, given the way he wreaked havoc on the field.
November 14th, 2010 at 2:52 PM ^
is certainly the real deal. i noticed that they moved him around a lot on D. so i wouldn't just single out schilling. he made everyone on our OLine look silly. replays weren't real good at the game, so i look forward to watching his performance more closely later. he had by far the best performance on D i've seen this year, especially given all the clayborne (iowa) praise.
November 14th, 2010 at 3:12 PM ^
The game was in hd on directv. The camera angle is bad because this is the spot that purdue picked the cameras to go. I thought the coverage was not very good. I have worked with this crew before, they are good most of the time. the weather might have had some thing to do with it? It is very tough to run a camera in the rain. happy with a win! Go Blue!
November 14th, 2010 at 4:09 PM ^
the fact that we pulled through with a "W" on the road means alot. The conditions were horrible and we still took care of business. Other than that, I don't think you can draw many conclusions about how our offense or defense for that matter is currently performing. All I can say is that I'm looking forward to seeing our defense come into a big game with some confidence. We're gonna have to bring our "A+" game come next Saturday, but I think we've got a shot at upsetting a giant. GO BLUE!!
November 14th, 2010 at 5:31 PM ^
The ugly = Purdue cheerleaders.
November 14th, 2010 at 6:30 PM ^
At this point, there is nothing ugly about a win, especially on the road. From Purdue's POV, I would bet the ugliest would be Danny Hope having to shake RR's hand and having no ammunition or justification to make any smarmy comments or sarcastic gestures this time.
November 15th, 2010 at 9:51 AM ^
"there is nothing ugly about a win, especially on the road."
As much as a few things bothered me (decision to not force Hope to punt at the half, general crummy play of the O-line and skill positions), the over-riding emotion for me is that we added another W.
Rodriguez has said all along that they're not good enough to "win ugly", or win when they make mistakes. That's two games in a row where they turned the ball over 45 times and still found a way to get the win. And technically, the defense gave up 9 points.
One dreaded Win-Streak Monkey off of our backs, three more to go.
November 15th, 2010 at 11:45 AM ^
I am happy and mostly relieved about getting the 7th win, and at this point I would say in the season we've beaten who we should beat (with maybe the exception of Penn State).
We haven't played a game on both sides of the football (and special teams, ugh) this season that would be good enough to beat Wisconsin or OSU on a normal good day for them, so do we think that we've got another gear that we can get to in the next two weeks?
November 16th, 2010 at 4:38 AM ^
How old is Greg Robinson anyways?