After the first two weeks, it'd be understandable if Purdue lifted its collective head from the wreck that is the Big Tenteen West only long enough to have it stepped on by Everett Golson and the rest of the Irish steamroller, fresh off its new "relationship" with the ACC and a great start to the season. Fortunately, that didn't happen. While the Boilers didn't stay within a TD as long as they did last season, they played 30 solid minutes (or at least it looked that way from a distance), forcing Notre Dame to build a small lead that eventually became a 30-14 win. In that first half - where Purdue actually led from Etling's second TD pass until Golson scored with less than 15 seconds in the second quarter - Purdue went toe-to-toe with Notre Dame, not showing much of the weak play that bedeviled them against both MAC teams. I think Etling was 15 for 17 in that half, nothing like the scatter-armed performances that got him hooked against Central Michigan. The defense forced consecutive three-play drives, one a three-and-out that gave Purdue the ball in ND territory (although it ended on a failed fourth-down try) and one a third-down fumble that led to that go-ahead touchdown. Even the interceptions came late enough in the game that they were likely a product of trying to force things to happen when there was no other choice rather than locking onto receivers or simply making bad throws.
Fortunately, J and Boilerdowd drew the short straws (well, I rigged it, but whatever), so they're stuck in traffic or something and probably won't get to post until tomorrow, while the rest of the BS gang got the day "off". I prepared for the game by scouting Western Michigan (note: Idaho is worse than Purdue), Kansas (and their "decided schematic advantage" against Duke, lol), Iowa (note: don't ice the kicker) ... you get the idea. Hopefully the rest of you brave souls either survived the NBC telecast or enjoyed the evening in your own particular way.
Up next: Southern Illinois, 3-0 and coming off a win over a Southeast Missouri State team that nearly beat Kansas. (That says what Weis has done in Lawrence; the Redhawks were 3-9 last year and gave up 50 to the Salukis today.) After that ... it'll be basketball season, right?
