Too Little

What a weird season it’s been as a Purdue fan. Challenging schedule notwithstanding, this was a season to look forward to, what with a returning senior QB, one of the top-3 WRs in the nation, and some stalwart defenders returning. There was enough to be positive about, and who knows? Maybe this team takes that next step and wins eight games, does something decent in a decent bowl game?

But as we are all very aware, injuries have not cooperated. This team has been Thanos’d and is barely a shell of what it purported to be when everyone reported to spring practice. No matter; they make you play the games all the same anyway.

So here we are in Iowa City, home of corn, overly emotive head coaches, and a genuinely heartwarming and heartbreaking first quarter interlude. (Let’s talk about the the first quarter wave for a second. Everything is sports has been carefully massaged and focus group’d and controlled for the sole purpose of a.) imprinting a very specific mental image within that noggin of yours, and b.) separating you as quickly and painlessly as possible from the contents of your wallet. Yet, waving to those kids gets me everytime. It is so genuine. For many of us, our worse days pale in comparison to a middling day for those poor kids and their loved ones. I hope they all make amazing recoveries and grow up to be millionaire rock stars whose capacity for experiencing joy has no limits.)

Iowa is #23 in the nation, but sleepily so (recent skid taking the shine off a bit too.) They haven’t shown a great capacity to score TDs (I hear that’s important) but they do run the ball well, have some truly talented WRs, and are just solid enough at every position that they will have a good season this year, and will have truly earned that enjoyment. So yeah, are they the most exciting team to watch? Of course not, quit asking stupid questions. But steak always beats sizzle.

With all that being said, it’s worth noting that this Purdue team didn’t easily succumb to its role of road team road bump. David Bell continues to top himself, and Jack Plummer had over 300 yards passing on over 50 attempts. Despite losing its top two offensive players and sporting a beat-up and ineffective rushing attack / offensive line, this offense can still do some things! Many times even good things!

But they can also do things like turn the ball over on two of its most promising drives in the first half. It can bungle a snap in the closing seconds. Or throw the ball away thrice on its first two drives, or barely avoid what would have been a devastating intentional grounding penalty twice late in the 4th quarter.

This team is talented, but youth out-weighs talent and the true- and redshirt freshmen playing out-sized roles for this team all but guarantee that there will only be so much that they can accomplish.

Remaining games are against Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Can they go 4-1 and quality for a bowl for the third season in a row? Sure, why not. But will they? I wouldn’t put the retirement fund on this team being consistent enough to pull it off.

There are small joys to be found in this team. David Bell, Jack Plummer, King Doerue, Ben Holt, George Karlaftis…those guys (and others) have been a pleasure to watch. Things are bad, but they’re also kind of good too. And that is how I view frame things for this team for the rest of the season.