Boilers Squander Lead, Lose Third-Straight Season Opener
If your favorite team is up by 7 points with a minute left, you might feel secure. If your favorite squad’s QB lights the world on fire in the first half and has them leading by 14 points in the fourth quarter, you might take a deep breath. As Purdue fans, we don’t do that…and outsiders might understand why, if they watched this morning’s loss in Reno.
Purdue lost this one 34-31 as Nevada’s true Freshman kicker hit a 56 yard field goal in Nevada’s thin, dry air, with a confetti-filled breeze at his back…and honestly, it felt like destiny to me and a few of my friends as we watched together or shared text messages. Purdue also allowed a true Freshman QB to lead hist team to victory…he hadn’t played a football game since his Junior year in high school. Sounds like folklore to some…to Purdue fans who watched Gary Godsey lead UND to a win over our Boilers, it seems all-too-familiar.
It’s 2:33a in Central Indiana and I’m up writing a post-game wrap that a handful of you die-hards will read…If you’re reading this, you’ve felt this feeling before. Purdue held the damned game in their clutches, but had the exact antithesis of a killer instinct when it mattered most.
Blame two botched punt returns, if you want to- one doinked off of Horvath’s helmet before being recovered…the other slipped through Moore’s finger tips after he decided to try to chase down an ill-advised return. Purdue had a 17 point lead before these Special Teams miscues…these two big mistakes led directly to ten points.
Blame Sindelar and the offensive play calling if it suits you; you have a strong argument. Sindelar threw into double and triple coverage regularly in the second half, and finally threw an interception that kept Nevada’s hope’s alive in the fourth quarter. In the final 15-or-so minutes, the offensive play calling was ineffective and unimaginative…and as Nevada’s ability to handle the elements and situation emboldened them, Purdue coaches couldn’t reverse the momentum.
Blame the defense that simply fell apart down the stretch, if it makes it easier for you to cope. They were stingy up front and very sound in the backfield for three quarters, but were gashed underneath as zone pass coverage was lackluster and the pass rush simply couldn’t get to Nevada’s QB in time in the closing 12 minutes.
It really doesn’t matter who you blame, honestly. Special teams, offense, defense, coaching…everyone can and should take some responsibility for a road loss to one of college football’s weaker teams/programs. Oh, am I being too critical? Perhaps…but think about this- Nevada just beat Purdue…that’s only the second time in the program’s history that they defeated a B1G team. Oh, you want a lil’ more salt in your fresh wound? A Hazell-coached Purdue team beat Nevada a few years ago (you might have forgotten).
Is this loss a death sentence for this year’s team? Hell no. Is it acceptable? Nope. Can Purdue recover? It depends on what you thought this season would be. I thought we were looking at a 7-win team. That’s still possible, but it’s a ton more difficult now…gotta beat every team they’re ‘supposed to’ and steal a few from the likes of sturdy programs like TCU, Iowa or Wisconsin. That seems like a tall order…especially for a team that didn’t seem to have the stamina, experience or grit to close out game one of the 2019 season.
Elijah’s noteworthy 21-28 196yd. 2TD 0int first half (34-42 423yd. 4TD 2int total) will be forgotten because the gassed Boilers couldn’t escape Reno 1-0.
Seven days from now, Ross-Ade hosts Vanderbilt. I think Purdue will look better…but I thought Purdue wold look good enough to beat Nevada this morning…I thought Purdue would easily beat EMU last season and Rutgers in 2017. What we might be learning is Jeff Brohm’s teams giveth* a ton of fun afternoons, but boy, do they taketh** away the fanbase’s confidence too.
It’s now 3:15a in Indiana…you’re still reading because you care a lot about Purdue’s football team, and I’m still writing for the same reason. I am pretty sure that better days are coming…dammit I hope so. I really don’t want to wait until 2020 for a few more of them.
*BC, aOSU, Iowa 2018, Mizzou, Iowa, Zona 2017
**Rutgers 2017, EMU 2018, Nevada 2019
