9/3/2024 Boilermaker Water Cooler Chat: Sycamore Edition
Rants, ravings, and somewhat sensical opinions following the wild, wacky, and wide-wide world of Purdue sports.
The day that we have all been waiting for has finally arrived… FOOTBALL IS BACK, BABY!
I was blessed enough to be able to take my family to God’s country on Saturday, to witness the spectacle of a Purdue football home opener. Ross Ade looked beautiful, sounded crisp, and was filled to the brim with 60-some-thousand of my closest friends. I love it more than I probably should, but what’s not to like?
After properly dehydrating myself baking in the oppressive Ross Ade heat, I snuck down to Noblesville Indiana following the game. Not properly satiated with a resounding Purdue victory, my kids and I went on to the second act of what I am calling the “Ultimate Ben Day”. Tickets to the “Freaks on Parade” rock concert, featuring Filter, Ministry, Alice Cooper, and Rob Zombie kept our adrenaline pumping into the wee hours of Sunday. I may be getting old and gray, but I still am a sucker for a good rock concert!
So, if you’re taking notes at home, my Saturday consisted of: My family, tailgates, beers, body melting heat, a Purdue football victory, and a face-melting rock concert. That is a pretty kick-ass Saturday! The “Ultimate Ben Day” was a great success. A nearly perfect Saturday!
You know who else was nearly perfect on Saturday?
The Game: Purdue 49, Indiana State 0
Hudson Card set an NCAA record for highest completion percentage, connecting on a blistering 24 of 25 attempts. His only incompletion was an on-target pass, in which the receiver lost the ball in the hot, shining sun. Even his only incompletion was an impressive throw.
The offense was impressive on the whole, scoring 7 touchdowns. 4 touchdowns through the air and 3 on the ground showed tremendous balance in their attack.
The Purdue defense flexed their muscle, pulling out their biggest shut-out since doing so against (you guessed it) Indiana State just a few seasons ago. Collectively, the squad sacked the quarterback 3 times, tallied 11 tackles for loss, and only allowed 154 total yards.
Break It Down:
Purdue did what they were supposed to do. They beat the tar out of a lesser opponent, and looked impressive doing so. They did so without major injury, keeping the playbook relatively vanilla, and without breaking a metaphorical sweat.
While our confidence will naturally spike after a victory, I am not sure that we should get too confident. In fairness, I am not sure if we should quell our enthusiasm either. It is pretty clear that Indiana State is not very good, and them getting beaten into a fine pulp is what is supposed to happen. How good is Purdue? We don’t know yet. What we do know, however, is that the good guys are 1-0 heading into the bye week.
Purdue – Indiana State Photo Gallery: https://iscpurdue.com/purdue-football-vs-indiana-state-8-31-24/
What Went Well:
- Dealin’ Card: Hudson Card’s record setting 96% completion percentage aside, he also tossed 4 TDs, for 273 yards, in only 2.5 quarters.
- Sharing the Wealth: 12 different players caught a pass. Led by Max Klare’s 5 receptions the emerging receiving room got plenty of opportunities. Klare, Leland Smith, Jaron Tibbs, and De’Nylon Morrissette all scored their first Purdue touchdowns. It is excellent to see the ball get freely shared amongst these players.
- Pound the Rock: 6 players carried the ball, led by Devin Mockobee’s 89 yards. Elijah Jackson, Reggie Love III, and Jaheim Merriweather all scored touchdowns on the afternoon. After it was all said and done, Purdue had racked up an impressive 248 rushing yards. Great to see these individuals take advantage of opportunities when they get them!
- BRICK WALL: Purdue defensively did exactly what they needed to do. Never mind the fact that they were going against a horrible Indiana State offense, everyone stepped up and took care of business. 21 players recorded tackles, led by 7 each from Will Heldt and Antonio Stevens. Heldt also had two of Purdue’s 3 sacks, with the other coming from long time Boilermaker star, Kydran Jenkins. Time will tell how much this defense has improved from last year, but they’re off to a great start.
Opportunities for Improvement:
- 110: Penalty yards coming off of 11 penalties. This is a number that must improve, and fast. Yes, I will fully admit that some of these penalty yards were under very -questionable- calls, particularly that roughing the passer penalty in the second quarter. Regardless, Purdue had a promising drive stall out due to multiple penalties called against the Boilermakers. This type of concern will cost Ryan Walters’ squad games this season if not taken care of.
One Last Thing:
I want to say thank you to all the folks that came up to me to say hi, and some of the other Purdue folk who went out of their way to meet up at various points on Saturday. Always nice to see our Purdue brethren! Shout out to Greg McManus, BoilerDowd, and Dylan Kuhn! Always great to see some of the best Boilermakers out there!
A Look Ahead:
Purdue now slides into their first BYE week of the season. While it is quite odd to get an off week in the second week of the year, lets not forget that the first bye was originally scheduled to be on week one of this year. Some creative scheduling tweaks afforded the Boilermakers to at least move it to the second week.
Ryan Walters actually likes this move. Although dominant, Purdue was not at full strength going into this game. The bye week comes at a good time, allowing players who were injured in the off season more time to heal up, and gives the Boilermakers the chance to have an extra week of preparation for #7 Notre Dame.
The next time you will see our Boilermakers, it will be in the afternoon hours on 9/14. Rest up Boilermakers. Irish stew is on the menu in a couple weeks!
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