College Football Fans, Meet Purdue

Saturday night, the Purdue Boilermakers upset #2 Ohio State, 49–20. Where did this Purdue team come from? And where is it going? As a student who’s watched every game, let me tell you.

The Season So Far

A wise man once said, “I just flipped the switch (flip, flip)”. Yes, that’s Drake in Nonstop. But flipping the switch is exactly what the Boilermakers have done. Week One was possibly the most-highly anticipated week one in school history. In the second season of permanent lights at Ross-Ade Stadium, Purdue opened the season at home on a Thursday night on ESPN against a conference rival, the Northwestern Wildcats. The Boilers lost the game by only three points, largely thanks to a third-down roughing the passer penalty on Northwestern’s last drive, where they ended up kneeling out the clock after that free first down.

The next week, a day game in the rain, Purdue played the worst they have all season and fell to Eastern Michigan on a game-winning field goal. Rock bottom.

By week three, the Boilers were primed to turn things around. Another night game, this time against the high-powered offense of Missouri. The Boiler offense woke up and went toe-to-toe with the Tigers. Purdue came back from a 27–10 deficit and QB David Blough broke the Big Ten total yards record, with 572. However, it wasn’t quite enough as Missouri punched in a last-second field goal to win 40–37.

At this point it felt like all the hope for the season was gone. The 0–3 Boilers were last in everyone’s Big Ten power rankings, and the hopes of a 3–1 or 4–0 non-conference finish became a bleak hope that it wouldn’t be 0–4.

With the best non-conference opponent coming to town, and the lowest expectations of the season, Purdue delivered. The defense was amazing, forcing three turnovers, and the offense was just as good as the week before, as Purdue dominated #23 Boston College, 30–13.

The BC game fired fans up again, and the 0–4 Nebraska Cornhuskers never knew what hit them. Purdue wins, 42–28.

Hope was finally growing again in West Lafayette, as the 2–3 Boilers went to Champagne, Illinois to face the Fighting Illini. Purdue controlled the entire game, winning 46–7.

On a three-game winning streak, Purdue fans came into Saturday cautiously optimistic about their matchup with the #2 team in the nation. The Boilermaker defense stopped OSU in field goal range four times in the first three quarters, resulting in three field goal attempts (2/3), and a turnover on downs. All of the sudden it was 21–6 Purdue going into the fourth. Before we knew it, Markus Bailey was running his interception back to the endzone and it was out of reach. 49–20 Boilers.

Quarterback: David Blough

Who has more yards than Tua, holds the Big Ten record for total yards in a game, and is one of the eight QB’s still on the watch list for the Davey O’Brien award? It’s Purdue senior David Blough, who dislocated his ankle at Illinois last season and lost the job to Elijah Sindelaar. In week two of this season, Blough got the job back, and since, he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. With his arm and his legs, he’s scary to all the defenses left on Purdue’s schedule.

Running Back: D.J. Knox

Purdue’s power back has 8 touchdowns in the Boilers’ 7 games. He’s been handed the ball 103 times and rushed for 668 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. D.J. had three TD’s Saturday night against OSU. His eight TD’s leads the Big Ten, despite being sixth in rushing attempts. He also has 71 yards on 10 catches. He has the ability to break runs for big plays, while also being a reliable 3rd-and short battering ram.

Wide Receiver: Isaac Zico

As you see in the above photo, Isaac Zico is Purdue’s redzone threat. Jeff Brohm loves getting him in one on one coverage on the outside, and Blough lets it fly overtop the defender. The amazing catch Zico had Saturday night is one of his three TD’s this year, and if you look up his highlights, everything is up in the air, vertical down the field.

Slot Receiver: Rondale Moore

Wow… what can you say about this kid? After de-committing from Texas, Moore had four hats sitting in front of him on singing day: Purdue, Florida State, Alabama, and… Ohio State, (yes THE Ohio State University). Rondale reached for the OSU hat… and put it back down. He chose Purdue. Video here. After Saturday night’s game, he tweeted, “They thought I was crazy.” He’s not crazy. Rondale belongs here in West Lafayette. Oh… by the way, he’s a FRESHMAN. 728 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns. 12.8 yards per reception.163 rushing yards on 11 attempts, to boot. Rondale is one of the best freshmen in the nation, and one of the most exciting players we have in college football. He’s an up-and-coming star. Remember the name.

Defensive Tackle: Lorenzo Neal

Neal has been one of the best players on Purdue’s defense this year. He’s been consistently stopping the run, but really applying pressure on the QB, whether or not he comes up with sacks. Hurrying the pass has been incredibly valuable for the Boiler defense.

Linebacker: Markus Bailey

You may recognize this photo from Saturday night’s game, when Bailey’s pick-six sealed the 49–20 victory. Does anyone wanna take a guess at Bailey’s hometown? It’s Columbus, Ohio. Yeah. Bailey leads Purdue in tackles, with 58, tackles for loss, 6, and sacks, 4.5. There’s not much more to say. The guy’s a monster.

Safety: Jacob Thieneman

All Purdue fans know Thieneman is the leader of the Boilermaker defense. 54 tackles at that safety position, and 4.5 tackles for loss, which is unusual for a safety. He was a low-level recruit that didn’t get any scholarship offers. Zero. But here he is.

What’s Next?

Could Purdue be in the Big Ten Championship? It’s possible. By no means are they the favorites, but there’s a roadmap to a Purdue/OSU rematch in Indy. The Boilermakers are tied for first in the Big Ten West with fellow one-loss teams Northwestern, Iowa, and Wisconsin. That week one loss could really hurt if the Boilers can hold their own in their remaining 5 games. Purdue are two-point underdogs in East Lansing next week, then they host #19 Iowa. Week 11 should be a win at Minnesota, and then Week 12 is a huge home game against #20 Wisconsin. And, of course, the last game is against the rival Hoosiers (IU sucks) as always. This year that game is in Bloomington.

If Purdue wins out, they should win the Big Ten West. However, that would be really hard to do, considering there are three games against ranked opponents, all whom should be favored against the Boilers. Even a 4–1 finish in that stretch wouldn’t be a guarantee. Either way, Purdue fans have plenty more big games to look forward to this year.

No matter how this season ends, Boiler fans should be proud of the way their team has played in the last four weeks. And national fans should take note. Saturday was no fluke. Purdue and Jeff Brohm are building a program, and you’ll see them in the top 25, if not this year, next. Brohm is still doing this with ONE 4+ star recruit (Rondale Moore). Ohio State? EIGHTY THREE. That is insane. Fortunately for Boiler Nation, Jeff Brohm is making big changes. Take a look:

Purdue Recruiting

2019: 25th in nation, 5th in B1G
2018: 51st in nation, 11th in B1G
2017: 72nd in nation, 14th in B1G
2016: 80th in nation, 14th in B1G

Once Brohm has his guys on the roster, imagine how much more he could do. The future is as bright as it’s ever been in West Lafayette. Purdue will likely be ranked in 2019–20, if not this year, and in a weak Big Ten West, there may be a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium on the horizon.

Keep an eye on Purdue football.

Boiler Up.