It seemed like a good idea when we were buying the tickets. A non-conference game against a Sun Belt team would be a great first game for the kids. I came to the game with my friend and his young son. My brother, his wife, and their two young sons met us at the game.
We got to the game right before the noon kickoff, and we were already miserable. It was over ninety degrees and humid. The sun was beating down as we sat on the blazing hot metal bleachers. Within a few minutes, Ricardo Allen fumbled the ball and the Blue Raiders took the early lead. A few minutes after that, I was enjoying a Powerade in the shade of the concourse while keeping an eye on the game and my nephew.
To say the kids (and adults for that matter) were not having a good time would be a great understatement. We left right before halftime and managed to catch most of the second half at my friend's house. I'm not a big fan of leaving games early (even when Purdue is getting killed), but this was an excellent decision. I enjoyed the winning combination of air conditioning and not having to hear fans complain the whole game about how bad Purdue looks.
By the time Antavian Edison cut back across the field to catch the game-winning TD from Caleb TerBush, I was mentally preparing myself for another Hope special: a non-con loss at home to a team from an inferior conference.
There were too many penalties, too many long MTSU drives, and too many missed opportunities. Purdue started two possessions in Blue Raider territory: one resulted in three plays for negative one yard, and one managed just three yards on six plays. What about the drive that started at the Purdue 49 yard-line? The Boilers managed to get a 1st and 10 at the MSTU 19, which was followed up by an offensive pass interference and a holding penalty. Not too many good things happen when its 3rd and 33, and TerBush threw an interception on this one.
Things finally turned around in the fourth quarter, and the football gods decided to give Purdue a break (instead of a tear). The Boilers put a mark in the win column for the first time since the Minnesota game last October 16 (a day which will live in infamy). A Purdue win and a loss by both Notre Dame and Indiana makes for a pretty good day in my book.
UP NEXT: RICE
I have no idea what to expect. The last time Purdue played Rice, I was a freshman at Purdue and it was Drew Brees' first home game as the starting quarterback. The Boilers won 21-19 after the Owls failed to convert a potential game tying two-point conversion. I don't think that has much bearing on what will happen this Saturday, but thinking about the good old days is more enjoyable than thinking about the present.
The Purdue Pete Scale
Each week, I will rate both this week's performance and the overall season with the Purdue Pete Scale. The scale will range from five New Purdue Petes (worst) to five Classic Purdue Petes (best).
Purdue vs MTSU
It was a pretty bad performance, but the last drive and the win kept this from being multiple New Purdue Petes.
2011 Purdue Season
I'm not feeling too good about what's to come, but an undefeated season at this point deserves one Classic Purdue Pete.