Off Tackle Empire

B1G 2012 // Choose Your Own Adventure: Purdue Edition

2012-05-17T10:00:16Z

Hey, remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books from back in the day? They were a lot of fun. Sure, you never read any of the story, and just skipped ahead to the choices and turned to a page. Of course we all kept a hand or a bookmark on the page with the choices so we could choose again. More often than not, you would have to choose again because your first decision resulted in falling down a well or getting eaten by wolves or something.

Rather than having to think of something else to write about Purdue football in May, I have decided to make a CYOA.

We'll start after the jump. I hope you are satisfied with your choices, but if you aren't it's your fault because you chose your own path.

Note: I apologize for the formatting, especially if you are checking this out on the mobile site or the app. You can either click on the links to make your choices or just read it. Either way, try not to read too far ahead. There are only six outcomes, so hopefully the format isn't so annoying that you stop reading.

You want to play football in college. You have worked hard in practice on your offensive skills and you can choose which position you want to play in college. Which position do you want to play?

Quarterback
Running Back
Receiver

You chose quarterback. Which school would you like to attend?

Miami (Florida)
Purdue

You chose Miami (Florida). You show potential during your freshman year, and you also make a lot of mistakes. You don't get along with the coach, and you are benched at the end of the season. You decide to transfer to Purdue.

During your transfer year, you tear your ACL.

After recovering from your ACL tear during your transfer year, you tear your ACL in the third game of the next season.

The season after that you aren't quite healthy and the coach institutes a two-QB system. You are the second QB and you don't get a lot of playing time. You petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and it is granted.

You are now in a three-man race for the QB job. Good luck with that.

Choose a different adventure!

You chose Purdue. During your freshman year, you project as the third-string QB. The back-up becomes academically ineligible, so you become the back-up. You play some during the first two games and showcase your running ability. In the third game the starting QB tears his ACL, so you are now the starter. You play pretty well against Northwestern and Minnesota, with the zone read being your bread-and-butter play. Against Ohio State your throwing hand gets mangled and you can't throw the ball correctly for the rest of the season. During the off-season you get healthy and make progress on your throwing game. You are named a team captain and the starting job is yours to lose.

Two weeks before the season starts, you tear your ACL.

Choose a different adventure!

You chose running back. Which school would you like to attend?

Iowa
Purdue

You chose to play running back at Iowa. May God have mercy on your soul.

Choose a different adventure!

You chose to play running back at Purdue. You have a decent freshman year, followed by a breakout sophomore season, where you rush for 935 yards and 9 touchdowns. You are ready to build upon that season and start challenging some Purdue career rushing records.

During spring practice, you tear your ACL.

You rehab and get back out on the field the following season. During the final regular season game, you tear your ACL again. The following spring you run afoul of the law at a local drinking establishment and get arrested.

Choose a different adventure!

You chose receiver. Which school would you like to attend?

Texas Tech
Purdue

You chose to play receiver at Texas Tech. You get a concussion and are unfairly trapped in an 1.5' x 1.5' electrical closet by your evil coach during practice. After a miraculous escape using the video camera on your cell phone for light, you tell your dad. Your dad hires a PR firm to tell the truth about what happened to you. The PR firm fights the good fight and the television company your dad works for helps spread the truth as to the life-threatening conditions you were held captive in. Texas Tech fires the evil coach and everyone in the world loves you and your dad for having the courage to speak the truth.

Choose a different adventure!

You chose to play receiver at Purdue. After having a spectacular junior season with 91 catches and 1100 yards receiving, you are ready for another great season in college to position yourself for the NFL draft.

In the second game of the season, you tear your ACL and MCL.

You put in a request for a sixth season due to the injury in November. In February, when pre-draft camps start, the NCAA still has not made a ruling in your case. One week before the NFL Draft, the NCAA rules that you will not be granted a sixth season of eligibility. You are not selected in the draft.

Choose a different adventure!

This week...

MONDAY | Cocktail Party Preview

TUESDAY | The Smartest Guys in The Room

WEDNESDAY | Boilermaker Potluck

THURSDAY | Choose Your Own Adventure: Purdue Edition

FRIDAY | Keeping the Enemy Close

B1G 2012 // OTE's Purdue Potluck: Three-Headed Monsters And An Extension of Hope

2012-05-16T11:56:41Z

Everybody watch your ACLs.....it's Purdue Potluck time.

Iowa's Most Hated Rival (thanks to Jim Delany) had a roller-coaster 2011 season -- a loss to Rice, a win over Ohio State, a bowl win, a contract extension for Coach Danny Hope....it was a fairly eventful year in West Lafayette.

So what better way to celebrate than with a Boilermaker (whiskey chased by beer) themed Potluck? (Feel free to follow the dish links to actual recipes). Follow the OTE writers and special guest BoilerTMill from Purdue's SB Nation site Hammer and Rails below the jump for 4800+ words on the red-headed step-children of football, the three-headed CaRobRob MaHenBush monster, contract extensions, another edition of the annual "how bad does MSULaxer27 think Purdue is going to be" game, and how to improve our favorite teams' mascots/colors/logos....

We all know what happens next.....SNAP. Sobs. Tears ACL.

1. Beer Battered Onion Rings: Special teams are the red-headed step-children of football -- easy to overlook or ignore, but they can occasionally murder you in your sleep and/or save you from a burning building. (That's what red-headed step-children do, right? Or am I just irrationally wary of gingers?) Purdue's special teams embodied this perfectly last year: having a game winning FG blocked against Rice; blocking an extra point against Ohio State to get a much-needed (for bowl eligibility) win; Raheem Mostert led all FBS with an average of over 33 yards per kickoff return; and in the Pizza Pizza Bowl versus Western Michigan special teams stole the spotlight -- Mostert had a 99 yard kickoff return for a TD, Carson Wiggs kicked three FGs (including one 49 yarder), and Purdue recovered two onside kicks. Can Purdue's success on special teams (Rice notwithstanding) continue in 2012? Or is the departure of Carson Wiggs going to hurt the Boilermakers? And how does a team/coaching staff (like Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech) develop consistent success in the special teams area?

Ted Glover: Wiggs was probably the best kicker you've never heard of, and replacing him will be difficult to do. Kickers, for whatever reason, aren't nearly as good at the collegiate level as they are in the NFL, and a good one is very tough to replace, yet so important. That's going to be a bigger issue than a lot of people care to think right now, but hopefully whoever wins the job can step up. Special teams is only good if the head coach emphasizes it, and we have two recent examples in both directions. Jim Tressel preached that the punt was the most important play in football, and one of the hallmarks of his legacy is that OSU had stellar special teams while he was there. On the flipside was Rich Rodriguez, who eschewed special teams in a way I had never witnessed at the major college level. In his last season Michigan's kickers were a horrid 4 of 13 in FG attempts. Hope's teams stress it, and a huge play on special teams can change the mometum of a game in an instant -- look no further than Purdue-OSU last season. And for Purdue, special teams can help be a great equalizer when they are an underdog, which will happen enough in conference play this year.

KennardHusker: I freaking loved the Pizza Bowl. Of all the inane early bowls, that bowl kept things fun the whole time (or at least for the better part of the whole time). I mentioned this in the comments section, but I think if a coach spends time perfecting special teams, he can really make a difference on the field. Give Hope and Company an inch, they'll take a mile (or something like that). With the kickoffs moving up, I have zero idea how the return game will be affected. I'm under the impression that coaches are going to go for the pooch kicks with less distance to hit someone approach, so returns will go down, but it could also go the NFL route where returners say, "eff it," and take it out from 8 yards deep and still get TD's. Sorry, what was the actual question here? Oh right, success, special teams, consistency. Sure, why not? Beamer has done it for years, and if you practice it, you'll be good at it. The SEC is still working on that one.

BabaOReally: I would be surprised if Purdue's success on special teams continues into 2012. The new kickoff rules will negate most of the advantages of having a solid kickoff return game. Purdue will also have a new kicker next year, as Carson Wiggs won't be back. It sounds like Paul Griggs, a freshman will be the man in 2012. Even if he is good, I doubt he will be Wiggs' equal in his first year kicking on a relatively big stage. I don't know the secrets to building a consistently good special teams unit, but I would think devoting a lot of practice time to special teams would be a step in the right direction.

Jonathan Franz: The tired meme we're used to hearing about special teams is that they're an "overlooked" phase of the game. I'm no coach, but I have a hard time believing that a notorious group of control freaks routinely leave a 1/3 of their preparations to chance. I think the real reason that special teams take a back seat in our collective consciousness is that they represent parts of the game that are (traditionally) the farthest removed from the scoreboard. Blistering punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns and blocked kicks notwithstanding, we tend to identify better with offense and defense because there's a clear measure of success or failure on each and every series. Special teams results are often harder to quantify, and accordingly, easier to forget. But wait -- you might protest -- Coach X doesn't put his first-teamers on kickoff coverage, surely this proves he doesn't care as much about special teams. No. It just proves he's risk adverse and doesn't want to put his stars in harm's way any more than he has to. It's a strategic sport. Everything is calculated.

But I digress. The reason I mention this is because I believe, like anything else, good special teams are a product of sound coaching, superior talent, and a little bit of luck. I can't predict which way the ball will bounce for the Boilermakers in 2012, but I do know that the loss of Carson Wiggs (like any impact player) is a sizable obstacle they must overcome.

MSULaxer27: Special teams are one of those marginal areas that can bring great reward if you focus on them. How many times (in college and the pros) have we seen a return man with a great reputation affect the coaching decisions of the other team? Think Devin Hester. Mostert is now a known commodity and will probably see fewer kicks next year. MSU had a similar situation this season with Keshawn Martin, who coming into 2011 had 45 KR for 1070 in his career, nearly a 25 yd. return avg. In 2011, he had two (2!) KR's for 30 yards total. Teams kicked away from him and Nick Hill, a redshirt freshman, gained the majority of the KR yards for MSU this season (and second most in school history). If Purdue is going to replicate their KR magic in 2012 it will probably have to come from the other side of the field when teams kick away from Mostert. Also not to take anything away from Mosterst, but if we delve into his stats last season over half of his return yards (and the TD) came against 3 teams: IU, WMU and Wisconsin (on the bad end of a blowout). Against everyone else he was a little more ordinary. The requirement to replace the kicker is a tough position to find yourself. Kickers are rarely highly ranked or strongly recruited so I would imagine you will see a bit of drop off initially, at least until the new kicker becomes comfortable in the role. I think it's a mindset to develop success in the special teams area, just like any other position, but I do think success breeds success. If Wiggs' replacement is as good as he was then maybe it begins a trend of success in the position and makes Purdue a place where kickers want to go. Again pointing to State, our last three starting kickers have made the league (at least for a minute), that has to help us recruit guys for the position.

2. Whiskey Glazed Sweet Potatoes: It appears that Purdue is heading into 2012 with CaRobRob MaHenBush as their starting quarterback. When you have two quarterbacks, you have no quarterback. But when you have three (in this case, Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve, and Rob Henry), what do you have? Crippling indecision? An opportunity to play rock/paper/scissors for the QB position with every drive? A chance to infuriate 2/3 of your fanbase at any given moment? How do you see Danny Hope deciding between these three (underwhelming?) choices at quarterback? And since it may have different answers, what's the best decision for Purdue this year at QB vs. going forward for the long-term (remember, Marve is a senior)?

BoilerTMill: TerBush is also a senior, with Henry being a junior. It's a difficult scenario because TerBush has been steady, but lacks the big play ability. Marve can make the big play with his arm or his feet, but he can also force a crippling interception. My personal preference is Marve. He is the highest rated of the three in terms of raw talent., but has never in his career had a chance to showcase it as THE guy. I would like to see us have Henry play a role similar to Justin Siller last year, where Siller was a receiver and occassionally lined up under center in a Wild Siller formation. Henry is more of a runner and we need to find creative ways to get the ball in his hands on the field, but he's also the likely starting quarterback next year unless we go with one of the 2,430 freshmen QB's we're bringing in that will likely redshirt. I think Marve and his big play ability gives us the best chance of pulling an upset or two, but the coaches have been saying TerBush is the starter and played the best in the spring. Who knows what will happen. I hope we simply pick a guy and stick with him, while sprinkling in a Wild Henry play or two for his running ability.

Ted Glover: When you have three quarterbacks, you have a hot mess. That's what you have, and it doesn't allow any guy to step up and become the leader of the team. They're all looking over their shoulder, and become too afraid to make mistakes. When that happens, you start playing not to lose, as opposed to playing to win, and the Boilermakers need to be aggressive if they are going to challenge in the Leaders division. look, all three guys have talent, and I understand that they all eserve a shot, but I think the team would be better off knowing that there is one guy, with two capable backups if the starter goes down.

JDMill: Oh Purdue, your recent quarterback soap opera has been quite a mess. Do you realize that it's been two years since Marve was named the starter at Purdue after his transfer from Miami and then sitting out a season due to the transfer? This guy was good enough to be the starter then, but couldn't stay healthy. He was good enough to be the starter last year, but wasn't yet healed when the team needed him. Time has not been on this guy's side, but by all reports he's healthy heading into the summer, and I have to believe that he will emerge as QB1 for the Boilers this fall.

KennardHusker: Someone needs to photoshop CaRobRob MaHenBush. I mean, it just really needs to happen. I think a three headed monster (in the literal, as in ugly, form) at QB is a terrible idea. At this point, all three seem to be about the same thing. Some upside running the ball, some downside throwing the ball further than eight yards, and a penchant for injury. I think that Hope needs to pick one guy and ride it until that one guy fails miserably. As for who that is, I'll let the Purdue bloggers answer that. They all look like iffy choices in my book.

BabaOReally: I honestly don't know who is the best bet at QB next year. I like the idea of having of a running QB, as Rob Henry was in 2010, but he will be only a year removed from tearing his ACL. Even if he comes back fully healthy and good as new, his passing needs to be better than it was two years ago or he won't be the starting QB. I see Hope using Henry in a similar fashion to the way Northwestern used Kain Colter this year. I doubt Henry will be as effective a WR, but his running could help move the chains and keep the opponent's offense off of the field.

Between TerBush and Marve, I really don't know. Before the 2010 season, Hope couldn't stop talking about Marve. He said he was the most talented QB he'd ever seen or something similar. Then Marve tore his ACL for the second time and he wasn't quite healthy last year. Based on reports, he had a good spring game, but the coaches at this point see TerBush as the #1. TerBush was a decent, but not great QB last year. He was thrust into the starting position when Henry got hurt in August and Marve wasn't quite healthy enough to start the early games. TerBush did a much better job than Marve in not making stupid mistakes, and he improved as the season went along.

I would say the job is up for grabs going into fall practice. I do not want a two-QB system like we had this year. If I were the coaches I would choose a starter for the first game based on performance in practice. The first game is against Eastern Kentucky (an FCS team) so it would be a good game to split in half. Whoever performs better in that game is the starter. Unless the starter plays poorly enough to get the hook, keep him in the game. I don't mind switching QBs if something is not working, but planning on playing two QBs a game is a bad idea.

MSULaxer27: I'm going to be a bit more judicious than last year. I'm not sure how the QB situation will play out for Purdue...I'm not sure I'm much different in this regard than the PU coaching staff or any of their fans. Best-case scenario: The three push each other enough that one stands out (and leaves hope with a couple of change of pace options). The worst-case scenario: Hope can't make up his mind, leaves his QB's to hang in the wind, sniping, and infighting commences destroying all three's confidence and sowing salt in the position for the near future. To be brutally honest, I'm not particularly impressed with any of the three. Marve has battled injuries and clearly hasn't lived up to anyone's expectation. Henry has been injured and has a career line of 11 games, 86 for 162, 8 TD, 7 INT, 966 yds. TerBush hasn't been able to claim the position for his own even though he has had the most opportunity (which may be a function of Hope's coaching acumen or lack thereof).

MUSTACHES RIDES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

3. Big Bud's Beer Can Chicken: All Hope-related puns aside, last year's 7-6 campaign was a much needed bounce-back for Danny Hope. Indeed, it landed him a two-year contract extension (through December 31, 2016) before their Pizza Pizza Bowl appearance. Purdue certainly has the defensive playmakers to succeed in 2012 (Kawann Short is a NFL first-rounder after this year, and the same could be said about Ricardo Allen at CB), but their 3-headed QB monster, offseason issues (WR Antavian Edison's arrest on a weapons charge, O.J. Ross's grades), and injuries (Ralph Bolden's torn ACL) make the offense a large question mark. Also, looking at the schedule, the home conference schedule is brutal (Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State all come to visit) and even the "winnable" games based solely on expectations seem to be on the road (at Notre Dame, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Ohio State, the latter of whom Purdue has some weird magic over lately). Purdue and Hope could backslide considerably in 2012, even if the team is better. Was the extension for Hope premature? What level of achievement does Hope need to reach to justify that extension in 2012? And, more importantly, how do you see Purdue turning out in 2012?

BoilerTMill: Our weird magic over OSU ends at the Tippecanoe County line, as we haven't won in Columbus since 1988. Also, don't forget Dwayne Beckford's arrest before the bowl game. The Edison arrest is looking more like it was his uncle's gun, not his, but he was driving the car (hence responsible). I think the offense can be decent if we settle on a QB and the Akeems (Hunt and Shavers) continue to show improvement. Akeem Hunt rushed for 100 yards against IU last year, and Akeem Shavers was pretty awesome in the bowl game, but that's against IU and a MAC team.

I am cautiously optimistic that we might sneak into the Big Ten title game. It will take some luck, but OSU is ineligible, Penn State and Illinois just changed coaches and are in disarray, and IU is still IU. That leaves Wisconsin, whom I think is the heavy favorite in the division. If we beat Penn State at home and shock Wisconsin, who knows what will happen. We might slide into the title game at 6-2 or even 5-3 (losing to OSU, Michigan, and Iowa) with some help at that point because of OSU's issues. Sure, it might be through the crawl space instead of the back door, but I'd take it.

Ted Glover: Yeah, but two years isn't a big deal, because his salary isn't so big that they would be hamstrung budget-wise to go get a new guy if they so chose. Since Purdue rallied and got to a bowl last year, I would think that would be the standard this year. Purdue's magic over OSU doesn't extend past the borders of West Lafayette, so I don't see that as a win. And when you look at their schedule, getting bowl eligible isn't impossible, but it's not even close to in the bag, either. I can see them getting as few as 3 wins, but I can also see them getting as many as 6 or 7. Illinois and Minnesota will be better, Indiana is a rivalry game so anything could happen, and they have a lot of questions on offense. Hope has the talent on his roster to beat teams of equal athletic ability (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota) but I'm not sure that he is the smartest guy on either sideline in any of those matchups, either.

JDMill: Don't extensions for college football coaches almost always seem premature? These things get done at least a year ahead of schedule because everybody is so deathly afraid of what kind of impact it will have on recruiting if the coach's future is in limbo. None of it matters, of course, because if Hope craps the bed in 2012... he gone. In fact, if Morgan Burke wants any guidance on this, outgoing Minnesota AD Joel Maturi can give him some advice as Maturi extended both Glen Mason and Tim Brewster just a year before showing each of them the door.

In any case, was Hope's extension premature? Yeah, probably. But there's nothing to say he can't earn it after the fact. If Hope can take the Boilers to another bowl game he'll be given more time. The problem, of course, is that Purdue's schedule isn't necessarily 6-win friendly. The easiest path for PU to get back to a bowl is by winning all 3 of their non-con home games (Marshall, Eastern KY, and Eastern MI), winning 2 out of 3 games against Minny, Illinois & Iowa on the road, and finishing up at home with a win over Indiana.

It's too bad we're putting aside Hope-related puns.

BabaOReally: I don't think the extension was premature, unless there was a substantial increase in his buyout. The buyout is really the only thing that matters in these contracts, as far as I am concerned. I would imagine the extension would help in recruiting, so that incoming freshman would know that their coach would be under contract for their entire collegiate career.

Hope needs to get at least to 6-6 to justify the extension, but it depends on how Purdue gets to 6-6. Another loss to a low-level non-con and some more blowout losses like this year would signal that the program is not moving forward. I'm not really going out a limb here, but at this point I see Purdue going 6-6 again with a best-case of 8-4 and a worst-case of 4-8.

Jonathan Franz: The Boilermaker faithful aren't going to like it, but I think this is a 5-7 team, with losses to Notre Dame, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, and Illinois. Notre Dame has too much offensive firepower. Michigan is simply more talented on both sides of the ball. Wisconsin, by default, is the division favorite. Purdue's weird magic over the Buckeyes doesn't seem to work at the Horseshoe. Penn State's defense will stymy an off-centered Boilermaker attack. Iowa is a tough out at Kinnick, and Illinois gets revenge for last year's debacle.

MSULaxer27: Hope is overmatched. He lost to Rice. His team squeaked out a victory over MTSU and held on against a game IU. He squeaked by a WMU squad that committed eight (8?!!) turnovers. How many times do you want to count on a blocked extra point to force a game to overtime? I guess you have to give Hope an extension to not let his lame duck status affect the recruiting process; but did he really deserve an extension? I say no. Like last year, I'm not sure I understand the optimism emanating from West Lafayette. No clear-cut starter at QB, their best offensive player (arguably) is hoping to rebound from his third ACL tear in five years (and just was arrested); their best returning WR is facing felony charges in Florida. Their defense, while nominally a strength gave up nearly 400 yards/game and 5.5 yards per play last year. As far as the schedule, Purdue should go 3-1 out of conference; I'm not sure in what alternate reality a game in South Bend should be considered a winnable game (PU has won once at ND since 1974). Purdue hasn't won in Columbus since 1988 (and do you think they'll be able to "surprise" OSU this year?) The only in conference games they should/might be favored in are against IU, ILL and Minny. If things are anything like last year four of the Boilers division mates were in the top 20 in total defense (ILL:7, Wisconsin:15, OSU:19, PSU 20)...not exactly a strong recipe for success for an offense with some glaring uncertainties. That looks like a 6-6 record if everything comes together.

Less phallic, more train.....Jim Delany approves.

4. Bourbon Balls: The biggest news in West Lafayette lately seems to be the re-branding of Purdue's mascot and logo, with basically every fan hating the new attempts at re-imagining each. Since the fans are the ultimate arbiters of this, tell me what you think about your team's mascot/logo/colors. Would you like to see some changes? What would you change? (For purposes of this exercise, you are dictator and can change your team any way you want).

BoilerTMill: No need to change anything. I am not too upset with the logo, but I think the programs that historically are strong never change their logos. Look at the Yankees. They never change and are one of the most storied teams in sports. Then you have the Miami Marlins....

I am thankful that they went back to the old Pete. If they ever change the Boilermaker Special, however, heads will roll. Fortunately, it received a major overhaul last year that didn't tweak too much of the overall design, and should be fine.

Ted Glover: OSU's colors, mascot, and logo are all timeless, at least to me. Drastic changes will spark a revolution. If there is one change, I would change the home stripes on the sleeves back to all gray, and on the road uniforms thay'd be all scarlet. The scarlet, black and white iteration they went to for both uniforms in 2006 wasn't something I was a big fan of.

JDMill: I'm not one who gets excited about laundry, and the rotating pro-combat, flavor-of-the-week jersey combos are a bit disgusting and overdone as far as I'm concerned. But when Minnesota released their new jerseys for the upcoming season I was pleasantly surprised. The new look goes back to a more classic, basic Gophers look, and adding the matte maroon helmets is pretty bad-ass if you ask me.

As far as Goldy, he's decent. I've been trying to find the old football logo for the Gophers from my childhood (late 80's) when the Goldy used for football was more buff than other Goldy's, he had an angry look on his face, and he was stiff-arming whatever was coming at him. You know, exactly the opposite of what a real gopher is like in the wild, but exactly what you'd want you football playing college mascot to look like.

KennardHusker: As far as football uniforms go, nothing really needs to change. I appreciate that Nebraska will don an alternate Uni for the players (and pocketbooks of Adidas/Nebraska), but why mess with a classic look? Red and white just work. The only thing I would change about the brand at Nebraska would be the abomination of a mascot that is Lil' Red. It wasn't cool when it started, it wasn't cool when people thought it was a novelty act for kids at events, and it won't be cool when it starts shooting lasers out of its eyes and massacres the town of Lincoln.

BabaOReally: As a Purdue fan, I am pretty happy with the color scheme. Black shirts, gold pants, and gold helmets have always looked good on the field, regardless of how the team performed. I don't really like the modified jerseys that the Boilers wore last year, but they could be worse. The helmet looked better when it had a black stripe with a white stripe on either side of it. It looks weird now with just a black stripe in the middle.

The New Purdue Pete was an abomination that was so bad that I now think Sparty is a bad mascot because they are about 5% similar. The new train logo is also not as good as the last one. I understand the reason was that they changed it was that the last logo was asymmetrical. I have a hat with the old logo on it, and Nike basically just screwed up the logo placement on the hat. Rather than have the center of the train and "Purdue" lined up in the center of the hat, they used the trailing smoke to center it up. So the train looks like it is off to the right on the hat.

Chadnudj: It would be easy to change Northwestern's color, but screw it....purple is a regal, awesome color. And frankly, I enjoy the Disney-esque character that is Willie the Wildcat as a mascot.

But let's face it -- "wildcats" aren't the most original mascot in the college football world. So let's change the Wildcats out for something more appropriate for Chicago's Big Ten Team on the shores of Lake Michigan.....the Northwestern Lake Monsters? The Northwestern Crooked Alderman? Come on, someone has to have a better idea than "Wildcats," right?

Jonathan Franz: I love the scarlet and gray and wouldn't touch our colors, but I would love to see Ohio State go back to using the pure Block "O" from the 1970s -- the one that appeared on Woody Hayes' famous black ball cap. Although the embossed arched letters in the center of the Block "O" give our mark a distinctive flair, the Ohio State brand is strong enough that it doesn't need the school's name spelled out. Give me the classic Block "O" any day.

MSULaxer27: I'm comfortable with the rebranding effort we went through in East Lansing three years ago. I do prefer the block S on the helmets and the word "State" on the basketball jerseys, but I can live with what we have. The only thing I hope for (and this is change that isn't change) is for some continuity with our uniforms. We've changed our logos, fonts and color shades more times than I can count since 1985. I'd like to have a uniform set that sticks around for a while.

B1G 2012 // Purdue's Smartest Guys In The Room

2012-05-15T10:00:14Z

The Head Coach--Danny Hope

The Skinny

After Danny Hope played tackle at Eastern Kentucky in the late seventies, he started coaching. He was an excellent offensive line coach at Louisville, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Purdue before a one-year OC stint at Louisville. Hope then moved on to coach the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (1-A) where he compiled a 35-22 record in five seasons.

In an effort to replicate the success that the basketball team had in its transition from Gene Keady to Matt Painter, Hope spent the 2008 year as an associate head coach in Joe Tiller's final season. In Hope's first season the team had a lot of offensive weapons, but lost a lot of close games and ended up with a 5-7 record. Purdue beat #7 Ohio State at home that year, but close losses to Oregon, Northwestern and Michigan State kept them home during bowl season.

The 2010 season was marked by injuries (the ACL kind, of course) and ended with a terrible loss at home to Indiana. Some fans are on the fence as to whether or not Coach Hope gets a pass on this season due to the injuries. The anti-Hopes point to another loss to a MAC team, and the poor performance against an equally bad IU squad. The pro-Hopes, or at least the not-anti-Hopes say that the season-ending injuries in almost all of the skill positions were too much for any coach to overcome.

Last season Purdue was extremely inconsistent. After the Rice loss, which included attempting a game-winning FG with the clock running, rather than spiking the ball in order to stop the clock as well as calling a timeout because the team didn't know what they were going to do on fourth down (they punted after the TO). Rob Henry went into Fall Practice as the consensus #1 QB, but he of course tore his ACL. Hope then went with a two-QB system that almost everyone hated, but it was good enough to win six games and head to Detroit.

When Danny Hope came in at the end of the Joe Tiller Era, Purdue fans were ready for a change. Tiller seemed to lack the fire that he had when he first came to West Lafayette and looked like he was going through the motions. Tiller was never a high energy guy, but Danny Hope brought a great attitude with him to Purdue, if nothing else.

Hope's relentless positivity and energy is either his greatest asset or his most annoying one. When he got in Rich Rod's face to stick up for his player at the end of a game, people liked it. When he refused to say anything bad about the team after one of many terrible losses, they thought he was delusional and happy with mediocrity.

After Purdue beat Illinois last season in the Homecoming game, I saw some of that positive energy first-hand. Hope followed the players into the tunnel after the game, exchanging high fives with fans, thanking them for coming to the game and wishing them a happy homecoming. He is a very likable person, and it is easy to root for him. There is no question about that. The question is whether or not he is a good coach. Most Purdue fans would find him guilty of being a bad coach, but my personal jury is still out.

Quotable:

There's an old saying in football: 'We're all here because were not all there.'

Twitter Trend:

Hope has a twitter account, but he hasn't tweeted anything since last October. He never really had anything interesting to say when he did tweet, but you can get a taste of his optimism from his tweets. This one was after the debacle against Notre Dame last year:

We learned from the mistakes from last week and will be ready to play at a high level on Saturday.Boiler Up!!
— Danny Hope (@Coach_Hope) October 3, 2011

Earlier this spring, Hope was asked his opinion about twitter and explained why he doesn't care for it:

"Personally, I'm not a big tweet guy. I have a Twitter account, but all I really use my twitter account for is on an occasional basis, to tweet some thing out there, some facts about football. To me, tweeting is a lot like keeping a diary. Back in the day, men didn't keep diaries to share our secrets and post it to the world. So I still don't get the Twitter thing. It doesn't excite me a whole lot."

The Coordinators

Gary Nord--Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach

via ebay

Gary Nord coached with Hope at Louisville, and eventually moved up to a head coaching position at UTEP in the early aughts. In his first year at UTEP, they won the WAC and he was named WAC Coach of the Year. The next three years were awful, and the Miners ended up with a 14-34 record under Nord.

He then ended up as the Offensive Coordinator at Florida Atlantic before Coach Hope asked him to be the OC in his first season. Interesting fact: Gary Nord stands on the sidelines during the game, while many OCs sit in the press box.

Twitter: No.

Unresearched O/U on years it will take to become a head coach: If Purdue starts having consistent success (a HUGE if), then he will get another shot at a low-level FCS or an FBS job in a few years. I don't see it happening, though.

Tim Tebowsaur--Defensive Coordinator

What a second, that picture doesn't quite look right. I think I may had made a mistake. Let's try that again.

CORRECTION: Tim Tibesar--Defensive Coordinator

via en.montrealalouettes.com

Tim Tibesar is the new DC at Purdue. Gary Emmanuel was fired after last season. Tibesar spent the last three years as LB and DC with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. He was previously DC at North Dakota and Kansas State. His teams usually run a 3-4 defense, as opposed to Purdue's usual 4-3. He graduated from North Dakota with a 4.0 GPA in Economics;he might actually be the smartest guy in the room.

Twitter: No.

Unresearched O/U on years it will take to become a head coach: Tibesar might get a D-II job offer if Purdue's defense looks impressive for a few years, but would they be able to pay him $250K a year? Honestly, I would be surprised if he got a HC job anywhere.

This week...

MONDAY | Cocktail Party Preview

TUESDAY | The Smartest Guys in The Room

WEDNESDAY | Boilermaker Potluck

THURSDAY | Choose Your Own Adventure: Purdue Edition

FRIDAY | Keeping the Enemy Close

B1G 2012 // Purdue Cocktail Party Preview

2012-05-14T10:00:24Z

FIFTH IN A SERIES: PURDUE COCKTAIL PARTY PREVIEW

On last season

The good news is...

Purdue finished with a winning record and their first bowl appearance (and win) since 2007. Home wins over a down Ohio State team and Illinois, who had just started their free-fall, were nice to have. After playing poorly in their four non-con games, Purdue bounced back with a 4-4 mark in Big Ten play. Winning the Bucket back from a hapless IU team, and beating Western Michigan in the Pizza Bowl helped turn a very inconsistent season into a decent one.

The bad news is...

Purdue looked pretty terrible for large chunks of the season. It took a late fourth quarter TD drive to beat Middle Tennessee at home, and the last-second field goal attempt at Rice was blocked, giving Danny Hope a bad non-con loss in each of his three seasons. Home attendance was bad all year, except for the Notre Dame game, where the Boilermaker faithful were treated to an abomination. Despite having kicked off, it only took Notre Dame 3 plays and 24 seconds to get a 7-0 lead. It is the worst Purdue game I have seen in person. The Boilers were also embarrassed at Wisconsin 62-17.

On the offensive side of the ball

The good news is...

There should be enough healthy QBs this year (knock on wood). In the two-QB system that Purdue had last year Caleb TerBush got most of the snaps, and Robert Marve saw a fair amount of action after missing most of 2010 with an ACL tear. Rob Henry, who started most of the 2010 season is back after he suffered an ACL tear last August.

The RB position should also be pretty decent in 2012. Akeem Shavers is back after his Pizza Bowl MVP performance, as well as Akeem Hunt and Raheem Mostert, who showed some potential last season. At WR, there isn't a lot of good news, but hopefully OJ Ross and Antavian Edison will be in uniform when the games start.

The bad news is...

There should be enough healthy QBs, but there is no clear-cut #1. TerBush played a game-manager type role, generally taking care of the ball, but not making many big plays. Marve played well in the OSU win (especially in OT), but he had a tendency to throw bad INTs. Henry was more of a zone-read running QB, so who knows where he'll fit in this season. The two-QB system of last season didn't work very well, but I don't see the coaches going away from it in 2012 (unless it is to go to a three-QB system).

Ralph Bolden, who had a great 2009 season, sat out 2010 with an ACL tear, tore his ACL against IU last season. Then he got arrested in April at a bar, so I doubt he'll be in the mix this season. Not to be outdone, Edison, 2011's leading WR, was arrested with a gun in his car in Florida a couple of weeks ago. WR Ross had some education related issues that caused him to miss the Pizza Bowl. He apparently didn't care of it to Danny Hope's satisfaction, as he lost his scholarship in the Spring. Ross is still on the team at this point (I think), but it doesn't sound too good at this point.

On the defensive side of the ball

The good news is...

There are a lot of talented lineman and DBs returning. DT Kawann Short is a projected first rounder in the 2013 NFL Draft. Bruce Gaston and Ryan Russell also return to what should be a formidable line. Ricardo Allen is dynamic CB and Josh Johnson can build off of his Bucket-clinching interception in Bloomington. Dwayne Beckford is the best returning linebacker, but he may not return due to his December arrest.

The bad news is...

All signs are pointing to Purdue using a least a part-time 3-4 next season due to new DC Tim Tibesaur, but there aren't a lot of good LBs ready to take one of those four spots. Team leader Joe Holland graduated and he leaves a big void in the middle of the defense.

Carson Wiggs is going to be hard to replace

On special teams

The good news is...

Raheem Mostert averaged over 33 yards per kickoff return, which was tops in all of the FBS in 2011. Danny Hope isn't afraid to try surprise onside kicks; Purdue converted two of them in the Pizza Bowl.

The bad news is...

The kickoff rule changes will at least somewhat neutralize Mostert and the kickoff return game. Carson Wiggs, one of the best kickers in Purdue history (he certainly had the strongest leg), exhausted his eligibility last season.

On the schedule

The good news is...

Purdue doesn't have to play a MAC or Conference USA team on the road this year. The Boilers get some of the better teams (Wisc, Mich, PSU) at home.

The bad news is...

Most of the games that I would put in the toss-up category (Minn, Iowa, Illinois) are on the road. Also, the Notre Dame game is in South Bend (which is in Northern Indiana, which doesn't make much sense).

If you're talking to an Purdue fan

Don't mention...

ACL injuries.

Also: the annual bad non-con loss, the recent struggles against Notre Dame, the two QB system, the new logo, the poor attendance, the offensive playcalling and the recent arrests (old arrests can be discussed).

Do mention...

The bowl game, the .500 conference record, trophy wins against Illinois and Indiana, a two-game home winning streak against the hated Buckeyes, the respectable recruiting class, Indiana's terrible 2011 season and the 2012 Big Ten Baseball Champions.

Also feel free to discuss the fact that a Boilermaker is a cocktail, and you are at a cocktail party. That might get a laugh or two, depending on the crowd.

This week...

MONDAY | Cocktail Party Preview

TUESDAY | The Smartest Guys in The Room

WEDNESDAY | Boilermaker Potluck

THURSDAY | Wildcard

FRIDAY | Keeping the Enemy Close

ATS1996BTFT Game 3 - 2002 Iowa v. 2003 Minnesota

2012-05-12T04:05:36Z

After a long layoff, the All-Time Since 1996 Big Ten Football Tournament is back. In case you don't remember (it has been awhile), this is a tournament pitting the best teams from each school on Whatifsports.com. For a more detailed explanation, click here. We'll be posting these every Saturday until it is finished, as imaginary football games on Saturday are better than none at all.

For the third game in the first round, we have the #6 2002 Iowa Hawkeyes against the #11 2003 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Before we get to the game, here is some background on our teams.

#11 2003 Minnesota

10-3 (5-3); Beat Oregon in Sun Bowl

(Elsa/Getty Images)

Head Coach Glen Mason had a very potent running attack in 2003. The backfield duo of Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney helped the Gophers average a ridiculous 289 yards/game on the ground. QB Asad Abdul-Khaliq kept opponents honest by throwing for over ten yards per attempt and managing 17 TDs to just 5 INTs. The defense wasn't quite as solid. In two of their three losses on the season, UM managed to lose despite scoring at least 35 points. They also won Paul Bunyan's Axe in 2003, which is their most recent win against Wisconsin.

#6 2002 Iowa

11-2 (8-0); Lost to USC in Orange Bowl

(AP Photo/Quad City Times)

The 2002 Hawkeyes went undefeated in conference play, but didn't even win an outright title. Ohio State was also undefeated that year and the two teams didn't play each other (obviously). After an early season loss to hated-rival Iowa State, Iowa rolled off nine straight wins, including all eight of their conference games. The streak included impressive road wins at Penn State and Michigan. QB Brad Banks won the AP Player of the Year Award, Dallas Clark won the TE Award and Nate Kaeding won the Kicker Trophy. #3 USC easily won their Orange Bowl matchup, but that doesn't take away all that the Hawkeyes accomplished in 2002. Most would agree that this was Ferentz's best team, even if Ricki Stanzi wasn't involved.

Enough with the background, let's click on and see who won!

2002 Iowa wins 27-20

(click to embiggen the cromulent screenshots)

Minnesota's running game was pretty effective, as expected, but Iowa's Fred Russell was the most dominant RB in this one. He broke open a 56 yard TD run in the first quarter after Minnesota took an early lead, and he finished the game with over 200 yards on the ground.

While the Gophers managed an impressive 232 rushing yards, their inability to get anything going in the passing game led to their demise. Glen Mason's strategy of converting on third down only two times out of fifteen the whole game didn't work out well for the Gophers. Brad Banks managed to keep the Minnesota defense from concentrating too heavily on Fred Russell by passing for over 200 yards.

A late score by Minnesota (and Iowa's 12 penalties) made the final score a little closer than it seemed to the computer fans that watched the computer simulation occur in real time. The Gophers couldn't convert the onside kick that they needed with about a minute to go, and the Hawkeyes held on for the victory.

Here's a look at the ATS1996BTFT bracket after this contest:

Next week: #7 2001 Illinois vs #10 2000 Purdue

B1G 2012 // Keeping the Enemy Close: Let's Talk About Northwestern's Moral Victories

2012-05-11T12:31:57Z

Oh look, it's finally my turn to take a stab at this whole hate thing. Outside of a fairly kind diatribe against Michigan last year, I find myself still trying to muster up enough hate to feel like I am in the big leagues. Maybe it's the good ol' boy Midwestern thing we have going in the Cornhusker state, and maybe it's the fact that we've barely played most of the teams in the B1G, but as a general rule of thumb, it's been really difficult to hate anybody. I mean, you've just been so nice... So when given the opportunity to actually try my hand at hating, the obvious place to start was Northwestern. After all, if I'm going to start somewhere, it might as well be the minor leagues, right?

Seriously though, I was trying to come up with reasons why I hate Northwestern, but other than their uncanny ability to beat Nebraska in everything and their love of the moniker NU, I was having trouble really understanding why anyone even cares about Northwestern. And then I had an epiphany. Do you know why I hate Northwestern? I hate them because everything they talk about pretty much amounts to just another moral victory. Whether it's their record breaking attendance, unprecedented bowl streak, great coach, or room of pelts, pretty much all Northwestern fans resort to obnoxious retorts about how Northwestern will one day be a juggernaut. Well, I'm here to dispel that notion by debunking some lines of Moral Victory Rhetoric that Northwestern fans likes to tout. When we're done, we'll see why Northwestern is just an expensive version of another annoying team from my past.

via i.usatoday.net... "I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE WE WON." Trust me, none of us can either.

Moral Victory Rhetoric #1 -- "We Beat a Top 25 Team! HOORAY!"

Come on, I know Northwestern isn't a blueblood by any stretch of the imagination, but have a little self respect. You know who get's excited about knocking off Top 25 teams? Teams not in the Top 25, 1-AA teams, MACrifices, and Zook. Last year, I watched Northwestern fans, coaches, and players trot of Memorial Field like they were the effing Dillon Panthers and they had just overcome the astronomical TV odds to win a game. It was as if their entire world was complete. You know the difference between Northwestern and Dillon? Dillon actually won something -- a championship. I think that the entire Big Ten will agree with me when I say, "Who effing cares?" With the exception of Indiana, I'm pretty sure every B1G school beat a ranked opponent last year. If this is what gets you going, you really should reassess your priorities.

Congratulations Northwestern, you have officially achieved what 92% of the B1G did last year. Like I said, it's just another Moral Victory.

via cdn3.sbnation.com... Obligatory.

Moral Victory Rhetoric #2 -- "But guys, we got like 32k fans in the stands EACH game last season."

I know pretty much everyone has talked about how hating Northwestern includes their entirely lame attendance figures, but let's quickly revisit this, shall we? For a school that claims to be a large part of Chicago's rooting interest, shouldn't you be pulling in sellouts just by virtue of people looking for something to do? Surely tickets can't be that expensive, and by August, the Cubs suck (I'm a Cubs fan, and I approve this message). I know Chicago has lots of outlets, but College Football is a fairly universally loved sport, and if you're Chicago's team, shouldn't you actually be getting Chicago level attendance? Do you know why people hate hearing about season ticket sales at Northwestern? Because the fact that you can actually buy season tickets means there is a surplus. Some of us actually sell out games. I know, I know. This is where Northwestern fans start clamoring about Nebraska smugness, but no, this is another universal truth. Most B1G fans cannot comprehend your poor attendance. It's as if getting 1,000 extra people in the stands is some great feat. I am seriously considering going to Ryan Field this Fall, but the simple fact that I would be both a) Supporting Northwestern's outdated facility and b) pushing up these terrible numbers, makes me question the trip. Maybe I'll buy a ticket off a scalper. At least I can say the ticket was already purchased and accounted for...

Congratulations Northwestern, you officially got to 1/3 the capacity of the larger B1G stadiums. Way to bring up the rear on that one. What was that? Oh yeah, it's just another moral victory.

via uwire.com... Does that make the loss feel better?

Moral Victory Rhetoric #3 -- "Hey Everyone, Fitzgerald keeps taking us to bowls!"

First off, I hate teams who get pumped about just getting to a bowl game. At some point, isn't it just a fancy way to spend University Dollars and get out of the cold winter crap we deal with in ~~January~~ December (this is Northwestern we're talking about)? Seriously, at what point is it more of a false hope than a reward? "But, but, but, but we went to the Rose Bowl and if..." Big deal. Let's name other teams who won bowls LAST YEAR:

Temple, Ohio, Louisiana Lafayette, Purdue, Illinois, Toledo, Rutgers, Mississippi State, SMU, Northern Illinois

Again, look at that list. These are all teams that actually won their bowl game last year. They understood that getting there isn't just good enough. If you're going to talk about how your school is getting better, shouldn't you, oh I don't know, actually be getting better? Again, I think I speak for all of us when I say, "WIN A BOWL GAME" because it's getting real old. How long has it been now? I hear Truman was president? Great work guys.

Congratulations on being 1 of 70 schools that made a bowl last year. Even though you lost, at least you weren't part of the minority of schools that did not go Bowling. Looks like it's just another moral victory for Northwestern.

via images.wikia.com... 10... 11... 12 snowflakes! Ah, ah, ah. There are more snowflakes than Northwestern fans.

Moral Victory Rhetoric #4 -- "But we have fans now! I promise."

Um, there really was a Northwestern fan count off this week... As in, holy shit, we're really going to count ourselves aloud like the teacher made us do in fourth grade when we all got back on the bus after a field trip. Is this forward progress? I don't think so. But again, it's a moral victory because instead of my joke about Northwestern having five fans, I now have to change the punchline to 11... I actually think that I hate you more for that pathetic gesture than I did when I just disliked your ability to beat Nebraska in everything.

Congratulations on having 11 fans. Wait, I'm not even going to congratulate that. This is less a moral victory and more a cry for help. I'm pretty sure we need to move on.

via trojanempire.files.wordpress.com. Damn straight I went there.

Moral Victory Rhetoric #5 -- "It's alright, It's okay, you'll all work for us one day."

And this is where I'm going to end this little bout of hate. Look, I can deal with a loss to a team that has no business beating my team. I can deal with a delusional fanbase that thinks progress in attendance is breaking 30,000, I can even put up with the, "Good ol' fashion try" at bowl games and the attempts at showing solidarity by pointing out you actually have 11 fans, but this is where we all agree the hate comes to a point. I get that your fancy little school is fantastic, and I get that you churn out a lot of smart people. However, there are only a few people on earth who resort to this chant, and I happen to hate pretty much all of them.

Congratulations, your football team cheers are now on par with annoying private high schools in small towns, arrogant Division II Ivy League Football competitions featuring boring football, and TSISB. This isn't just a plain moral victory, it is also an expensive moral victory. And you're the smart ones?

So let's recap. What we have learned here today is that every single thing that Northwestern is proud of is pretty much just another moral victory. As Chad pointed out, Illinois might not be able to have nice things. However, if I'm an Illinois fan (or pretty much anyone else), it's probably worth noting that Northwestern just pretends to have nice things. The reality is that their nice things usually are just another lame excuse to divert you from the facts. I used to pity the Wildcats. Whether it was their terrible purple uniforms, their aura of the kid who just wanted to be on the team, or their small school doing it the right way attitude, I used to think they were worth at least getting a sympathy support clap. After all this, I can honestly say I hope Northwestern doesn't win another game. Between its inflated sense of importance in the football landscape, the penchant for only getting up for big games while losing to schools like Rice, and their sad excuse for a football facility, they are basically the expensive version of this:

Congratulations Northwestern, you're basically an expensive version of Iowa State. Trust me, this is not a compliment. This is not a moral victory... this is just plain sad.

B1G 2012 // Your Record Isn't Everything -- Unconventional Wisdom on Why Northwestern is Getting Better

2012-05-10T13:18:44Z

I'm a Northwestern optimist. I wear purple-shaded glasses when it comes to my favorite team. Last year, I picked Northwestern to go 11-1 before the season....and while I was clearly proven wrong, my "glass half-full" soul still believes Northwestern was much closer to 11-1 than their record suggests (see below).

I'm a homer.

And I do not apologize for it.

College football is supposed to be fun, right? Well, I don't particularly think it's "fun" to bitch and moan about my team, to dissect its flaws, or to loudly advocate for the firing of a coach or coordinator. If that's fun for you....go for it. There's certainly an increasing number of fans of Northwestern who will be happy to join you -- who want to fire defensive coaches (defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz and defensive backs coach Jerry Brown are frequent targets of ire), lower academic standards for athletes because they feel it's impossible to compete with the current admissions standards, or find fault with Fitz's "Go Cats!" cheerleading or his gameday management or his "failure" to win a Big Ten title as quickly as his 2 predecessors. Hell, some fans even think Fitz should be fired.

Don't expect me to join in. Instead, I'm going the other way. I'm going to tell you why Northwestern is building itself into a juggernaut. Follow me below the jump for some unconventional wisdom on why Northwestern's slide in the wins column from 2008-2011 has masked some dramatic improvement in the Cats....

Iowa fans will tell you: Northwestern is getting better. (Or they'd accuse Fitz of ass-eating fueled wizardry.)

1. Northwestern's Offense is Getting Better: The conventional wisdom on Fitz was that as a two-time All-American linebacker, he'd bring a defensive mindset and style of play to Northwestern. And among the Northwestern fanbase, the conventional wisdom has been that Fitz has been too conservative in-game, refusing to push for points at the end of halves and/or keeping his foot on the pedal when Northwestern has the lead.

But looking at the numbers, this is clearly not the case. Northwestern's points scored has increased in each season under Fitz -- from 198 points in 2006, to 310 points in 2007, to 317 points in 2008, to 337 points in 2009, to 343 points in 2010, to 376 points in 2011. The offense is getting TDs rather than FGs more often; Fitz is going for it on 4th and short on the opponents' side of the field more often; and Northwestern has increased the number of playmakers on its offense -- and players with talent make plays and score points. Which reminds me...

2. Northwestern's Talent is Getting Better: I don't put a ton of stock in recruiting rankings -- it's far too difficult to assess the talent of high school players given different levels of competition, and too many recruiting services base rankings in part on whether a kid is getting recruited by a "name" school with a ton of subscribers. However, to the extent these rankings do have merit (and studies suggest they have some correlation with actual production), Northwestern's recruiting is arguably on an upswing under Fitz.

According to Rivals, this is how Fitz's classes (2007-2012) have measured up (Nebraska has been included here):

2007: 9th in B1G, 19 recruits, 2.74 star average.
2008: 11th in B1G, 20 recruits, 2.30 star average.
2009: 9th in B1G, 18 recruits (1 4-star), 2.67 star average.
2010: 10th in B1G, 17 recruits, 2.94 star average
2011: 11th in B1G, 17 recruits, 2.88 star average
2012: 9th in B1G, 21 recruits (2 4-star), 2.76 average

Now, the class rankings aren't that impressive, but keep in mind the class rankings are heavily weighted towards larger classes (and Northwestern almost NEVER has large classes, thanks to redshirting players, few early-entry NFL players and graduating everybody). But the average star rankings have been on an upward trajectory (that 2010 class is now juniors/redshirt sophomores), and Northwestern is starting to attract more upper level talents (they've already signed 4-star QB recruit Matt Alviti for 2013). Moreover, Northwestern used to be in competition with MAC schools for players -- now, they're competing against (and beating sometimes) bigger name BCS programs for players (Alviti chose Northwestern over Michigan State, Nebraska, and That School in South Bend).

3. Northwestern is playing ALL of its opponents closer: Let me state an obvious point -- you can't win when you're getting blown out. And Northwestern under Fitz has been FAR better at avoiding blowout losses.

Looking just at losses by more than 2 TDs (15+ points, i.e. games you pretty much were never competitive in), here's how the Cats have done under Fitz:

2006: 5 blowout losses
2007: 3 blowout losses
2008: 2 blowout losses
2009: 1 blowout loss
2010: 2 blowout losses (both after Dan Persa's injury)
2011: 1 blowout loss

Look -- wins matter, and arguably are ALL that matter. But Fitz's teams have become more competitive, at least so far as avoiding the crushing blowout losses where the team didn't even belong on the same field as its opponent. And that's an important step.

Even last year, when Northwestern lost 7 games, it had a second half lead or tie in 4 games -- it lead or was tied in the 2nd half in losses against Army, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa. Against Penn State it trailed by just 3 at halftime. This is not a Northwestern team that is getting crushed....they're continually playing their opponents hard. If the talent keeps increasing, and the coaching improves (even marginally), Northwestern is going to win more games.

4. The Fan and Administration Support is Getting Better: Obviously, Northwestern has a LONG way to go before every seat in Ryan Field is filled with purple-clad fans. But things are getting better -- season ticket sales have increased each year thanks to new marketing initiatives (and overall attendance is up generally, although it spiked thanks to the Wrigley game in 2010). Students are showing up to games in droves -- at a university with 7500 undergraduates, almost 5000 students show up per game -- which speaks well for future young alumni season ticket sales. Northwestern continues to sell-out/do very well at selling out its bowl allotments wherever they've played. Coverage in the Chicago-area (and national) press continues to improve.

And bigger than that, the administration is getting behind the program in a MAJOR way. The recent Under Armour contract is exciting for the team -- money for the program, merchandise that will be available for fans in stores area-wide and/or nationwide, and high visibility to recruits thanks to Under Armour's aggressive marketing. Football has arguably no bigger fan that Northwestern President Morton Schapiro, who famously introduced himself to Northwestern fans by jumping up and down screaming on the sideline as Drake Dunsmore scored in the Outback Bowl.

And Northwestern is about to announce a huge facilities plan for athletics. No one has any idea what it will contain, but the rumors are very good -- on-campus football training facilities, a complete stadium overhaul/renovation....hell, there has even been talk (albeit probably unrealistic) of a lake-front stadium.

Northwestern 2012: Fyte De Village...Or Potluck, If You're Not Rich And Snooty Like Them

2012-05-09T11:00:22Z

Good day to you, proletariat. I know most you like to think of this at our ‘potluck' day, but this is Northwestern week, and potluck is such a...commoner word. Northwesterners are far superior to you, the great unwashed, and they don't do such lowbrow things as ‘potluck'. Oh, there's a feast prepared for you, but we'll call it fyte de village today, and it will be done exceedingly well, dahling. The fare is catered in from one of the finest French restaurants that Chicago has to offer, Les Nomades, and no expense has been spared. Why no, they don't cater, but they do for Northwestern. The cost? Oh, aren't you silly sitting there in your blue collar! That's so cute. They are Northwestern, the 1% of the 1%. Pish posh on the cost. This is money they would've just burned in one of their seven fireplaces, anyway.

So if you wouldn't mind, they'll put you in the good hands of Jean-Claude, the consummate Gentlemen's Gentleman. He'll help you...

//disdainful once over look//

...change into more appropriate attire, and give you a quick etiquette lesson on the use of the shrimp fork and how not to tuck your napkin under your collar. We're looking at you, Iowa fan. So when you're done changing, please follow Jean-Claude to the South Lawn. Once there, find your table on the seating chart and enjoy the 3 piece string ensemble. And please, enjoy some wine. Nothing out of the expensive bottles--those are reserved for Northwestern alumni. For you, we have a lovely selection of box wines. Or light beer.

And do engage in some topical conversation (but not above a whisper so as not to drown out the music) about the shelf life of Pat Fitzgerald, where Northwesternworld is and whether or not Nebraska is scared of it, the beast that might be Cain Kolter, cartwheeling quarterbacks, some backhanded slaps at Illinois and Notre Dame, and reviewing the worst Heisman trophy winner in history.

We also have some guest participation from our friends at Sippin' on Purple and Lake the Posts. They are hands down the two best Northwestern blogs on the Internet, and also the richest. So please, make sure you introduce yourself to them over by the bar. They will be easily distinguishable---they'll be wearing the Armani suit, and you'll be in your...

//another disdainful look

...sweatshirt, I'm sure.

Oh, and when you're done, please leave through the servant's entry. And leave the coat and tie. And the shrimp fork. Jean-Claude, when you're done with the riff raff, call the boathouse and have Capt. Schettino prepare the yacht, there's an after party out on Lake Michigan later. Invitation only, old boy, and you don't have one.

1) Plats Premiers-Three preparations of smoked salmon, sautéed Hudson Valley foie gras, banana water, granny smith apple purée, mango, confit cherry: One of the features we're doing during B1G 2012 is the Smartest Guys In The Room, which is a feature piece on the head coach and coordinators for each team. The reason we are? Because there's been so much turnover in the conference that we hardly know half the coaching staffs, yet Pat Fitzgerald seems on as solid ground as ever as he enters his 7^th year in Evanston. However, Michigan came calling a couple years back, if reports are to be believed, and it's not out of the realm of possibility for another big time school to pick up the phone. Is Pat Fitzgerald the Northwestern Coach For As Long As He Wants, or can you see a scenario where he would leave for another school, and what would that scenario be?

Baba O'Really: Pat Fitzgerald is CFALAHW, but if he manages to put together a few years in a row of 9-3 type records, he may not want to be the NU coach anymore. I don't see either of those things happening in the near future, though.

Rodger Sherman, Sippin' On Purple: Pat Fitzgerald's devotion to Northwestern University disturbs and alarms me. I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm supremely proud to go to Northwestern and am positively furious that every day that passes means one less day of attending college here. I VOLUNTARILY choose to wear purple clothes in public at least 25 times a year. If that's not dedication, I don't know what it is. But Fitz puts me to shame. Every college coach spews platitudes about how much they love their institution and whatnot, but Fitz might be the only one I've ever believed. He genuinely believes Northwestern is a shining beacon of what college football should be, and I think his trips to other schools are just heat-checks to make sure he can get paid.

Lake The Posts: That is a great question. Fitz's mentor and former head coach Gary Barnett went on record to the Chicago Tribune last year answering this exact question. Barnett cited the proposed major facilities overhaul as one of the few reasons that Fitz would go elsewhere. Specifically, as Teddy Greenstein reported last year, one version of a proposal had a Monday through Friday on-campus practice scenario reportedly on the lakefront. Greenstein reported pushback from the Trustees on the location. Northwestern will be spending hundreds of millions in the coming years on overhauling facilities with football at the top of that list. Fitz is heavily in the mix on the process, so I'm hopeful it will be a great win for everyone. Fitz is indeed a great brand ambassador for a school and we as fans can almost script what recruits and their parents will say after a visit.

What he has done to upgrade talent and arrive at consistently competitive levels is very good. However, the fanbase has been supportive of the known growing pains (in-game decisions, other teams adjusting etc), but simply put it isn't all peaches and cream among the fan base. We've had four straight years of win total decline and the downside to four straight bowl appearances is the nation's longest bowl losing streak which hangs over the program as one of the final monkeys on the historical back. This will be an extremely intriguing year as expectations are more modest than they have been as we lost some key senior leadership at skill positions. However, the youth movement of increased talent is going to be on full display.

All eyes are on our defense and in particular the secondary which simply got scorched in 2011 in part because of repeated mental errors and in part because we had little to resemble a pass rush. The biggest complaint among fans was the lack of any coaching changes, especially on defense. I don't think Fitz is going anywhere between now and 2020, the end of his contract, but I do think there are two sides to this relationship between the coach and the fanbase. Fans underestimate just how extremely challenging it is to recruit against the B1G, Stanford and others with the worst facilities of the lot and a gameday atmosphere that ranks near the bottom of the conference. Meanwhile, Fitz's ability to achieve middle of the pack consistency has raised expectations and with raised expectations comes criticism. There is a sense that the criticism shouldn't exist in some of the comments Fitz makes, but from my vantage point, having it is a great thing as it shows the fanbase's expectations have risen.

Chadnudj: Pat Fitzgerald is Northwestern Coach for As Long As He Wants, and frankly he'll want to stay there as long as he wants to be a football coach. I know this is hard to believe in today's era of coaches chasing the big money wherever it takes them, or jumping up to "better" or "bigger name" schools when they come knocking, but Pat Fitzgerald is really happy at Northwestern, and is sure he can win there (Gary Barnett and Randy Walker won 3 Big Ten titles total with Barnett leading NU as high as #3 in the nation heading into the Rose Bowl, neither recruited as well as Fitz has, and Fitz will get a huge benefit from the upcoming facilities overhaul). Fitzgerald and his wife's families are both from the Chicago-area, which means his 3 sons get plenty of chances to see their grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins, and Fitz sees a lot of his college/high school friends. Fitz's role models as a coach are Barnett (who has said in retrospect that while he loved Colorado and was excited to go back there, he maybe should have stayed in Evanston), Walker (who loved Evanston and never would have left -- he left his own alma mater at Miami of Ohio to come to Northwestern), and Joe Paterno (who basically set the model for "staying at a great place for you and building a program, even if it means less money"). And he's just 9 wins away from being Northwestern's all-time winningest coach.

You really can't stress it enough -- Fitz will stay in Evanston. He'll probably stay there at least another 20-30 years (remember, he's only 37). The ONLY way he'd ever leave is if the administration stopped doing what it takes to compete....and from the looks of things (increased marketing efforts to increase ticket sales, the fact that school president Morton Schapiro is a HUGE football fan, recent significant increases in pay for Fitz and his assistants, the Under Armour contract, and the upcoming athletics faciliites overhaul that will involve a completely new football training facility that could be on campus, and maybe even a new football stadium entirely) that is not going to happen.

MSUlaxer27: I really do not see any scenario where Fitzgerald leaves NU for another job on his own accord. OK, if XYZ University comes and offers him kajillion dollars, I am sure he will at least take their phone call. The only way I see him coaching anywhere else is if he suddenly loses his wizard powers and starts having 2-10 (0-8) seasons on a regular basis and the Wildcats fire him. I do not think any rational person expects NU to contend for B1G titles on a "regular" basis. As such, as an alum, who obviously likes being there, he has about the perfect job and as much security one can have in the current climate.

2) Deuxième-Warm lobster and shrimp salad, topped with shredded goat cheese, with a balsamic vinaigrette: The Wildcats have had a string of recent success with their quarterback play, as Mike Kafka and Dan Persa both had stellar careers. Now, it looks like Kain Colter is up next. As a sophomore he was used as a quarterback, running back, and receiver, and he was very good at all three (673 yards, 6 TD's 1 INT passing, 654 yards and 9 TD's as a rusher, 43 catches and 466 yards with 3 TD's as a receiver). How will Northwestern's offense run with Colter as the signal caller, and how will they replace his production as a receiver/rusher?

Kennard Husker: Watching Colter torch Nebraska makes me think he has the talent to do great things, but then I remember that lots of people torched Nebraska last year, so who knows. The bottom line is that he has the speed and athleticism to do big things, and if he learns the offense and throws the ball with a modicum of accuracy, that offense will keep things going. As for his lost production? Well, that becomes a whole lot dicier. I am not super aware of what lurks in the shadows over in Northwesternworld, but I feel like reloading is much more difficult for them than it is for other schools. The hope has to be that Fitzgerald and McCall come up with something fancy to offset the production. We'll see how that works out.

Rodger Sherman, Sippin' On Purple: I should be worried, but I'm not. First off, as you said, there's the fact that Kafka and Persa - both of whom looked scared and untrustworthy in brief roles when forced into play as backup quarterbacks - looked amazing and irreplaceable when their time came. Colter has looked very similar to how those guys looked before their star turns. That, and the fact that Northwestern's deepest and best position is probably wide receiver - Kyle Prater! (if he plays) - leads me to believe he can lead the passing game. As a rusher, I expect Colter to be Northwestern's leading rusher next year, because the option is always a thing and Northwestern's cupboard is more or less entirely empty at running back.

Lake The Posts: Fortunately this one is easy. Northwestern is loaded with more true depth at WR than at anytime in the history of the program, including our mid 90s Big Ten title teams. Wildcat fans are fingers crossed that the nation's #1 WR coming out of HS in 2010, Kyle Prater, will get a waiver to play this season after transferring from USC for personal family reasons. The scary thing is even if he doesn't, we're still loaded. Gamebreaker Tony Jones, senior Demetrius Fields, RS SO Rashad Lawrence, SO Christian Jones and a few young guys like RS FR Pierre Ary-Youngblood and RS FR Camerson Dickerson make you wonder if we have enough passes to go around. Our WR are big, athletic and deep.

Colter will be QB1 and we'll be running the spread once again. Make no mistake about it though, back-up Trevor Siemien will be getting quite a bit of time under center as well. Colter is just a beast on the option which is where he'll get a ton of designed runs. He's got a long way to go to become consistent as a passer, but the guy is a winner (see: Nebraska). The fear among fans is durability as he has that grit where he feels invincible and you know he's going to be a marked target. Rushing is a major issue. We're very lean once again at RB, a position of underachievement at NU in the Fitz era. It has been platoon city there and we've failed to have a bellcow since Tyrell Sutton graduated after the '08 season. Mike Trumpy is the best back returning, however he's still recovering from a blown ACL. Highly-touted incoming freshman RB Malin Jones may very well get called upon early and we moved speed demon WR/PR/KR Venric Mark to RB which is an experiment that has many excited.

Chadnudj: At this point, I have tremendous faith in offensive coordinator/QB coach Mick McCall to prepare anyone with a full spring/summer to excel in the Northwestern offense. When CJ Bacher left, people thought Mike Kafka was a run-first QB....he ended his career throwing 70 passes in the Outback Bowl and getting drafted by the Eagles. Mike Kafka left, and people thought Dan Persa was a run-first QB who didn't have a strong enough arm....he ended his career the NCAA's career leader in completion percentage. And in flashes, Colter looked really good last year -- not just running and catching, but throwing it too (he had a 67% completion rate, which is more than respectable). The offense will be fine, and with some tall/experienced WRs, Colter will put up big passing numbers.

MSUlaxer27: Is it just me or are we seeing an increase in the number of running/throwing/jumping/dancing/cartwheeling QB's in this league? Shoelace, Braxton Miller, Juice, Wilson, Gray etc. It seems like we've reached a new era of mobility under center. In answer to this question, it seems like every year we question whether NU QB X can replace the All-Illinois QB Y from the previous season and they do. Northwestern always seems to have an excellent QB in waiting, so I'm sure we'll see Colter line up under center, in the slot and in the backfield and probably washing jersey's too. Also if Chad is to be believed, NU has the greatest set of receivers since, well, MSU last year (or at least what MSU fans thought going into the season).

3) Les Viandes et Les Volailles--Duo of slow-roasted veal and lamb chop, pommes purée, Maitake mushroom, sauce Périgueux: Speaking of the Fitzgerald era, it's largely been a success. He's built on Randy Walker's legacy, and has a 40-36 record overall. But...Northwestern is 0-4 in bowl games under Fitz, and has never really been in serious contention for the B1G title. Has Fitzgerald taken Northwestern as far as they can go? If not, how can he get ‘over the hump' and get the ‘Cats into contention for Indianapolis and/or a BCS game?

Baba O'Really: I don't really believe that any school has a ceiling on their potential. Of course it is much harder for a school like Northwestern to consistently battle for conference championships than it is for Ohio State-type programs. I like Fitz even though I think that he is slightly overrated when it comes to B1G coach rankings. This guy even had him at #1 before last season. Even so, Fitz has built a decent foundation at NU and it just takes a good team and a lot of luck to make it into a BCS game. I know this has been brought up many times before, but it is the perfect example of my point: Ron Zook took Illinois to the Rose Bowl. If we live in a world where that is possible, then the Wildcats certainly have a chance to get in a BCS game.

Kennard Husker: Forget Indy and the BCS. How about winning a freaking bowl game, right? See, I don't really know if it matters to Northwestern fans if Fitz never wins the National Championship, but consistently winning bowls (similar to K-State) would be enough to make the masses happy and show progress. To do so, however, he has to get that defense up to snuff. You can only score so many points, and while everyone likes watching Touchdowns, it will be important to get some stops in a conference that keeps getting faster on both sides of the ball.

Rodger Sherman, Sippin' On Purple: I think Northwestern can contend for a Big Ten title. I mean, it's happened! In my lifetime! Multiple times! However, I don't think they will this year. It'll take more talent - which, at least according to recruiting people, is a thing that's happening - and luck. To be Big Ten champion, Northwestern will have to win, like, two or three games that they shouldn't have.

Lake The Posts: Clearly based on the teams that Fitzgerald was a part of (2X Big Ten champs) as a player, Northwestern can and has gone much farther. However, whether or not Fitz can take the program to the upper tier is the great question. From a talent perspective he's making great strides and the level of talent among the underclassmen compared to the upperclassmen is pretty clearly different in a good way. Ironically, defense has been an issue for Fitz's teams, something I would've thought would've been a strength based on his pedigree. Fitz is a big fan of coaching stability and the 'Cats have that. However, fans patience has diminished with DC Mike Hankwitz and many expected him to be gone after last year's season. We've got to develop a passrush and our secondary will need to be more consistent for us to get over the hump. Fitz trumps a "players, plays, schemes" priority philosophy and the "players" part has moved in the right direction, now the "plays" and "schemes" remain to be seen. It should be pointed out the road will get much harder starting next year as our schedule becomes downright brutal by 2014. We've added the likes of Stanford, Notre Dame, Cal and others to our non-conference slates which will get much tougher with the addition of Wisconsin and Ohio State. We'll be top five/top ten range toughest schedules in the country starting next year.

Chadnudj: No, I think Fitz is going to take the Wildcats to Indy, and probably a BCS game. Maybe not this year, or the next....but it's coming.

Remember, he came into the job with ZERO head coaching experience, and ZERO coordinator experience. He's been learning on the job, and has shown consistent improvement as a game day coach and recruiter. (In fact, that's a HUGE reason to expect improvement -- each of his classes has improved on the last, and he's already landed an ESPN Top 150/Rivals 4-star QB in Matt Alviti for next year.) The administration is putting money behind the program in the way of facilities upgrades -- upgrades that will probably make training and recruiting even easier for Fitz. The program has stability, is improving, and some day soon, Fitz will be leading the Cats to a BCS bowl (insert obligatory "and probably losing" comment).

MSUlaxer27: I'm hesitant to say that a team has reached its limit or that big wins are flukes as 20 years ago who thought UW would be good on a consistent basis? It's becoming a bit dated to say that "football began in 1995" but if I told a lifelong NU fan in 1992 that this is what the next 20 years would look like (record wise) I'm sure he would have jumped for joy. Fitzgerald has a .500 record against his main "rival." He has a winning record against everyone in his division not from the state of Michigan (seriously, 2-8 against the Spartans and Wolverines?) Maybe this is as far as NU goes. When is Good Enough, good enough?

4) Les Fromages et Les Desserts--Warm flourless chocolate cake with liquid ganache center, Armagnac ice cream: We kid about Northwestern and their blue blood lineage, but let's face it, sometimes those connections open doors. In sports, a blue blood lineage can give teams or players an advantage in terms of getting 'better' bowls, and players of those schools more consideration for post season awards. Give me one 'blue blood' team that you think got to a BCS (or New Year's Day Bowl pre-BCS) game based solely on their name/school history and one player from a 'blue blood' school that either won the Heisman or got serious Heisman consideration simply because he played for a traditional college football power.

Kennard Husker: You mean, other than TSISB and everything that is associated with it? Because I'm pretty sure every ounce of respect for them in the past two decades rises and falls with their name.

Rodger Sherman, Sippin' On Purple: Ummm.... Iowa sucks?

Lake The Posts: Man, that is one of the more challenging questions I've had in awhile. From a team perspective we in Evanston always default to "That Team From South Bend" as one that gets way too much credit for not doing all that much. When you look at their schedule you wonder how they don't do better as it maxes out by end of September after playing Michigan, Michigan State early and of course USC late. It's only a matter of a few more average seasons that they'll have cemented themselves in to perma-mediocrity in the eyes of many 17-year-olds. I've been shocked by Texas over the past couple of years as to me it is simply inexplicable that that program could not post 9-wins a year minimum with the talent level they have.

However, I usually get frustrated by the hall pass that Illinois gets in the Chicago area. They are far from a blueblood and until the past couple of seasons with average teams (that beat NU the past two seasons!) are somehow rarely mentioned as having a pretty crappy past 20+ seasons. The hangover effect of Northwestern's Dark Ages (72-95) never seems to go away, yet look at Illinois since '92. It's been pretty bleak with an outlier season here or there - just enough to keep the reputation from the program as being more Indiana and Minnesota than what average fans give them credit for around here.

From a Heisman perspective I can't single out any one guy as of late as the smoking gun case, however I do see a more regional bias. The trend has gone south over the past 10-12 years and I'd love to see more breakdowns of the balloting earlier to really see how geographically biased it is. I contend many voters (just like the CFB polls) are seeing far less action than fans at home who can watch a dozen games in a day. Beat writers who spend 12 hours at a game covering Home State U yet have a vote makes me think many of the voters are voting within the pool of what they see - their conference - as opposed to a truly objective view of the entire country's best talent pool.

MSUlaxer27: Or the "Are you fucking serious, question?!" How about both UM and VA Tech last year...some termed it the "Splenda Bowl." Alternatively, UM in '99 when they went to the Orange over an MSU team that they lost to, but had the same record? Anyway. The bowl season is a joke.

The second part is also the easiest answer ever: Paul Hornung Notre Dame, 1956. Hornung was the team's primary QB, KR, and PK. He also had the most individual rushing attempts, although these attempts made up less than 1/4 of the total rushing attempts that season.

His stat line:

QB: 59/111 917yds 3TD 13 INT
RB 94 rushes 420 yds 0TD
KR 16 KRs 496 0TD (It appears he was a really good kick returner with a 30yd return avg.)

Let's recap fND's 1956 season:

Notre Dame went 2-8 in 1956, the two wins were over hapless IU (3-6) and worse UNC (2-7-1) only one loss was by less than a touchdown (13-19 to SMU(4-6)). They lost by 14 to a bad Purdue team(3-4-2) and were positively noncompetitive against MSU, OU, Navy, and Iowa (14-47, 0-40, 7-33, 8-48 respectively). In summary, his stats weren't that good, the team was atrocious, and he clearly didn't deserve the Heisman. If you put him on 3-6 Indiana that year and he turned in the same stat sheet, there is exactly zero chance he wins the Heisman.