I hope by now that most of you have found some relief from the ridiculous loss this past weekend. I have not heard anyone confirm my take that this was the worst home game loss thus far in The Tiller Era. By that I mean, we were 10 pt favorites against a mid tier ACC team, and we really handed them this game after 5 turnovers (3 in the red zone) and 3 missed FG's. It was nauseating to listen to this one and I imagine it might have been even more gruesome in person. Frankly, I did not spend a ton of time on this Report Card below because it is difficult to make judgements from a radio feed, and also it makes me want to pull out the vomit bag when rehashing this contest. You're feedback is welcome, but remember that I've already made excuses for the quality of the report. (grin)
Beyond the Report Card in today's edition, we have some great news on the recruiting front with Verbal #4 in IND WR Cole Seifrig, and then all the post game recaps. To close out, a preview of this weekend's critical Homecoming, Big 10 Opener against 4-0 Minnesota.
This weekend we will find out what this team and our diehard fans are truly made of. The program is in a tailspin right now and their is discontentment everywhere you turn. We need to turn things around in a big way this weekend or a number of things will suffer as a result (recruiting, attendance, bowl possibilities). I've said this many times before, but a true diehard Boilermaniac does NOT quit on this program. Now more than ever, this team needs a very vocal crowd to get behind them very early on Saturday.
It's time for the true diehards to do some recruiting of their own and bring some extra fans to the game this weekend. 47,000 - 53,000 is not going to cut it for a Big 10 Home Opener against a 4-0 opponent and a 5pm start time (everyone who hates early start times take notice!). As bad as the non-conf part of the season has gone, we have a clean slate now for Big 10 play and we fans have a job to do this weekend to get the team on the right track. How nice would it be for our players to see 65,000 PLUS screaming Boilermaniacs when they take the field this coming Saturday? I'm betting that our defense could use some additional inspiration from a raucous crowd and not just on 3rd downs.
I was in Houston for the Texans - Colts game yesterday, and it was an ear opening experience. I'm telling you the score would've been Colts 42 - Texans 0 if it were not for the most consistently loud crowd I've ever witnessed in my lifetime. The Texans Fans brought their lungs and throats from the first Colts snap on offense and no one could hear the guy next to them. Peyton Manning had to walk up to each of his lineman and give them the signals. As a Colts fan, I was incredibly envious of the way the Texan fans were contributing on EVERY SINGLE DOWN when the Colts had the ball. The Texans Fans were even presented a game ball (before the game on The Jumbotron) for their performance against The Cowboys 2 weeks ago. Without question, they were the best "man" on the field for Houston yesterday.
The ones that care most about The Boilers will find a way to be in the house (and/or they will recruit a replacment and some extras) this weekend. When they get to Ross-Ade, they will do everything in their power (using their lungs and vocal cords) to help our defense make some key stops and force some turnovers. If you're angry and frustrated, try venting via screaming for our defense on the first Minnesota snap, it is VERY THERAPEUTIC! It's even more therapeutic to continue doing so for each subsequent Minnesota snap.
I look forward to seeing a very rabid and hopefully FULL stadium this weekend!
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Barclay's Report Card for Purdue - Wake Forest
9/21/2002
Offensive Line... (C-)
Hard to grade, seemed to give Orton time and free up some big holes for the running game. Had some silly penalties.
Running Backs... (D)
Joey was all world with some major runs in the first half but had another killer fumble in the red zone. Montrell had a horrendous day , losing a fumble or two, and provided little relief. Void did not play with an injury and Jones filled in capably. The fumbles ruined what could have been a great day on the ground.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends... (C-)
Standeford was the best WR on the field Saturday once again and had 2 more long TD catches though I hear that he also had a couple costly drops. Stubblefield provided some excellent support and led the team with 7 grabs but had a bonehead fumble on a bubble screen that was very painful. Chambers had a nice TD run and Morales had a couple catches. Davis brought the grade down with some key drops.
Quarterbacks... (C-)
Orton got better from a stats perspective going 26 for 43 for 331 yards and 3 TD passes. BUT, he had a costly pick and struggled on some key 3rd down conversions. I've heard from a few folks at the game that he missed some very open receivers at times. I'd have given him a B if he could've gotten us one more TD to win the game.
Defensive Line... (C-)
The bookends were very active as Nesfield was in on 12 tackles and Phillips was in on 10 but the tackles struggled.
Linebackers... (D+)
The guys had a number of tackles but they did not plug the run nearly as much as I expected them to. Niko had a horrific roughing the QB penalty that sustained a TD drive.
Safeties... (C-)
Made plenty of tackles but again we gave up too many yards and points.
Cornerbacks... (C-)
It wasn't the passing defense that killed us. However, WFU was very accurate going 9-12 for 120 yards so they were effective when they needed to be.
Special Teams... (F)
3 missed FG's from 39-46 yards is woeful. Make 1 out of 3 and the grade goes up a bit.
Coaches... (D)
The coaches can't pass when the guys they teach all week fail on Saturday. Still, I don't think their game plan was was an F. The players have to do their part and they did not get it done.
Fans... (F)
47,000 fans for an ACC opponent (better than MAC) is regression to a point that I can't tolerate. Unacceptable.
-Barclay
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RECRUITING: IND WR Cole Seifrig commits to Purdue
Posted by: Richards on September 24, 2002 at 01:36:19 - IP 12.222.152.159
http://hoopscampus.com/bb/bigten/Gridiron/messages/29986.shtml
Cole Seifrig, a 6'2 wide receiver candidate from Heritage Hills HS (IN) has verballed after a weekend visit. He's got speed comparable to Samardzija at close to 4.4, and has that extra gear according to Chris Pool's reports. He averages over 100 yards per game. He has 17 touchdowns and 105 points, which I believe ranks second in the state now. He was averaging 12.9 yards per carry two games ago, and since then has had games of 17 carries for 173 yards and 7 carries for 71 yards. There have been previous internet rumors that he has verballed to Alabama and Kentucky at one time or another. Both were false. Seifrig comes from Heritage Hills, a school the staff is familiar with. Jon Goldsberry came from there, and some might remember an athlete named Jay Cutler (6'4 QB) who was being mentioned in Purdue circles about this time two years ago.
The following scouting report is courtesy of HSSP, publishers of the Indiana High School Football Guide..."Seifrig has developed into a multi-dimensional weapon for the Patriots, who strung together a 29-game winning streak over 2000 and 2001, including a 3A state championship in 2000. In 2001, Cole rushed for 1321 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. Seifrig also caught 31 passes for 561 yards. On defense, he collected 75 tackles. All-together, Seifrig accumulated 2,335 total yards. Cole was named Conference MVP and IFCA Junior All-State. Seifrig is also on the baseball team. In the classroom, Cole carries a 3.5 GPA."
Here's what he did last week...HERITAGE HILLS 39, NORTH POSEY 6: Senior Cole Seifrig scored five touchdowns for the unbeaten Patriots, who are ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. Three of Seifrig's TDs came in the second quarter as Heritage Hills (5-0) opened a 32-0 halftime lead. Seifrig's scores came on 16-, 8- and 19-yard passes from Greg Gogel, a 47-yard punt return and a 41-yard run. He has 17 TDs this season. Seifrig ran seven times for 71 yards and caught six passes for 73 more.
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Tiller's frustration nears boiling point
Coach considering physical practices to halt fumbling habit
By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200209230purdue_football1032759661.shtml
"It's not fair to say Purdue football coach Joe Tiller was in a bad mood on Sunday. But it would be accurate to say his patience is wearing thin.
Turnovers, crucial penalties, dropped passes and missed field goals will do that to a coach.
So will back-to-back sub-par performances, including Saturday's 24-21 loss to visiting Wake Forest. Especially with the start of the Big Ten Conference season the next item on the agenda.
If the 2-2 Boilermakers lose their league opener at home Saturday to Minnesota, it will be the first time in six seasons that a Tiller-coached Purdue team will be under .500 five games into the season.
"We certainly haven't performed the way we would like," Tiller said about Purdue's non-conference portion of the 2002 season. "We've been patient in terms of not being negative, or ripping them, so to speak. But I don't know how much longer this can go on.
"If they play with a greater sense of urgency, maybe the results would be different. With the Big Ten, it's kind of like the rebirth of the season. We can put this 2-2 stuff behind us and see if we can pick up our intensity."
for the full story click on the above link
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Monday Morning quarterback
Boilers have too many fumble fingers in backfield
September 23, 2002
http://www.indystar.com/article.php?pufb23.html
"Purdue coach Joe Tiller doesn't have many options when it comes to rectifying the Boilermakers' fumbling problems.
Joey Harris, Montrell Lowe and Jerod Void -- the Boilers' top three running backs -- have combined for nine fumbles in Purdue's first four games.
Overall, the Boilers have fumbled 14 times and lost 10 and have a disappointing 2-2 record after Saturday's 24-21 loss to Wake Forest. Tiller wasn't specific on how the coaching staff might address those woes, but he didn't rule out more contact drills in practice.
"The question becomes: Do you want to put your entire team at risk to correct that particular problem?" he said Sunday. "But we're not going to sit still. We're going to do everything we can to correct it."
for the full story click on the link above
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Miscues doom Boilers
Purdue victimized by five turnovers, three missed field goals in 4th quarter
By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200209220purdue_football1032672642.shtml
The Purdue football players must have used too much butter during their pregame breakfast Saturday morning.
Because later in the afternoon, the butterfingered Boilermakers played a game of giveaway with the football and Wake Forest gladly accepted a 24-21 victory in Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue turned the ball over five times, and four of them were disastrous.
Two came inside the Wake Forest 20-yard line and cost Purdue potential points, and the Demon Deacons cashed in the other two for 10 points of their own.
"It's always a game of turnovers," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "When you turn the ball over that much, that's a huge hole. And we had some penalties today that were unbelievable."
When Purdue's Berin Lacevic missed three field goals in the fourth quarter -- from 46, 40 and 44 yards -- it assured the Boilermakers would limp into the start of the Big Ten Conference season next Saturday against Minnesota with a 2-2 record."
for the full story click on the above link
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Wake Forest 24, Purdue 21
Boilers bounce wrong way
Costly penalties, 5 turnovers, 3 missed FGs add up to Purdue loss.
By Michael Pointer
michael.pointer@indystar.com
September 22, 2002
http://www.indystar.com/article.php?pufb22.html
"WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Saturday was supposed to be the day a veteran Purdue football team bounced back from a lackluster performance and showed it's a Big Ten title contender.
This time, however, the Boilermakers gave the game away. Purdue committed five turnovers, suffered costly penalties and missed three field goals -- including Berin Lacevic's 44-yard attempt with 16 seconds left -- en route to a 24-21 loss to Wake Forest before 48,550 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
"This hurts," free safety Stuart Schweigert said. "This was kind of a chance for us to bounce back and boost us into the Big Ten season. Now, it's kind of like starting all over."
The Boilermakers (2-2) had rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Western Michigan 28-24 one week earlier. That was supposed to be a wake-up call. Purdue was 21-1 at home against unranked opponents under coach Joe Tiller>"
for the full story click on the link above
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Mistakes cost Boilermakers game
By Jason Tomcsi
Sports Editor
http://www.purdueexponent.org/interface/bebop/showstory.php?date=2002/09/23§ion=sports&storyid=index
"It's always a game of turnovers. When you turn the ball over that much, that's a huge hole," said head coach Joe Tiller. "One of the best things we've done in this young season is play the game relatively penalty-free. We had some penalties today that were unbelievable."
"I'm just sick about the turnovers in the red zone," said Tiller. "If there's anything that gets under my craw more than anything else, it's turning the ball over when you're going in to score."
"I just didn't think we had any luck," said Tiller. "We had the big plays and had penalties and we haven't had that before. Right now, we seem to be manufacturing ways to shoot ourselves in the foot."
for the full story click on the link above
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Boilermaker defense run over
By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200209223purdue_football1032672642.shtml
"After watching Wake Forest freshman Chris Barclay frequently twist and turn his way into the Purdue secondary Saturday, Boilermaker free safety Stuart Schweigert couldn't have been more direct.
"If a team's safeties are making a majority of the plays 8 yards deep into the secondary, there is a problem," Schweigert said after Wake Forest shocked Purdue 24-21 in Ross-Ade Stadium.
Schweigert and strong safety Ralph Turned had 21 combined tackles against the Demon Deacons, who became the first foe since Indiana last Nov. 24 to rush for more than 200 yards against the Boilermakers.
The Hoosiers won that one 13-7, finishing with 204 yards on the ground."
for the full story click on the link above
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Program has misplaced winning formula
By Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/columns/200209221purdue_football1032672642.shtml
"As a stunned crowd filed out of Ross-Ade Stadium late Saturday afternoon, a well-dressed gentleman turned to his friends and said quietly, "This team is going to struggle in the Big Ten."
If Wake Forest's 24-21 victory against Purdue is an indication of things to come, the senior citizen hit the nail on the head.
Turnovers, penalties and missed field goals are a college football team's worst nightmare.
Right now, a Purdue team that appeared to have all the right stuff in August has dug itself into a hole with enough fumbles, yellow flags and missed scoring opportunities to last a 12-game season.
And today only is Sept. 22. There are eight Big Ten games on the Boilermakers' dance card. Right now, this team has two left feet, and Arthur Murray is missing in action.
Certainly, Wake Forest did some good things -- it turned the ball over only once and rushed for 248 yards against one of the Big Ten's best defenses.
But believe me, the Demon Deacons aren't nearly as fierce as their nickname implies"
for the full story click on the above link
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Kicker carries weight of defeat on shoulders
By Tom Kubat, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200209222purdue_football1032672642.shtml
"The three kicks were virtually identical.
The first one came from 46 yards out. The second one from 40 yards away. And the third one was a 44-yard attempt.
They all came in the fourth quarter. They all came from the left hashmark. They all were long enough.
Unfortunately for Berin Lacevic, they all sailed wide to the left.
"After I missed the first one, I definitely thought I was going to make the second one," Lacevic said. "And after missing the second one, I'm not going to lie, I was pretty beaten down mentally on my third one. But I thought I was going to make it."
for the full story click on the link above
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Stubblefield makes long-awaited debut
By Brendan Murphy and Jeff Washburn, Journal and Courier
http://www.boilerstation.com/football/stories/200209225purdue_football1032672642.shtml
"By his own admission, Purdue wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield was not prepared mentally or physically for his first game of the season Saturday against Wake Forest.
After suffering a skull fracture on July 4, Stubblefield has been on the sidelines for the first three games.
The 6-foot-1, 172-pound sophomore was cleared Thursday after undergoing a series of tests and was inserted into the lineup with less than three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
"Mentally I wasn't into the game, and physically I don't think I was as well prepared as I should be," said Stubblefield, who had 58 yards on seven receptions. "The next week of practice will be real good for me so I can get back into game speed and not make a dumb mistake like I did."
for the full story click on the link above
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purdue notebook
Stubblefield loses ball in return from injury
By Michael Pointer
michael.pointer@indystar.com
September 22, 2002
http://www.indystar.com/article.php?punotes22.html,sports
"WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue football fans were thrilled to see Taylor Stubblefield playing again. But watching him commit a costly fumble was not what they expected.
Purdue and Wake Forest were tied 7-7 late in the first half on Saturday when Stubblefield dropped what he thought was a screen pass from quarterback Kyle Orton.
The pass actually was a lateral, but before Stubblefield realized it, Wake Forest's Warren Braxton recovered at the Purdue 40-yard line. Chris Barclay scored on an 11-yard run eight plays later to give Wake Forest the lead.
"It's happened so many times, where we missed that play or dropped it or whatever happens, and it's an incomplete pass," Stubblefield said. "That's what I took it as. But I was a little deep on my route and Kyle threw it where I was. I wasn't where I should have been."
for the full story click on the link above
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Football Game Notes
Purdue-Minnesota: Sept. 28, 2002
Sept. 23, 2002
http://purduesports.ocsn.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092302aaa.html
"Purdue Boilermakers (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Ross-Ade Stadium (66,295) - West Lafayette, Indiana
September 28, 2002 - 5 p.m. EST - Homecoming - ESPN2
ALL-TIME RECORD: 524-449-48 (.537) - 115th season
BIG TEN RECORD: 280-312-32 (.474) - 107th season
PROJECTED ATTENDANCE: 55,000
RADIO: Boilermaker Sports Network (Flagship - WAZY, 96.5 FM, West Lafayette) - Joe McConnell (play-by-play), Pete Quinn (color commentary), Brett Schetzsle (sideline), Tim Newton (pregame/halftime/postgame)
TELEVISION: ESPN2 - Dave Barnett (play-by-play), Bill Curry and Mike Golic (color commentary), Michele Tafoya (sidelines)
A LOOK AT THE BOILERMAKERS: The Purdue football team, under sixth-year head coach Joe Tiller, plays host to Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. It is the Big Ten Conference opener for both teams. It is Homecoming and the third of three straight home games for the Boilermakers. Purdue is one of merely two schools in the Big Ten and one of only 13 nationally to play in in a bowl game each of the last five seasons.
IF THE BOILERMAKERS WIN ...
* They will improve to 6-0 in both Big Ten openers and Homecoming games under head coach Joe Tiller.
* They will avoid falling below .500 for the first time since being 3-4 in 1998.
* Tiller will move into a second-place tie on the Purdue career wins list with 42 (with Noble Kizer, 1930-36). "
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