Cardinals fans hope this big drum is the only thing Purdue beats on Saturday
I remember the last time the Cardinals suited up against a Big 10 foe from Indiana, and the Hoosier faithful were confident and cocksure that we had no business on their field. “That piddly teachers college” in Muncie was in over their heads, the football team was a joke, the coach was, in fact, satiable…. all those misconceptions crashing down around them as the Cardinals laid wood from pillar to post. Do I expect to lay a beating on the Boilers the likes of which we saw in Bloomington? Most likely not, as this team is far different than the 08 Cards, and Purdue is far better than the 08 Hoosiers. (In other obvious news, water is wet, the sun rises in the East, and apparently politicians are not 100% honest. I know, shocking.)
The curious thing is that even though our Cardinals clock in at 1-1, splitting our first two games this season, both against FCS competition, optimism is still at impressive heights. Maybe that has to do with the emergence on Saturday of Keith Wenning, perhaps the next great QB to tear through the MAC. Perhaps it’s just an undying love for Ball State that keeps our fanbase optimistic about our chances against the Boilermakers.
From Ball State’s Release:
- Ball State and Purdue have met seven times and the Boilermakers have won each meeting
- The last time the teams met was 2006 and Purdue defeated the Cardinals 38-28
- All seven games have been played at Purdue
- Purdue is 1-1 after tallying a 31-21 win at home over Western Illinois Saturday
- The Boilermakers opened the season with a 23-12 loss at Notre Dame.
- The Coach: Danny Hope (Eastern Kentucky ‘81) is in his second year as Purdue’s head coach and owns a 6-8 mark
- He has posted a 41-30 career head coaching record, including a stint at Eastern Kentucky from 2003-07.
- Purdue is averaging 164.5 rushing yards and 197.5 passing yards per contest
- Robert Mavre has completed 54-of-76 passes for 391 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions
- Dan Dierking is averaging 79.0 yards per game rushing.
Well, at least there’s a bit of recent history there since we’ve strapped up against the Boilers in 2006. Truthfully, this 2010 edition of the Cardinals is eerily similar to that 2006 version, but with one key exception. Despite the youth, the inexperience, and the lack of big wins, this program does in fact have a significant amount of talent. Take a look at the current two-deep for BSU:
First the offense…
And you can’t have offense without the defense…
Talent? We got it. Now, is it a talent that stretches the depth chart and can overcome things like injury, fatigue, etc. when playing on the road? Doubtful. But the 1st teams for each are considerably closer in ability than Purdue fans would like to believe or may even realize. Is it enough to overcome and win our 2nd contest against a BCS automatic qualifying conference in program history? We’ll find out on Saturday, 12pm, in West Lafayette.
Filed under: Ball State, Big 10 |
Over The Pylon 
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