Coming into this season, people could’ve cared less about the Purdue football team. In the past four years, their overall record was 9-39 with no hope in sight. As this season has wound down, they have more than half as many wins (5) as they did during those four years combined.
Not a lot was known about head coach Jeff Brohm other than the fact he scored points at will with his former school, Western Kentucky. For any coach going to a school that is yearning for a successful team, the expectations can be overwhelming (i.e.: Charlie Strong at Texas.) I’m not saying that Purdue has had some of the most exciting teams, but after being the laughing stock of the Big Ten for the past five or six years, the fans want to see wins.
This year has seen a lot of ups and downs for this young Purdue team. They have had some really good showings, such their game against Louisville (when we thought they were good), against Michigan, at Wisconsin, at Northwestern and their last win at Iowa against a Hawkeyes team that kicked my Buckeyes ass. They have also had some very poor showings, though. For example, their loss to Nebraska at home, their loss to Rutgers at Rutgers. Yes, they are a youthful team, but if they want to make any noise in the B1G, they will need to find ways to eliminate those losses.
As the Old Oaken Bucket is on the line this week against Indiana, Purdue’s bowl eligibility is also on the line. For the mighty Boilermakers, this week is a must win if they want any positive momentum to lead them into next year. Yes there have been some dark days in West Lafayette, but the future is looking very bright for this Purdue team.