Game 3: Toledo

Oktoberfest!

The MAC West leading Toledo Rockets roll into town this week riding a two game winning streak. This is a team that we managed to beat last year for our only victory in the first 7 games played. This however does not appear to be the same Toledo team that finished 5-7 last year as they have notched impressive victories over Ohio and Western Michigan. However, their rankings among all D1 programs is still 100 or below in all relevant offensive categories so I am confident that the Boilers can come away with a victory!

As the season is now just past the quarter pole we should stop to take stock on where the Boilers stand to this point in the season.

The Good:
Purdue is 2-1 and has a shot at a winning September for the first time since 2007.

In spite of Boldon’s season ending injury during spring practice Purdue has managed 177 yards/game on the ground.

We don’t yet have any QB controversy.

The defense has been good and ranks #1 in the Big Ten in sacks.

The Bad:
The injury bug has bit us right in the rear end.

The passing game is not firing on all cylinders and we’re not physical enough to play smash mouth football come Big Ten season.

If Rob Henry continues to put the pressure on we’re going to end up with a QB controversy. Anyone remember the last time that happened? Brandon Kirsch ended up ripping the locker room apart when he got benched.

I think that about sums up what we can say right now. I’m still optimistic about the season but I’m thinking about making other, non-bowl related plans for Christmas time.

We will be celebrating our annual Oktoberfest tailgate this week complete with German Oktoberfest beer and men in lederhosen! In keeping with the theme we will be serving a full spread of German delicacies including bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and of course Sue’s deep fried krautballs.

We will plan on meeting in the W lot on Saturday morning, hopefully towards the front of the lot just like last year. The W lot is across from the Slater Hill and the Stone Cold Tailgating Club spot is marked by the gold square.

For those of you parking in the IM Gold Lot it is only a 5 minute walk to the W lot, just think of us being on the way to the stadium. We have the large flagpole that extends to 20 feet and an ambulance so hopefully you will be able to locate us easily. We will be sporting our custom flag this year which sports our “Old School Boilermakers” motif similar to our cups. A picture of the flag has been added in the right tool bar.

Saturday September 25, 2010
8:00 a.m. Depart for the W Lot
8:15 a.m. Arrive W lot/Set up Tailgate
11:15 a.m. Depart for Stadium
12:00 p.m. Kick Off

Eric and his parents will be departing from the house at 8:00 to ensure that we have two adjacent spots. If anyone else would like to meet at the house they are welcome to but it is not necessary. We have room to transport up to 7 people from the house in the ambulance and Element.

Game 2: Ball State

Can Somebody Pass the Tequila?

Um, well, that officially sucked last weekend. Keith Smith is likely lost for the season on a high/low hit on the sideline in the fourth quarter. What were the starters doing in there in the forth quarter against a FCS (aka I-AA) team? Well, the game was still embarrassingly close at that point. All in all not an impressive win, but hey it was a win which is more than this week’s opponent can say. Yes, that’s right, Ball State dropped a game to FCS team Liberty last weekend. I’m thinking Saturday will be a "titanic" struggle to say the least.

If the game isn’t going to be great there is only one thing to do: have a great tailgate! We will be hosting several of the participants from this year’s SCTC Vacation to Cozumel last May. In honor of this mini-reunion we will be having a selection of Mexican favorites including carnitas or beef tacos, elote, and chips and salsa. Oh, and of course Vampiros, Margaritas, and a selection of “Island Lagers.”

We will plan on meeting in the W lot on Saturday morning, hopefully towards the front of the lot just like last year. The W lot is across from the Slater Hill and the Stone Cold Tailgating Club spot is marked by the gold square.

For those of you parking in the IM Gold Lot it is only a 5 minute walk to the W lot, just think of us being on the way to the stadium. We have the large flagpole that extends to 20 feet and an ambulance so hopefully you will be able to locate us easily. We will be sporting our custom flag this year which sports our “Old School Boilermakers” motif similar to our cups.

Saturday September 18, 2010
8:00 a.m. Depart for the W Lot
8:15 a.m. Arrive W lot/Set up Tailgate
11:15 a.m. Depart for Stadium
12:00 p.m. Kick Off

Eric and his parents will be departing from the house at 8:00 to ensure that we have two adjacent spots. If anyone else would like to meet at the house they are welcome to but it is not necessary. We have room to transport up to 7 people from the house in the ambulance and Element.

Game 1: Western Illinois

The Leathernecks March into West Lafayette

I am not sure what to make of the team after last week’s loss. There were a few bright spots, but overall it was a sloppy effort. I was glad to see them take the two shots downfield late in the game but overall the passing game was nothing to write home about. As for the running game, I was expecting more out of McBurse but I guess he’s just not going to develop into a D1 player.

On the upside Kerrigan was an absolute BEAST on the defensive side of the ball and the secondary was better than expected. I’m sure that Hope and the rest of the coaching staff will have some of the mistakes corrected and the boys will be ready come this Saturday against the Leathernecks of Western Illinois.

I’m sure when you read the title of the post you, like me, were thinking “why is WIU, a small I-AA university in Macomb, IL called the Leathernecks?” Apparently the first WIU AD (who was also the Basketball, Baseball, and Football coach) was a retired Marine Colonel who received permission from the Navy to use the nickname and emblem of the Marines for his teams. He wanted to build an athletic tradition based on the Marine Corps ethos, hence the nickname. No word on whether or not John Wayne will be making an appearance on their sideline. (For those of you that don’t get the joke, you obviously did not have a father or grandfather that made John Wayne movies required viewing. Click here and you’ll get it: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi4205248793/)

As is our tradition for the first game we’ll be doing a simple menu to ease into the Tailgating season. This year we’ll be cooking up hamburgers (and turkey burgers) with a mix of traditional picnic side dishes.

We will plan on meeting in the W lot on Saturday morning, hopefully towards the front of the lot just like last year. The W lot is across from the Slater Hill and the Stone Cold Tailgating Club spot is marked by the gold square.

For those of you parking in the IM Gold Lot it is only a 5 minute walk to the W lot, just think of us being on the way to the stadium. We have the large flagpole that extends to 20 feet and an ambulance so hopefully you will be able to locate us easily. We will be sporting our custom flag this year which sports our “Old School Boilermakers” motif similar to our cups.

Saturday September 11, 2010
8:00 a.m. Depart for the W Lot
8:15 a.m. Arrive W lot/Set up Tailgate
11:00 a.m. Depart for Stadium
12:00 p.m. Kick Off

Eric and his parents will be departing from the house at 8:00 to ensure that we have two adjacent spots. If anyone else would like to meet at the house they are welcome to but it is not necessary. We have room to transport up to 7 people from the house in the ambulance and Element.