New Coaches and Names on the Back, Same Old Purdue

So I decided to get up early this morning and flip on the Purdue game at 9 AM on Big Ten Alternate 612-1 (HD) on the old DirecTV, just to see if anything had changed from last year. Some things had, of course. Curtis Painter is out, Joey Elliott is in; Kory Sheets is out (and was unfortunately cut today by the 49ers after a great preseason), Ralph Bolden is in; Joe Tiller is out, Danny Hope is in, and a few changes were made with the assistant coaches.

So the result of all of these changes? Purdue beats Toledo 52-31. Toledo was only 3-9 last year, so its no gigantic accomplishment, but it was nice to see Purdue actually score some points again, and for a change they even did it with their running game more than their passing game.

There are still some big concerns though. Purdue's wins over bad teams over the past few years have always left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and usually its a sign of a rough season ahead. Elliott threw 3 interceptions to match his 3 touchdowns, and it seems like absolutely nothing has changed defensively. They still can't tackle and run an ultra-conservative prevent style defense on almost every down. They give the opposing quarterback as much time as he wants to find his target, which is usually some TE or guy running a slant pattern over the middle, because all the linebackers and DBs are standing 20-25 yards behind the line of scrimmage for some totally unknown reason.

So some of the faces have changed, but the result is the same. Another 3-9 or 4-8 season is on the horizon.

PS: I did a google image search for "Purdue Horrible Defense" and the picture I included was the 5th result. Arizona State girls tongue kissing.....I've had a lot to drink tonight, so you know what? it's close enough.