Questionable Calls

 Trailing by two points and facing a fourth-and-1 from their own 25-yard line with 3:46 to play, the Boilermakers lined up to go for the first down. Hope said he was trying to draw the Owls offsides, but eventually burned a crucial timeout.

"We were hoping they would jump offsides," Hope said. "We hard-counted them and punted it away."

Following the timeout -- Purdue's second of the half -- Hope sent the offense back on the field. At the last second, the punt team ran onto the field and Cody Webster delivered a 56-yard punt.

I didn't have the benefit of seeing it on TV, only can rely on the radio call, but did they actually line up to try the hard count? More importantly, WHY DO YOU SEND YOUR OFFENSE BACK ONTO THE FIELD AFTER THE TIME OUT?

The Boilermakers faced a fourth-and-1 from the Owls 2-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the 3rd qtr

Instead of lining up Carson Wiggs for what would amount to be an extra point, Hope elected to go for the first down, and possibly a touchdown with his team trailing 24-17.

"That was my call. That was my decision," Hope said. "I made a decision to go for it. It was a chance to tie and kick it away to them, and a chance to get the ball back. I wanted to get ahead and stay ahead.

"That was a tough call. I'm glad it wasn't a difference maker at the end of the ballgame or I would have a lot of questions about it."

Glad it wasn't a difference maker? And he's worried about "a lot of questions about his decision"? Isn't that what was happening when, you know, the reporter asked why he made the decision?There's a difference between taking the points with plenty of time left and the risk of getting nothing.

Hope also passed on allowing Wiggs to attempt a 51-yard field goal into the wind midway through the third quarter with the Boilermakers down seven points.

"I didn't want to miss and give it to them at midfield," he said. "That was a tougher call than the other one."

Seriously? You just made a decision that was based on your team NOT failing, and then you make a call based on your All-American kicker FAILING? And I don't care how about the degree of difficulty in your decisions, Danny.

And finally, the decision to not kick on 3rd down, and no, Danny, it wasn't the right decision it was still horrible clock management. And why are you worried about what the freakin reporters are going to say after the game?

On Wiggs' 31-yard field goal that was blocked as time expired, Hope said he discussed with coaching staff attempting the kick on third down but opted to run one more play.

"We didn't want to have any time left on the clock for those guys," Hope said. "If we would've kicked the field goal with 30 seconds left, they came back and won the ballgame, it would've been the worst example of clock management.

"You wouldn't be talking about the fourth-and-1 or us trying to draw them offsides. You would've been talking about how could you leave 30 seconds on the clock. I think we made the right decision.