After nearly too much waiting, it is finally the first Game Day Saturday of the new academic year. I can't wait for Purdue to take on Eastern Kentucky at home this afternoon, especially after watching Notre Dame beat the tar out of Navy in Dublin. Today we play Coach Danny Hope's alma mater--where he has both played and coached--so hopefully we will bring the wood. The football team will have to fight hard for a win, as always, but a win should be expected none the less.
Anyways, basically the purpose of this post is to give Boilermakers all of the vital info about the upcoming football game for Purdue on game day. As you will see below, we are talking about a plethora of information and data: game time, location, extensive opponent info, weather forecast, even info on what TV and Radio channels will be broadcasting the game. In the future, expect one of these posts each week as we gear up for other opponents.
My hope is that much of this info will be useful to many fans one way or another. If there are any categories that you thought I missed, didn't cover enough or if you have any other constructive suggestions about this post, please leave your thoughts in the comments section. Lastly, before we jump into the game day vitals for the EKU game, as always, make sure to BOILER UP!
Opponent: Eastern Kentucky Colonels
2011 record: 7-5 (Ohio Valley Conference Co-Champions, Lost in First Round of FCS Playoffs)
Date: TODAY! *Puts game face on*
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Location: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN
Weather at Kickoff: According to weather.com, it will be 76 degrees with 84% humidity in Ross-Ade at 3:30. Also, thunderstorms are to be expected (Very shocking if you look outside right now). Weather.com gives us a 100% chance of rain for the game. Expect a slight 9 mph breeze from the East Southeast as well.
Reminder About the Weather: No umbrellas are allowed inside Ross-Ade, so if you are planning on staying dry for the game, consider bringing a poncho, a long rain coat or even rain boots. Otherwise, let's get soaked!
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Purdue Sports Network. A list of all 27 PSN channels can be found here.
Opponent blog: Colonels Sports, the EKU sports blog, can be found here. Also, you can the football team's official website here. Between these two sites, they should have all the info you may need about our opponent.
Game Forecast: Today's game sound be a fairly easy win for the Boilermakers. However, EKU is not an FCS team that will just roll over and die for us. They are a very experienced football team with many talented upperclassmen returning this year. As it says above, this is also a team that went 7-4 in regular season play and was named Ohio Valley Conference co-champions last year. They also earned a bid to the 2011 FCS playoffs before they lost in the first round to #17 James Madison at home. Needless to say, Purdue should not take this game lightly. Our football team should head out on the field this afternoon and play at their absolute best if they want to erase any chances of an upset. That being said, we have a very good football team on paper this time around. And while the true nature of that statement will be tested this year, this is really not one of those games. If the Boilers can play like they should, expect a blowout.
Prediction: Purdue struggles to start the game but finds its groove and wins handily 48-20.
Other Big Week 1 Games (for the curious):
- #8 Michigan @ #2 Alabama, tonight at 8:00 PM ET on ABC
- #14 Clemson @ Auburn, tonight 7:00 PM ET on ESPN
- Georgia Tech @ #16 Virginia Tech, Monday night at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN