Welcome to this week’s Boilermusings where we talk about subjects that I can’t write a whole story about. Let’s go!
Purdue vs. Notre Dame Kickoff Announced
Back in the old days Purdue and Notre Dame used to play every single year in football. There was even a fancy traveling trophy on the line. Then, Notre Dame decided that Purdue wasn’t worth their time and determined they wouldn’t play Purdue every year. In fact, the two teams haven’t played each other since 2014 when they played in Lucas Oil Stadium. I was in attendance at that game and despite the 30-14 score Purdue actually put up a pretty good fight.
Well, the series returns this season with Purdue heading to Notre Dame. The kickoff time was just announced by Notre Dame and reported by Mike Carmin.
#Purdue's first kickoff time for 2021 season set (by Notre Dame)
— mike carmin (@carmin_jc) April 29, 2021
Sept. 18 Purdue at ND, 2:30 p.m. NBC
The additional wrinkle here is that Drew Brees is now calling Notre Dame games for NBC. This means that Brees will be calling this game in what should be just his second game as an announcer. He will have a warm-up against Toledo the week prior.
I’m very excited to see what this Purdue team can do against what will likely be a very good, but also at the same time very overrated, Notre Dame team.
NFL Draft
The NFL draft kicks off tonight with the first round. There’s some speculation that Rondale Moore could find himself called in the first round but that seems to be less likely as the week has gone on and more information has snuck out about other teams decision making. My hope is that somehow the Bucs decide to draft him and he winds up on my favorite team. (Got a problem with that take it up with Mike Alstott who is the source of my fandom.)
He’s not the only Boilermaker who might hear his name called over the next few days but he is the most high profile. You can check out our additional profiles on Tyler Coyle, Lorenzo Neal Jr., and Derrick Barnes on the site. After not having a player drafted in the 2019 Draft Purdue had two players drafted in 2020 and the streak will likely continue this season. At this point it’s just a matter of if anyone goes in the first round. I’m optimistic but getting less so as the hours tick by.
Jaden Ivey’s Unfinished Business
Everyone’s favorite future Boilermaker team captain Jaden Ivey spoke with Andy Katz recently. Katz raised the question of the transfer portal and why Ivey didn’t even consider going into the portal. His answer is good enough to listen to in its entirety.
Unfinished business. pic.twitter.com/Pr6RN2WhQs
— Purdue Mens Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 28, 2021
Unfinished business. Ivey has a sour taste in his mouth after the loss to North Texas, as he should, and doesn’t want to leave Purdue with that being the last moment he remembers. That’s the attitude that every team needs and a player like Ivey can infect the rest of the team with that enthusiasm and energy.
In this age of the transfer portal it’s going to become more and more important to find players that not only love winning but hate losing. These are the types of players that won’t let a loss like North Texas sour them on the school and will instead force them to work harder, dig deeper, and refocus on what they need to do to get better. Jaden Ivey is a big piece for next year’s team and this answer just reinforces my opinion, widely shared to be sure, that he’s a star in the making.