Hammer and Rails - Purdue At Illinois 2014: Battle for the Purdue CannonPurdue's Okayest Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52787/Hammer_And_Rails_favicon..png2014-10-06T09:06:41-04:00http://www.hammerandrails.com/rss/stream/66293702014-10-06T09:06:41-04:002014-10-06T09:06:41-04:00The Whistlestop Tour: Week 6 Of Big Ten Football
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<figcaption>Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Doesn't matter. Purdue won!</p> <p>What the hell has gotten into Northwestern? Just two weeks ago it looked like they were in line for a 1-11 season. Now they are leading the West Division and have a huge game with Minnesota for the Division lead this week. They are easily the biggest surprise in conference play. Seeing them run the table in league play might be possible, especially with two impressive victories under their belts.</p>
<p>It also appears that we have two dead coaches walking in Brady Hoke and Tim Beckman. Beckman is almost certainly gone, as he could easily finish his tenure at 1-23 in B1G play. Hoke may stay, but only because of the incompetence of the organization above him.</p>
<p><b>Ohio State 52, Maryland 24</b></p>
<p>I thought that Maryland would have a better showing here, but instead <a href="http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2014/10/4/6908007/ohio-state-football-maryland-football-big-ten">it was an Ohio State beatdown</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>But what about the actual football team? Maryland struggled, falling behind 14-0 early, shooting themselves in the foot with a critical interception out of their own end zone as they attempted to make a comeback before halftime, and then obliterated whatever chances they had with turnovers and their inability to stop Ohio State's power rush game. The Terps had four turnovers, one returned for a touchdown and another two that nearly were. They were outgained 533-310, outrushed 269-66, and came out completely overmatched along the line of scrimmage, a foreboding sight, given the depth of strong defensive lines in the Big Ten East.</p>
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<p>Maryland might have a quarterback controversy on its <a href="http://www.testudotimes.com/2014/10/4/6908021/maryland-ohio-state-full-game-recap-football-2014">hands after getting beat down</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Maryland has a bye week ahead, but when they the Terps host Iowa on Oct. 18, might they have a different man under center? In his postgame press conference, Edsall indicated not, but the quarterback position will surely be scrutinized by fans and media alike. In a bit of a paradox, Edsall backed Brown as his starter while acknowledging that Rowe gave his passing offense a better chance start churning against Ohio State.</p>
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<p><b>Purdue 38, Illinois 27</b></p>
<p>Wins are so much more fun to talk about, and Boiled Sports breaks out a Battle of Hastings reference to <a href="http://boiledsports.com/2014/a-cure-for-all-ills-purdue-38-illinois-27.html">honor Saturday's win</a>:</p>
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<p>Usually, when two bad teams meet, one of two things happens: the offenses either implode or explode. Purdue and Illinois combined for 1066 yards today (ooh, Battle of Hastings), so you can guess which we saw. Four Boilers had carries of 40+ yards; <span>Austin Appleby</span> completed 75% of his passes and did not turn the ball over once. The Purdue return game was shut down for a change (4 total returns for 15 yards), but the Boilers blocked a late Illinois field goal attempt and saw the Illini miss an extra point that could have turned out to be big if the Purdue defense hadn't come up with a late goal-line stand.</p>
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<p>Things aren't so <a href="http://www.thechampaignroom.com/2014/10/4/6907989/game-recap-hard-reset-required-illinois-fighting-illini-purdue-boilermakers">fun in the Champaign Room</a>:</p>
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<p>He's had two and a half years to rebuild this program, and with it he's produced <i>a single </i>B1G win with little to no improvement whatsoever. The team is flat and unprepared every week. Illinois has been in a holding pattern of futility for years, waiting for Beckman to make a step forward. He hasn't. The waiting is over, we restart from here.</p>
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<p><b>Indiana 49, North Texas 24</b></p>
<p>Former Boiler Reggie Pegram only had 14 yards on six carries as <a href="http://www.crimsonquarry.com/2014/10/5/6910397/indiana-north-texas-football-game-recap-shane-wynn">the Hoosiers rolled to move to 3-2</a>:</p>
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<p>Three years ago, Indiana traveled to North Texas in Kevin Wilson's first season as head coach. Despite a fourth-quarter rally, the Hoosiers lost that game, 24-21. Yesterday's blowout 49-24 victory in Memorial Stadium showed how far the Hoosiers have come in the past four seasons under coach Wilson. However, the win also showed that there still is room for improvement this year as the Hoosiers enter the meat of their Big Ten schedule. The Hoosiers finish the nonconference part of their schedule with a 3-1 record, and are now 3-2 on the season.</p>
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<p><b>Northwestern 20, Wisconsin 14</b></p>
<p>This was simply a shocking, shocking win, and it is not impossible now to think of Northwestern as a <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2014/10/4/6909139/northwestern-is-a-big-ten-west-contender-really">contender in the West</a>:</p>
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<p>We've written this twice already, but it's becoming more true each week. Wisconsin was believed to be the best team in the division heading into this game, and how the Badgers have lost to Northwestern. Iowa, like NU, can't move the ball. Nebraska has struggled at times and nearly lost to McNeese State. Minnesota's offense is awful. And Purdue and Illinois are Purdue and Illinois.</p>
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<p>After a loss like this there are <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/10/5/6911959/wisconsin-badgers-northwestern-joel-stave-tanner-mcevoy-gary-andersen">definitely some questions in Madison</a>:</p>
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<p>With the loss, the Badgers fall to 3-2 and 0-1 in Big Ten play. Where do they go from here? Saturday's loss all but eliminates them from College Football Playoff contention and sends them to the cellar of the Big Ten West standings. And after losing to Northwestern despite 259 rushing yards from Gordon, Badgers fans can't be too confident about the team's chances -- barring major adjustments -- against teams like Nebraska and Iowa. I've said many times that, after losing the season opener to LSU, Wisconsin needed to roll undefeated through its "cupcake" conference schedule and win a Big Ten title in order to crack the top four. So much for cupcakes.</p>
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<p><b>Rutgers 26, Michigan 24</b></p>
<p>Rutgers was able to build a lead on the Wolverines and hang on for <a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2014/10/5/6909807/game-6-recap-rutgers-gets-first-b1g-win">their first Big Ten victory</a>:</p>
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<p>Rutgers was picked to finish dead last in the conference by many pundits in the preseason, as everyone believed the Knights would struggle with the step up in competition. Now, RU is sitting at 5-1 on the season, including 1-1 in the Big Ten after claiming their first conference victory and need just one more win to become bowl eligible.</p>
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<p>It was just a sad ending to a <a href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/2014/10/4/6909415/rutgers-26-michigan-24-michigan-shows-false-signs-of-life-in-loss-to">terrible week for Michigan fans</a>:</p>
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<p>For the first time this season the offense wasn't the major issue against a power-5 conference team. Michigan moved <span>Devin Gardner</span> back into the starting lineup and switched the game's emphasis to quick passes early before pounding the ball out of shotgun zone runs in the second half. The Wolverines ended the day with 336 yards of total offense and 8.1 yards per pass attempt and 4.5 yards per rush. It wasn't a stellar performance, but Michigan had more play-to-play success, converted four third downs out of 11, and only turned the ball over once.</p>
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<p><b>Michigan State 27, Nebraska 22</b></p>
<p>Purdue's next opponent was rolling before giving up 19 straight points and nearly succumbing to a <a href="http://www.theonlycolors.com/2014/10/5/6909633/instant-reactions-no-19-nebraska-no-10-michigan-state">massive comeback</a>:</p>
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<p>For the first 30 minutes, the defense finally began to look like the defenses of each of the last two years that has Narduzzi near or at the top of the lists of ADs looking for head coaches in bailing out the offense by not allowing Nebraska to score a single point off three turnovers after <span>Connor Cook</span> and company turned the ball over twice deep in their own territory and Macgarrett Kings, Jr. muffed a fair catch deep in Spartan territory.</p>
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<p>Corn Nation was at least <a href="http://www.cornnation.com/2014/10/5/6909745/michigan-state-dominates-early-hangs-on-to-survive-nebraska-comeback">encouraged by the comeback</a>:</p>
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<p>Nebraska tried an unsuccessful onside kick, but Michigan State was unable to run out the clock when <span>Randy Gregory</span> forced Langford out of bounds. The Spartans tried a field goal (with Sadler holding), but the kick doinked off the goal posts and fell short, giving Nebraska the ball at their own 20 yard line with just 1:07 left in the game with no timeouts. On first down, Tommy Armstrong overthrew Abdullah, who was wide open with nobody in front of him for 20 yards. But on second down, Armstrong threw a perfect pass to <span>Alonzo Moore</span>, who streaked 43 yards to the Spartans 37 yard line. Two plays later, Armstrong again found Moore in the end zone, but the ball popped loose into the band as Moore hit the turf. But the game ended on the next play when Armstrong's pass was intercepted by <span>Trae Waynes</span> with 30 seconds left.</p>
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<p><b>Non-conference opponents:</b></p>
<p><b>Toledo 20, Western Michigan 19 2OT - </b>The Broncos lost because they missed an <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400548125">extra point in the second overtime</a>.</p>
<p><b>Central Michigan 28, Ohio 10 - </b>The Chips get their first <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400548124">win since dismantling Purdue</a>.</p>
<p><b>Notre Dame 17, Stanford 14 - </b>After the last-minute <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400548279&confId=18">win let the wanking begin</a>.</p>
<p><b>Southern Illinois 41, South Dakota 10 - </b>SIU remains undefeated <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400557480&confId=21">against teams not named Purdue</a>.</p>
<p></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/6/6918053/the-whistlestop-tour-week-6-of-big-ten-footballBoilerTMill2014-10-05T22:04:46-04:002014-10-05T22:04:46-04:00Purdue At Illinois: Video Highlights And Stats
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<figcaption>Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>A big offensive day makes things look a lot better. </p> <p>In trying to mix a few things up this week I'll embed some video of the better plays from yesterday, then get into a stats dump to see what a difference the big offensive day made:</p>
<p><b>ED NOTE: </b>The video got stripped out, sorry.</p>
<p>Now, some fun stuff with stats:</p>
<ul class="unIndentedList">
<li> After yesterday's big Game Purdue has 1,020 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground through six games. Through all 12 games last year Purdue rushed for 805 yards and 6 TDs, so the ground game is already much improved. </li>
<li> All three of Austin Appleby's career TD passes have gone to <span>Danny Anthrop</span>. </li>
<li> Akeem Hunt now has 446 yards rushing on the season. Last year he had a total of 464 with only one TD on the ground. He already has two TDs on the ground this season. </li>
<li> Purdue already has four players (Appleby, Hunt, <span>Raheem Mostert</span>, and <span>Keyante Green</span>) with over 100 yards rushing for the season. Last year only three players (Hunt, <span>Brandon Cottom</span>, and <span>Dalyn Dawkins</span>) had at least 100 yards rushing. </li>
<li> The Illinois defense is dead last in the league in scoring defense at 35.5 points per game. Indiana is 13<sup>th</sup> at 28.6, so we took advantage of a really, really bad defense. </li>
<li> How bad is that defense? They ranked 112<sup>th</sup> national in total defense. </li>
<li> That is better than their 119<sup>th</sup> ranking in rushing defense. </li>
<li> Purdue shot up the Big Ten rushing offense rankings to eighth at 170 yards per game. Last year they were dead last by a very large margin. </li>
<li> Purdue now has a run defense better than Ohio State's. Let that sink in for a moment. It is still 10<sup>th</sup> in the Big Ten at 135.2 yards per game with Nebraska, Minnesota, and Wisconsin loom, but that's still improvement. </li>
<li> Purdue has the most return yards (162) of interceptions of any team in the league. </li>
<li> In a credit to <span>Thomas Meadows</span>, Purdue leads the conference in net punting average at 41 yards per game. That's also a credit to his coverage units. </li>
<li> Unfortunately, Purdue is dead last in net kickoff average at 34.1 yards per game. Kicking into the wind a lot at Illinois did not help. </li>
<li> Purdue is third in the Big Ten with 16 sacks behind Rutgers and Michigan State. </li>
<li> In the weekly "cover the damn middle of the field" category, teams are converting 49.5% of third downs against the Boilers. We gave up a 3<sup>rd</sup> and 21 to <span>Riley O'Toole</span>, who had been standing on the sidelines freezing for three hours before that play. This is 118<sup>th</sup> in the nation out of 125 FBS teams. So, yes, we're AWFUL on third downs defensively. </li>
<li> Oddly enough, we're the best in the Big Ten at stopping fourth down conversions, stopping 8 of 9 on the season. This is fourth in the country. Figure that out. </li>
<li> On to individual stats, <span>Akeem Hunt's</span> big day now has him seventh in the Big Ten in rushing with 446 yards rushing. </li>
<li> <span>Paul Griggs</span> is third in the conference with eight made field goals (on ten attempts). Last season he was just 6 of 12. </li>
<li> With 12 more tackles <span>Landon Feichter</span> is 12<sup>th</sup> in the league with 56 on the season. </li>
<li> Feichter and <span>Frankie Williams</span> are also both in the top 10 with two interceptions each. </li>
<li> <span>Antoine Lewis</span> has now forced two fumbles, good for fourth in the B1G. </li>
</ul>
<p></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/5/6916595/purdue-at-illinois-video-highlights-and-stats-dumpBoilerTMill2014-10-05T10:00:02-04:002014-10-05T10:00:02-04:00Purdue At Illinois: In Tweets
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<figcaption>Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>In Tweets is a lot more fun on days where Purdue wins. </p> <p>Twitter is a lot more fun after a win.</p>
<p>Not only do we get to enjoy happy Tweets from the Purdue faithful, we get to enjoy watching another team see things go from bad to worse. That’s exactly what happened today. For once, everything went wrong for our opponent as opposed to us. Here are the top Tweets from yesterday:</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>$20 to park today because of Austin City Limits. Purdue better fucking win is all I'm saying.</p>
— John (@jberlako) <a href="https://twitter.com/jberlako/status/518431214634799105">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>I'm gonna miss most the game because of a wedding today. Let me know if we stray from our "play not to get blown out" play call style please</p>
— The Boiling Points (@PUBoilingPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/PUBoilingPoints/status/518432102409576449">October 4, 2014</a>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> Good to know there are some things you can always count on. Giving up HUGE YARDS on 3rd and long... no one like Purdue.</p>
— Darren S Dawson (@BoilerDSD89) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoilerDSD89/status/518434546862555136">October 4, 2014</a>
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<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> Read option isn't enough? What does it take to please you people...</p>
— Not John Shoop (@ThatShoopGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThatShoopGuy/status/518434889260335105">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> So you're telling me when this Mostert guy touches the ball things happen? Weird</p>
— kevincross (@Kcross32us) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kcross32us/status/518435847222222848">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> you're telling me that if we put our best running back in the game we can score a touchdown?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/greatPlan?src=hash">#greatPlan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoilerUp?src=hash">#BoilerUp</a></p>
— TJ Schmidt (@tjschmidt300) <a href="https://twitter.com/tjschmidt300/status/518437297566801920">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Go outside on 1st and 2nd, over the middle on third. Congratulations! You just beat Purdue!</p>
— John (@jberlako) <a href="https://twitter.com/jberlako/status/518437514747871232">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Looks like the big difference bt Appleby and Etling is mentality. Etling looked shaken in games, Appleby looks composed</p>
— <span>Michael Henry</span> (@therailroadtie) <a href="https://twitter.com/therailroadtie/status/518440230223753216">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>4th and 1, shotgun run. Fucking brilliant.</p>
— Riles (@Riles23) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riles23/status/518442017622622210">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Dear lord, this defense is terrible.</p>
— The Champaign Room (@Champaign_Room) <a href="https://twitter.com/Champaign_Room/status/518445540087189506">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Pitch to <span>Keyante Green</span> swarmed. Interesting call to try to get your slowest running back the corner.</p>
— GoldandBlack.com (@GoldandBlackcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldandBlackcom/status/518450616948260864">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/BoilermakerJM">@BoilermakerJM</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> don't forget a gallon of warm milk and Ambien to wash it all down!</p>
— Riles (@Riles23) <a href="https://twitter.com/Riles23/status/518454210388443137">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> Well, I see your game plan to run the ball got to Coach Hazell. Well done.</p>
— Boiled Sports (@BoiledSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoiledSports/status/518456119107534848">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>So yeah, <span>Mike Thomas</span> can officially start that coaching search.</p>
— The Champaign Room (@Champaign_Room) <a href="https://twitter.com/Champaign_Room/status/518461648341053441">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> AppleBrees</p>
— Chris Manfred (@quitethemanfred) <a href="https://twitter.com/quitethemanfred/status/518467544005767169">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>The reaction up here now to those massive runs has now turned to laughter.</p>
— The Champaign Room (@Champaign_Room) <a href="https://twitter.com/Champaign_Room/status/518470303731941376">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>It almost feels like illinois is playing illinois. Or purdue is playing purdue. Whatever floats your boat..........or sinks your ship.</p>
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) <a href="https://twitter.com/TaylorRooks/status/518470468282896384">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Good lord, Illinois.</p>
— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBN_BillC/status/518470510976700416">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Try and think of the time you screwed up the most in your life. And then compare it to what the Illini defense did today.</p>
— U-God (@SBN_UGod) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBN_UGod/status/518471740813770753">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>"<a href="https://twitter.com/emilyrazz">@emilyrazz</a>: Awe Illinois fans look like how we usually look." LOL</p>
— Not Matt Painter (@NotMattPainter) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotMattPainter/status/518470818624700416">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>37 points against a B1G team, maybe we should stay <a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a></p>
— James Evens (@JamesEvens) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesEvens/status/518471847894323200">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>hey c’mere wanna see a dead body? (points to Illinois defense)</p>
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) <a href="https://twitter.com/celebrityhottub/status/518471933755936768">October 4, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/celebrityhottub">@celebrityhottub</a> it’s not a dead body as much as it’s just a pile of decaying leaves.</p>
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomFornelli/status/518472086776340480">October 4, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>HA! Third down and Illinois didn't go over the middle. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Idiots?src=hash">#Idiots</a></p>
— John (@jberlako) <a href="https://twitter.com/jberlako/status/518477725062156288">October 4, 2014</a>
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<p>Oh good, I can finally enjoy a Saturday without being extremely pissed off! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Purdue?src=hash">#Purdue</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HammerAndRails">@HammerAndRails</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BoiledSports">@BoiledSports</a></p>
— Tyler Nannet (@TyNannet450) <a href="https://twitter.com/TyNannet450/status/518480952532946944">October 4, 2014</a>
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<p>Good to hear that <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Purdue?src=hash">#Purdue</a> anti-lost</p>
— John Wadas (@johnwadas) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnwadas/status/518481466205167616">October 4, 2014</a>
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<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>"Now what do I replace that cannon with in my office?" <a href="http://t.co/iKZ1NApXCB">pic.twitter.com/iKZ1NApXCB</a></p>
— Boiled Sports (@BoiledSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/BoiledSports/status/518481700389912578">October 4, 2014</a>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/5/6909493/purdue-at-illinois-in-tweetsBoilerTMill2014-10-04T22:40:40-04:002014-10-04T22:40:40-04:00Purdue 38, Illinois 27: The Cannon Comes Home
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<figcaption>Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Purdue actually wins a conference game!</p> <p>It has been a rough week around here, but today things felt a lot better. Let's just look at some of the significance of today:</p>
<ul class="unIndentedList">
<li> 1<sup>st</sup> Big Ten win for coach Hazell</li>
<li> It ended a 9-game losing streak in Big Ten play</li>
<li> It prevented Purdue from going 0-3 in trophy games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91.</li>
<li> Purdue had a 100-yard receiver and a 100-yard rusher, which almost never happens at the same time. </li>
<li> <span>Akeem Hunt</span> had his third career 100-yard rushing day and a new career high. </li>
<li> Purdue ran for 359 yards total, which was nearly half of what Purdue had all of last season (8-5 yards). </li>
<li> <span>Austin Appleby</span> got a victory in his first career start, while throwing for a score and 200+ yards and rushing for two more scores. </li>
<li> Coming into today Purdue only had two plays all season of 40+ yards. Today they had five. </li>
<li> Let me re-iterate: PURDUE WON A BIG TEN GAME!</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, before we get too excited, it was Illinois. The Illini are on a near historic run of futility in the Big Ten, having lost 23 of their last 24 Big Ten games. Their defense is awful, but Purdue, for once, was able to actually take advantage of a team's major weakness and totally exploit it.</p>
<p>That in itself is a sign of improvement. Last season the Illinois and Indiana defenses were awful, but Purdue managed a meager 14 points against the Illini and against Indiana they didn't do anything until the game was long over. Today, Purdue saw a weakness, the run defense, and exploited it. They forced Illinois to stop the run by running 45 times. Illinois was completely unable to do so.</p>
<p><b>Positives:</b></p>
<p><b>Austin Appleby - </b>Could a B1G Player of the Week award be in the offing for Appleby? He had 202 yards passing with a TD, a 75% completion percentage, and no picks. He also had two rushing TDs, 76 yards on the ground, and he even caught a pass, nearly for a touchdown. When you're throwing passes to yourself you know it is a good day.</p>
<p><b>Akeem Hunt - </b>At halftime it looked like he could be in line for a record day. Instead, it was merely a career day. It is amazing what a back like Hunt can do when he is given space to run. Credit to the offensive line, as well as the Illinois defense, for being so generous.</p>
<p><b><span>Ryan Russell</span> - </b>Russell has himself a game today. He only had three tackles, but he was utterly disruptive and all three tackles for loss. This is the Ryan Russell we could use the rest of the season.</p>
<p><b><span>Frankie Williams</span> - </b>12 tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery, and 1.5 tackles for loss. People need to put Frankie on the all-Big Ten team at the end of the season because he is playing like a man possessed. At the very least he is a pleasant surprise that will hopefully get his named called in the NFL Draft in April. He is probably the biggest surprise of the first half of the season.</p>
<p><b><span>Danny Anthrop</span> - </b>Anthrop has now caught every touchdown pass thrown by Appleby in his career. Anthrop had a very nice stiff-arm to keep his long TD alive and a couple of his catches were difficult ones in traffic. Just a good day for him</p>
<p><b>The Offensive line - </b>I have to give the Big Uglies some love. Appleby wasn't sacked in his first start and they blocked for over 350 yards. In my mind, that is pretty much a perfect day for the O-line. Last year I lambasted them a lot, but I have to give credit where it was due.</p>
<p><b><span>Tim Cason</span> - </b>The true freshman had his redshirt burned as he saw his first career action and got a tackle. I have to assume he has played well in practice to burn a redshirt this late. Welcome to the game, son.<b> </b></p>
<p><b>Negatives: </b></p>
<p><b>Third and Long on defense - </b>When Riley O-Toole stands on the sidelines in the cold and wind for three hours, then immediately comes in to convert a 3<sup>rd</sup> and 21, you know you cannot defend third and long. At this point we need a support group. I honestly have PTSD and expect a third down longer than five yards to be converted no matter what.<b> </b></p>
<p><b>Covering Mike Dudek - </b>He had 200 yards worth of receptions and <span>Wes Lunt</span> was throwing deep to him every time he launched one. We acted surprised he was an eligible receiver.</p>
<p><b>Final Analysis:</b></p>
<p>By their own admission, Illinois is pretty much a <a href="http://www.thechampaignroom.com/2014/10/4/6908009/purdue-38-illinois-27-this-is-rock-bottom">tire fire and a rock bottom right now</a>. We still couldn't beat a team event that bad last season (or earlier this season, for that matter). Purdue hits the half-way mark at 3-3, which is something we would have viewed as progress earlier. Yes, with a mistake-filled game with Central Michigan and an offensively-challenged game against Iowa are frustrating, but this Purdue team has clearly made progress. We now have the three hardest opponents on the schedule in the next four games. A win against Michigan State, Wisconsin, or Nebraska would be absolutely shocking, but look to Minnesota, Northwestern, and Indiana as games that maybe, just maybe, something can happen.</p>
<p>A bowl game is still a pipe dream, but at least Purdue went out and won as a double-digit underdog on the road. Sure, it was against an opponent that was absolutely terrible, but we're in no room to pick nits. I am just happy that we have a Big Ten win when most people said we wouldn't get even one and there is a trophy in the trophy case.</p>
<p>Bring on Sparty.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE: </b>I would be remiss if I did not mentioned the play of the day. With Purdue leading 17-14 on the first drive of the second half for Illinois the Illini got inside the 20 thanks to a flea-flicker from Lunt to Dudek. Two plays later Lunt passed to Ferguson, which fell incomplete. Purdue fell on the ball, and after review it was ruled a backwards pass and therefore a fumble. two plays after that was the 80-yard TD from Appleby to Anthrop.</p>
<p>Basically, this was a 10-point shift in an 11 point game. Heads up to Purdue for falling on the ball as a clear recovery and for the replay getting it right.</p>
<p></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/4/6909413/purdue-38-illinois-27-the-cannon-comes-homeBoilerTMill2014-10-04T15:30:11-04:002014-10-04T15:30:11-04:00Purdue 38, Illinois 27
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<figcaption>Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Austin Appleby leads Purdue to its first Big 10 win since 2012.</p> <p>Purdue picked up the first Big 10 win of the Hazell era when the Boilermakers defeated Illinois today, in Champaign, 38 to 27. Austin Appleby got his first career start for the Boilers and looked comfortable and poised throughout, on the ground and through the air. Purdue racked up 551 yards of total offense. Illinois has one of the worst rushing defenses in the FBS, and it showed today as Purdue was able to gain 349 yards on the ground.</p>
<p>Illinois scored on its first two possessions but was held scoreless the rest of the half as the Purdue rushing attack ate up the clock in huge chunks. Raheem Mostert scored on a long 44 yard run in the first quarter and Akeem Hunt added a 54 yard score in the second. A Paul Griggs field goal gave Purdue its first halftime lead in a Big 10 game since November 17<sup>th</sup>, 2012 (also at Illinois).</p>
<p>Appleby started serving up his 2 for $20 entrees and appetizers in the 3<sup>rd</sup> quarter when he threw an 80 yard TD to Danny Anthrop. On their next drive, he ran 62 yards on a planned QB draw that was capped off by a one yard TD run. He added another one yard rushing score in the 4<sup>th</sup> quarter. Landon Feichter sealed the win late in the 4<sup>th</sup> quarter, intercepting backup QB Reilly O'Toole in the endzone. Appleby finished the game 15/20 for 202 yards.</p>
<p>The Boilermaker defense played well enough to win today, but still gave up 515 yards to the Illini offense. Wes Lunt was 27/39 for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns before being pulled in the 4<sup>th</sup> with an apparent leg injury. Illinois freshman Mike Dudek had a huge day, catching 8 passes for 200 yards.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Purdue's four rushing touchdowns were their most since 2002, and their four runs of 40+ yards were the four longest runs of the year for the Boilers.</p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/4/6908117/purdue-38-illinois-27Andy Zimmerman2014-10-04T10:00:02-04:002014-10-04T10:00:02-04:00Purdue At Illinois GAMETHREAD OF THE CANNON!
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<figcaption>Sandra Dukes-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Purdue is in Champaign today on a mission to retrieve its Cannon</p> <p><br>The Boilers can get the first Big Ten victory under Darrell Hazell and the first trophy game victory of that era, all in the same day. As usual, it is a noon kickoff, but this is absolutely a game that Purdue can win. I am in attendance sitting with Boilerpaulie. Juan is at a wedding. Andrew will be providing your game wrap as I am heading home, with a likely stopover at the Beef House.</p>
<p>Enough of losing. BEAT THE ILLINI!</p>
<table class="sbn-data-table" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td> <p><strong>Stadium</strong></p> <div class="m-ad m-ad__article-body"><div id="div-gpt-ad-mobile_article_body" class="dfp_ad" data-cb-ad-id="Mobile article body" data-cb-dfp-id="unit=mobile_article_body"></div></div> </td> <td><p><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Stadium_%28Champaign%29">Memorial Stadium (built 1923)</a></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Capacity</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>60,670</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Surface</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>FieldTurf</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Tickets</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fillinois-football-tickets%2Fillinois-vs-purdue-10-4-2014-4461020%2Fhttps%3A%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fpurdue-football-tickets%2Fpurdue-vs-iowa-9-27-2014-8990603%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hammerandrails.com%2F2014%2F10%2F4%2F6903131%2Fpurdue-at-illinois-gamethread-of-the-cannon" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">As low as $11.25 on Stubhub</a></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Kickoff Time</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>Noon</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>TV</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>ESPN2</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Online Streaming</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong><a href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/">WatchESPN</a></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Satellite Radio</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong><u>XM Station 192, SIRI 134</u></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Odds</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong><a href="http://www.oddsshark.com/ncaaf/purdue-illinois-odds-october-4-2014">No line yet</a></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>All-Time Series</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>Illinois</strong> <strong>leads 43-40-6 (Purdue leads The Cannon portion 32-27-2)</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Last Purdue Win</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>11/17/2012 at Illinois 20-17</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Last Illinois win</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>11/23/2013 at Purdue 20-16</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Blog Representation</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong><a href="http://www.thechampaignroom.com/">The Champaign Room</a></strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Weather</strong></p></td> <td><p><a href="http://www.wunderground.com/sports/CFB/team/Purdue:Boilermakers.html?bannertypeclick=sports_football_cond"><strong><img alt="Click for full game report!" src="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CTravis%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1AUTO_LINK_TOKEN_5_AUTO_LINK_TOKEN1%5Cclip_image001.gif" border="0" height="149" width="300"></strong></a></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>2013 Illinois Record</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>3-9, 1-7 Big Ten</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>2013 Illinois Postseason </strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>None</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-even"> <td><p><strong>Coach</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>Tim Beckman (30-36, 9-20 at Illinois)</strong></p></td> </tr> <tr class="ui-state-odd"> <td><p><strong>Is T-Mill Attending?</strong></p></td> <td><p><strong>Yes!</strong></p></td> </tr> </tbody></table>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/4/6903131/purdue-at-illinois-gamethread-of-the-cannonBoilerTMill2014-10-03T13:17:51-04:002014-10-03T13:17:51-04:00Purdue at Illinois: H&R Staff picks
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<figcaption>Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The staff is picking a Boiler Victory tomorrow. </p> <p>There seems to be a pretty good feeling around the staff this week as the boilers head to Chambana to try and get our Cannon back. It would be very nice to have at least one trophy in our possession at the end of the season. The last time Purdue went consecutive years without winning a trophy game was 1990 and 1991, which was the bridge between Fred Akers and Jim Colletto.</p>
<p>Hopefully, that worry ends tomorrow:</p>
<p><b>Drew Schneider</b></p>
<p>Purdue comes into this game riding a defensive hot streak and an offensive blizzard. Illinois responds with a team on an offensive hot streak and a defense that has a tough time stopping the walk, much less the run. In this pillow fight, the question becomes, who has the biggest pillow? Purdue takes it's show on the road to Memorial Stadium, and it won't be rattled by the sparsely populated stadium or noon day sun. The Boilermakers come in and run the ball left, run the ball, right, and run the ball middle game plan and dominates the Illini in the first half. Then, in a dramatic shift, Purdue comes out and attempts to sling the ball all over the field in the second half. Illinois closes the gap, but not enough to actually win. <b>Purdue 24, Illinois 17</b></p>
<p><b>Rachel Van Gessel</b></p>
<p>In the battle of bottom of the Big Ten Purdue will come out on top. <span>Frankie Williams</span> and the Purdue defense will get enough stops to keep the Boilers in the game. On the other side of the ball our running game will break things open for us and take the pressure of the QB. Our offense barely outguns the Illini for the win. <b>Purdue 28, Illinois 27</b></p>
<p><b>T-Mill</b></p>
<p>I am headed over to Champaign for this one, just as I have for every Purdue at Illinois game since 2002. Generally, good things happen to the Boilers when I go over there. Even the first visit, where Purdue fell behind 24-0, came back to lead 31-24, then got robbed twice in the final seconds of regulation when Illinois failed to break the plane on their TD and Purdue did on the Hail Mary, but was denied, was a good game.</p>
<p id="paragraph10">I expect another good game tomorrow, mostly because both teams are terrible. It is a test to see if John Shoop and the offensive staff should be fired before the bus even reaches the Beef House on the way home. Illinois cannot defend against the run. They simply can't do it. They are one of the worst teams in the country against the run. Of course, they were last year too and what did Purdue do? They went away from it after having a successful first quarter.</p>
<p id="paragraph11">If Purdue can't run on the Illini they can't run on anyone. I think (hope?) we can do this tomorrow and end the Big Ten losing streak. This is a very winnable game and one that hopefully will build some confidence before a murderous next four. <b>Purdue 24, Illinois 20</b></p>
<p></p>
https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/3/6901415/purdue-at-illinois-h-r-staff-picksBoilerTMill2014-10-03T09:20:05-04:002014-10-03T09:20:05-04:00Week 6 Big Ten Preview
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<figcaption>Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Time to emB1Ggen the week with the Big Ten preview, featuring a possible preview of the Big Ten title game. </p> <p>This is a great week of college football. There are good games all over the place and already a top 5 team has gone down with Oregon losing at home to Arizona. Yes, that is Rich Rodriguez coached Arizona, the same man who was canned from Michigan. I know it has been a week of bashing the Purdue administration around here, but I'll give credit where it is due. At least we're not Michigan. There hasn't been a whiff of impropriety in years with our athletic department. At least I hope there isn't any going on. If we're cheating in some way we're obviously doing it wrong given the results we've seen.</p>
<p>Back to football, however. Here are this week's B1G games</p>
<p><b>Ohio State (3-1, 0-0) at Maryland (4-1, 1-0) Noon, ABC</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2014/10/3/6895719/maryland-ohio-state-2014-preview-odds-keys-score-predictions">Land-Grant Holyland Preview</a></b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.testudotimes.com/2014/10/2/6886615/maryland-terps-ohio-state-buckeyes-football-2014-jt-barrett-offense-defense">Testudo Times Preview</a></b></p>
<p>This should be very, very interesting. Ohio State has not looked good, except for last week against Cincinnati. Their loss is looking worse and worse as Virginia Tech flounders in the ACC. Now they get a feisty Maryland team in its first ever B1G home game. I kind of want to see Maryland win this, mostly to see Ohio State and the "Urban Meyer is God" myth get taken down a peg. Still, Meyer has never lost a Big Ten regular season game yet (Thank you very much, Danny Hope for botching the 2012 game). <b>Ohio State 31, Maryland 27</b></p>
<p><b>Purdue (2-3, 0-1) at Illinois (3-2, 0-1) Noon, ESPN2</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.thechampaignroom.com/2014/9/30/6874137/illinois-football-pregame-discussion-week-6">The Champaign Room Preview</a></b></p>
<p>I am headed over to Champaign for this one, just as I have for every Purdue at Illinois game since 2002. Generally, good things happen to the Boilers when I go over there. Even the first visit, where Purdue fell behind 24-0, came back to lead 31-24, then got robbed twice in the final seconds of regulation when Illinois failed to break the plane on their TD and Purdue did on the Hail Mary, but was denied, was a good game.</p>
<p>I expect another good game tomorrow, mostly because both teams are terrible. It is a test to see if John Shoop and the offensive staff should be fired before the bus even reaches the Beef House on the way home. Illinois cannot defend against the run. They simply can't do it. They are one of the worst teams in the country against the run. Of course, they were last year too and what did Purdue do? They went away from it after having a successful first quarter.</p>
<p>If Purdue can't run on the Illini they can't run on anyone. I think (hope?) we can do this tomorrow and end the Big Ten losing streak. This is a very winnable game and one that hopefully will build some confidence before a murderous next four. <b>Purdue 24, Illinois 20</b></p>
<p><b>North Texas (2-2) at Indiana (2-2) 2:30pm, BTN</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.crimsonquarry.com/2014/10/2/6876547/game-preview-north-texas-mean-green">Crimson Quarry Preview</a></b></p>
<p>Welcome to the random number generator that is Indiana football. The offense is clearly not the rolling juggernaut that it was last season, which is unfortunate for IU because their defense really isn't too bad. If they had this defense last year IU probably goes 8-4. In this one they get North Texas, who beat IU in 2011 and they have a Purdue connection. <span>Reggie Pegram</span>, who played his first two seasons in West Lafayette and even scored twice in the 2011 Little Caesar's Bowl, is their leading rusher. North Texas had 77 points last week in their FCS blowout, but who knows what's going to happen with IU. <b>Indiana 34, North Texas 30</b></p>
<p><b>Wisconsin (3-1, 0-0) at Northwestern (2-2, 1-0) 3:30pm, ESPN2</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2014/9/29/6864095/wisconsin-northwestern-2014-odds-game-time-tv-schedule-live-stream-radio">Bucky's 5<sup>th</sup> Quarter Preview</a></b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2014/10/2/6887011/three-big-things-northwestern-vs-wisconsin">InsideNU Preview</a></b></p>
<p>What in the world got into Northwestern last week? They might be more of a random number generator than Indiana because at least IU didn't get outgained by an FCS team. Their test against Wisconsin will go a long way to deciding if they are a bowl threat. I still think they have a long road ahead, but if they could upset Notre Dame later on that would be nice. For now, Wisconsin is still the better team. <b>Wisconsin 37, Northwestern 14</b></p>
<p><b>Michigan (2-3, 0-1) at Rutgers (4-1, 0-1) 7pm, BTN</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/2014/10/2/6876577/michigan-wolverines-big-ten-college-football-rutgers-scarlet-knights-brady-hoke-dave-brandon">Maize N' Brew Preview</a></b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2014/10/2/6882989/game-6-preview-rutgers-welcomes-michigan">On the Banks Preview</a></b></p>
<p>Oh Michigan. I don't think things could get worse in Ann Arbor. At this point you have to question if the players are going to quit on Hoke. He clearly does not care for their well-being after last week's debacle. The administration over them could not have handled things worse this week, either. When there are open protests on campus to not only fire the coach, but the athletic director, it is bad. I think Rutgers wins this one, and probably in a walk. <b>Rutgers 27, Michigan 10</b></p>
<p><b>Nebraska (5-0, 1-0) at Michigan State (3-1, 0-0) 8pm, ABC</b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.cornnation.com/2014/10/2/6886509/vine-st-hooligans-podcast-ep-9-a-corn-in-spartys-side-tribute-song-to">Corn Nation Preview</a></b></p>
<p><b><a href="http://www.theonlycolors.com/2014/10/2/6896153/linking-laconically-is-playing-for-a-title">The Only Colors Preview</a></b></p>
<p>We should call this "round 1", because it would be the best Big Ten Championship Game pairing by far. If Michigan State wins and both run the table a rematch in Indianapolis might be a play-in game for the playoff, too. <span>Ameer Abdullah</span> is straight up gashing people and playing like the best player in the country. Hopefully he takes a lot out of Sparty before they come to West Lafayette next week. <b>Michigan State 21, Nebraska 17</b></p>
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https://www.hammerandrails.com/2014/10/3/6899945/week-6-big-ten-previewBoilerTMill