Here's your semi-annual reminder: Any time a Big Ten team beats an FCS peer, context matters.
So take things with a grain of salt, or at least a critical eye, any time your team looks like a goliath against such a lower-level opponent.
With that requisite point out of the way, Saturday couldn't have gone much better for Purdue.
Let's look back at some of Purdue's biggest questions coming into this season. Hell, coming out of last week in some cases.
1. Can Purdue get stable quarterback play?
Today, Austin Appleby turned his four interceptions against Marshall into four touchdowns against Indiana State, a number that puts him in some pretty exclusive company. No holes in his game today. Not a single one.
That said, the Marshall game happened and Purdue's opponents from here on out are going to all be as good as, many of them better than, Marshall and none of them as beatable as Indiana State.
2. Can Purdue throw the ball down the field?
Well, two weeks in a row, Appleby has hooked up with the resurgent DeAngelo Yancey for big plays that have looked exactly like they're supposed to in the vertical game, plus that nice throw to Anthony Mahoungou at Marshall too.
The Hail Mary Dan Monteroso scored on clicks maybe one of out of every 20 tries and the 57-yard TD to Cameron Posey was more run than throw, but the point is, Purdue seems like it has a pulse throwing deep for the first time in years.
And the wide receivers to do it, thanks largely to Yancey's revival.
Let's say Purdue does have to shut Danny Anthrop down - him volunteering Saturday morning to play today wouldn't seem like a step down that road - and it makes you wonder if Purdue can't get by without him. Certainly it would be a loss, but not the devastating setback it was last season.
3. Can Purdue put pressure on the quarterback?
I know it was just Indiana State (see above), but Purdue's improved defense owned the line of scrimmage today, practically setting up quarters in the Sycamore backfield. Purdue made 13 tackles for loss and tallied four sacks, while also rushing a bunch of throws that might have otherwise been completed downfield.
There looked to be some vulnerabilities in the secondary today - certainly there were on ISU's touchdown throws of 17 and 27 yards - but pressure covered much of it up.
4. Can Purdue stop the run?
Looks like it, so far. This defense has come a long way. Jake Replogle, Jimmy Herman, Evan Panfil, Purdue's starting to get some real pay-out for the harder times those guys went through as younger players.
It was a good day for Purdue.
Perfect? Certainly not.
Purdue just replaced its returning punter in-game with a freshman and has now seen its returning placekicker from last season miss three of his first five field goals this season.
No bueno.
(That's Spanish for "not good." FYI.)
The net product in the kicking game today wasn't awful because of the fake punt that set up a touchdown and the blocked field goal that (probably) took three ISU points off the board, but a bad punt gave ISU seven and … well, the field goals.
Purdue had margin for error, though, today. It may never again this season for all we know.
Its mantra last week - and this is nothing revelatory by any means - was "every play matters."
Today, it didn't. A week from now, it will.
The "eggs" storyline about Purdue's response from the Marshall loss was a non-starter. It didn't mess around in the first quarter at all. Its messing around came later, as the offense couldn't capitalize on chances to pile on and the special teams contributed heavily to Indiana State maintaining a puncher's chance into the fourth quarter.
Hell, Purdue looked like anything but a deflated team when it hustled to aggressively try to score before halftime. Had to like the urgency shown there.
It was a good day but far from a flawless one.
But considering where Purdue's been, you celebrate anything good without taking an eye off building on it.
This is a better football team than you saw last season and, quite honestly, I don't think it's even close.
None of us are going to use this Indiana State game as a measure to determine what happens from here on out, but during this 1-1 start you've seen a good number of indicators to suggest that significant progress has been made.
But wins are all that matter this season.
Saturday, Purdue got the ball rolling.
---------
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
So take things with a grain of salt, or at least a critical eye, any time your team looks like a goliath against such a lower-level opponent.
With that requisite point out of the way, Saturday couldn't have gone much better for Purdue.
Let's look back at some of Purdue's biggest questions coming into this season. Hell, coming out of last week in some cases.
1. Can Purdue get stable quarterback play?
Today, Austin Appleby turned his four interceptions against Marshall into four touchdowns against Indiana State, a number that puts him in some pretty exclusive company. No holes in his game today. Not a single one.
That said, the Marshall game happened and Purdue's opponents from here on out are going to all be as good as, many of them better than, Marshall and none of them as beatable as Indiana State.
2. Can Purdue throw the ball down the field?
Well, two weeks in a row, Appleby has hooked up with the resurgent DeAngelo Yancey for big plays that have looked exactly like they're supposed to in the vertical game, plus that nice throw to Anthony Mahoungou at Marshall too.
The Hail Mary Dan Monteroso scored on clicks maybe one of out of every 20 tries and the 57-yard TD to Cameron Posey was more run than throw, but the point is, Purdue seems like it has a pulse throwing deep for the first time in years.
And the wide receivers to do it, thanks largely to Yancey's revival.
Let's say Purdue does have to shut Danny Anthrop down - him volunteering Saturday morning to play today wouldn't seem like a step down that road - and it makes you wonder if Purdue can't get by without him. Certainly it would be a loss, but not the devastating setback it was last season.
3. Can Purdue put pressure on the quarterback?
I know it was just Indiana State (see above), but Purdue's improved defense owned the line of scrimmage today, practically setting up quarters in the Sycamore backfield. Purdue made 13 tackles for loss and tallied four sacks, while also rushing a bunch of throws that might have otherwise been completed downfield.
There looked to be some vulnerabilities in the secondary today - certainly there were on ISU's touchdown throws of 17 and 27 yards - but pressure covered much of it up.
4. Can Purdue stop the run?
Looks like it, so far. This defense has come a long way. Jake Replogle, Jimmy Herman, Evan Panfil, Purdue's starting to get some real pay-out for the harder times those guys went through as younger players.
It was a good day for Purdue.
Perfect? Certainly not.
Purdue just replaced its returning punter in-game with a freshman and has now seen its returning placekicker from last season miss three of his first five field goals this season.
No bueno.
(That's Spanish for "not good." FYI.)
The net product in the kicking game today wasn't awful because of the fake punt that set up a touchdown and the blocked field goal that (probably) took three ISU points off the board, but a bad punt gave ISU seven and … well, the field goals.
Purdue had margin for error, though, today. It may never again this season for all we know.
Its mantra last week - and this is nothing revelatory by any means - was "every play matters."
Today, it didn't. A week from now, it will.
The "eggs" storyline about Purdue's response from the Marshall loss was a non-starter. It didn't mess around in the first quarter at all. Its messing around came later, as the offense couldn't capitalize on chances to pile on and the special teams contributed heavily to Indiana State maintaining a puncher's chance into the fourth quarter.
Hell, Purdue looked like anything but a deflated team when it hustled to aggressively try to score before halftime. Had to like the urgency shown there.
It was a good day but far from a flawless one.
But considering where Purdue's been, you celebrate anything good without taking an eye off building on it.
This is a better football team than you saw last season and, quite honestly, I don't think it's even close.
None of us are going to use this Indiana State game as a measure to determine what happens from here on out, but during this 1-1 start you've seen a good number of indicators to suggest that significant progress has been made.
But wins are all that matter this season.
Saturday, Purdue got the ball rolling.
---------
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
