ADVERTISEMENT

Blog: Purdue-Nebraska

Status
Not open for further replies.

Brian_GoldandBlack.com

Moderator
Moderator
Jun 18, 2003
67,009
133,492
113
West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue lost a game it was supposed to lose Saturday at Nebraska.

With so much still to salvage this season, though, with some winnable games ahead, what you hate to see from a Boilermaker perspective is for them to come out of a such a game worse off than they went in.

1612958.jpg

And that's probably the case now after what transpired in Memorial Stadium, first with Frankie Williams taking a blow to the head and coming off the field looking unsure of what galaxy he was existing in, then more gravely, Danny Anthrop being cut down by the dreaded non-contact foot-plant monster.

The latter situation does not look good.

Rarely do you see a player who just mildly tweaked his MCL or sustained a minor hyper-extension crying and vomiting on the sideline after essentially being carried off the field.

There's nothing more than assumption and distance diagnosis at this point but Anthrop's injury was clearly not a minor one.

And if that proves to be true, it's crushing, every bit as much for the offense as Sean Robinson's was for the defense.

Purdue's offense had its coming-back-to-earth game against Nebraska, which took away the big-play running game and showed us what the Boilermakers are left with without it. That's a credit to the Cornhuskers more than anything.

Without Anthrop, far and away Purdue's best receiver this season, the degree of difficulty would inflate and it would force the Boilermakers to rely more on guys who haven't done much of anything relative to expectation this season.

So much was hoped for from DeAngelo Yancey this season and rightfully so. He showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. He's barely been a factor for Purdue's offense this season, save for that brilliant touchdown catch against Notre Dame, which makes his anonymity otherwise even more frustrating.

Austin Appleby threw an interception on a deep ball for Yancey in the end zone. Probably wasn't the best decision by Appleby to chuck it downfield for a double-covered receiver and it certainly wasn't the best throw. But when TV showed wide receivers coach Kevin Sherman freaking out on the sideline afterward, you knew the wide receivers coach wasn't reacting to a play the quarterback made, but rather either the receiver's route or his laissez-faire approach to fighting for the ball and breaking up the pick.

So much was hoped for from Gabe Holmes this season and understandably so. He's shown ample talent and physical ability through his Purdue career. No one on Purdue's roster kills the eye-ball test like Holmes. But he's never really been productive and isn't being productive now. And he had several chances Saturday.

Very disappointing in both cases.

Assuming Anthrop is out indefinitely, the offense - which has buoyed Purdue during its upward trend of late - has a big problem.

Here's hoping for the best for Anthrop, who's dealt with more injury than any player should have to, the latest coming just as he's emerged into a very good player for Purdue at a time where a long-term injury could conceivably seep into his senior year, though we are getting ahead of ourselves there slightly perhaps.

Long before Anthrop got hurt returning a punt in the absence of Williams - that's a situation that has to be a concern also considering he's had other head-related issues this season - the bottom fell out for the Boilermaker offense.

Purdue came into this season wanting consistency.

One area where it hasn't gotten it has simply been in terms of having all three units show up at once.

The defense was terrific against Iowa, but the offense was a tire fire. The offense came alive against Illinois, Michigan State and Minnesota, but the defense regressed.

Today, the offense had its issues, but it was the special teams that for the first time this season, blew up, indirectly handing Nebraska seven points right off the bat via a blocked punt, then allowing a big punt return and later another blocked punt.

The defense wasn't amazing today by any stretch of the imagination, but it deserves some credit for keeping Purdue in the same area code as Nebraska much of the day.

This could have been a 21-0 game very easily in the first quarter and Nebraska just as easily could have hung 40-something on the scoreboard today.

The Cornhuskers scored on drives of 17 and seven yards today. Strike those from the record - the special teams and offense created that field position - and you're looking at the defense allowing 21 points on the road in Lincoln; giving up no real big plays of consequence; and keeping Nebraska off the scoreboard several times deep in Purdue territory, including two red-zone shutouts.

Considering where the defense has been the past three games, I think you take that any day of the week. And yes, I know Ameer Abdullah barely played, but he also had all of one net yard on six carries prior to departing.

Now, make no mistake here: The defense can be better, but after the past three games, respectability had to be the reasonable goal and Purdue achieved it Saturday, if you ask me.

Look, Saturday's loss was disappointing for Purdue. After having the ball in its hands in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie or more in each of its past two losses, the standard is now for the Boilermakers to win.

But what was even more disappointing is what Purdue might be left with considering the price it paid in losing at Nebraska.



Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2014. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Go Big.
Get Premium.

Join Rivals to access this premium section.

  • Say your piece in exclusive fan communities.
  • Unlock Premium news from the largest network of experts.
  • Dominate with stats, athlete data, Rivals250 rankings, and more.
Log in or subscribe today Go Back