I have no earthly idea where any of this is going.
It's Looney Tunes.
There have been injuries. And just when you thought there couldn't be more injuries ... there are more injuries. Wait, there's more:
We saw a 31-14 lead evaporate and subsequent meltdown in the season-opener that still has me scratching my bald noggin.
We saw the star quarterback go down with an injury on the same play as the star receiver.
We saw the skies open up and pummel Ross-Ade Stadium with Biblical rain.
And just when you thought things couldn't getting any more bizarre for the Boilermakers in this most-bizarre season, Purdue Pete punched the accelerator and headed toward Crazy Town today doing 110 mph:
• Purdue lost the turnover battle: 2-1
• Purdue committed 10 penalties for 89 yards
• Purdue had two punts blocked
• Purdue was forced to play a third-string walk-on QB
Despite all of that chaos, despite all of that misfortune ... the Boilermakers still found a way to win today, taking down Nebraska 31-27.
Just another Saturday in West Lafayette.
The win showed the resolve of a Purdue program that has stared down adversity often. The Boilermakers have blinked a few times this season. But not today. Nope. Purdue took punch after punch like Tex Cobb vs. Larry Holmes ... and kept staggering forward.
This was a game primed to be put on the pile with so many other disappointing games this season ... Nevada, TCU, Minnesota, Illinois. But, Purdue bowed its back ... and won.
What's it mean?
For one thing, it means the Boilermakers' bowl hopes are still alive. There is a pulse. It's faint. But, there's a pulse.
Purdue (3-6 overall; 2-4 Big Ten) needs to win out to reach the six victories needed for bowl eligibility. Up next is a trip to comatose Northwestern. After an off week, the Boilermakers go to Wisconsin and then finish by playing host to one of this year's Big Ten darlings: IU.
The Wildcats have face-planted a season after winning the Big Ten West, looking more like a Francis Peay-coached NU team than a Pat Fitzgerald unit.
Wisconsin has won 13 in a row vs. Purdue but has shown it is vulnerable in 2019 when it was stunned at Illinois as a 30.5-point favorite in one of the biggest upsets in the Big Ten in the last 55 years. Plus, aren't the Boilermakers due vs. the Badgers?
Indiana is in the midst of its best season since 1993. But I'll let you in on a secret: The Hoosiers haven't beaten a team that currently has a winning record. Not. One.
Why can't Purdue win all three? It has been that type of "expect the unexpected" season in West Lafayette. Sophomore walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell is the perfect unlikely posterboy to pull this off.
A great moment, but maybe not the last for O'Connell.
This is scary ... but it's also very fun and exciting. Put on your straightjacket and enjoy the rest of the ride.
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