If you're bored and want to be riled up, check out the comments section of any Penn State related blogsite when they discuss anything even tangentially related to the child abuse scandal they will now forever be known for. The levels of denial and delusion are amazing, even to this day.

As new details surface on the atrocities committed there and the behavior of those in power who obfuscated (to put it mildly) while a child predator walked among them for years, it becomes even clearer what kind of a man the sainted Joe Paterno really was. They say you can be judged by the company you keep, so even if you delude yourself into believing there isn't any "evidence" that Paterno handled things criminally, you sure can pass judgement on those he confided in, discussed things, with and conspired among. Had he lived, Joe Paterno would most likely be indicted at this point and awaiting trial on felony charges.

All that said, Bill O'Brien appears to be his own kind of jerk. I discussed with Boilerdowd almost immediately how unlikable and arrogant this guy appears, almost like he's cranky that he got roped into the long term contract he's in that is pretty ironclad.  And while a jerk is just a jerk, accessories to sexual deviancy and people who cover-up child abuse are quite another.

O'Brien had nothing to do with the cover up that went on at PSU over the past decade-plus and the current players didn't, either. They've all done their best to represent PSU in a positive way and I think it's important to remember that. Sure, go ahead and boo them as they take the field, just like you would any other opponent. But as hard as it is to separate what went on from those blue and white uniforms that symbolize Penn State, you probably should try. These guys did nothing wrong but trust the old men in charge when they came on board -- something lots of people did.

That said, it's predicto time.

J says:

We still have no electricity at my house in NJ, which is probably good because I'm not sure how much more Purdue football I want to watch this season. We discussed on our impromptu Handsome Hangout on Sunday that while the Minnesota loss might have felt like rock bottom, it probably can get worse -- like if they continue to get drubbed. And I have some bad news -- they probably will.

One thing that could stop it at this point is if this team decides to play for Coach Hope. While sounding cheesy, it actually has some merit. The 2008 Boilers were a listless, terrible football team, but when Coach Tiller was on his way out, the Boilers laid a whipping on Indiana the likes of which aren't often seen in conference play. When Jim Colletto announced he wasn't coming back in 1996, another atrociously-bad Boiler team went out and beat Michigan 9-3. If these guys get the sense that the coach they supposedly love is on the thin ice he must be at this point, perhaps you'll see some spirit out of them. We certainly didn't see any against Minnesota.

Another thing that could stop the bleeding is the play of Robert Marve. He is reportedly going to start -- right in the nick of time, coaching staff! Of course, they couldn't even make the change that has been obvious to everyone for over a year without making it sound like the media pushed them into doing it.

Robert Marve injects life into this team. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen them play without energy when 9 has been under center. So given that, I do think they have a fighting chance -- if Robert is given the reins for the entire game, or nearly the entire game (if you want to run Henry in a few spots, have at it, but no switching QBs for entire quarters at a time). Of course, the downside for Robert is that he gets the nod against a pretty stout defense, 18th in the nation in points allowed. And finally, there is the issue of his gimpy knee, that we aren't even sure can take a full game of action. As we've said repeatedly, as much as we want to see Marve play, we would rather Purdue lose out than see this young man writhing on the ground again.

If Marve doesn't see the majority of the action for whatever reason, it'll be a long day for the Boilers in front of a half-empty Ross-Ade. If he does, it'll be a slightly less long day, but a long day all the same. There is nothing in the past month-plus (Purdue's last win was Sept 29, by the way -- last Big Ten win will be one year ago in 24 days) that leads me to think Purdue should be given a shot in this game.

Nittany Kittens 42
Purdue 28

Boilerdowd says:

This is a big week for Purdue's football program's future; it seems everyone inside and outside of the program understands that.

In the immediate future, you have Robert Marve, KK Short, Josh Johnson, Akeem Shavers and others all beginning to understand that they're entering the last few games they'll ever play in a Purdue uniform.  These guys have played through injury, bled and torn soft tissue for this program...and played through it.  By every account, Marve's impassioned speech to the team shortly after he was named starter was pretty moving.  The guy is a fighter...and he'll be playing with one less ACL than the other 21 guys on the field this Saturday...can his heart and big arm make up for it, is the question.

The bigger question will be, of course, can the defense stop anybody.  Penn State does a lot well on offense and has one of the statistically-best QBs in the league.  While I can't say I'm impressed with him, I am very impressed with the hard-nosed football PSU has been playing and the fact that in spite of outside distractions, their coaching staff has done an amazing job getting them ready each and every week...that's quite a contrast with Hope and co, is it not?

Hope blames the media and amazing outlets like this one for creating this situation that Purdue's football program is in....but the blame is squarely on the guys in the fancy Nike jackets on the sidelines. Each week when these guys blow smoke up their players arses publicly, our Boilers lay an egg the next Saturday...that's kinda bad news for my alma mater's team.

Hope said that in spite of the score, Purdue was close statistically to Mini-Sota.  Who gives a damn.  They were smoked in every area...the good news is Marve and Henry both provided something to grin about in a day filled with apathetic sighs and groans from the Boiler faithful...that ended (for most of us) with a trip far away from the TV.

If Purdue can do the improbable and win on Saturday, it'll be because Robert Marve and company were allowed to do their job...and no dumbass comments about Marve leaving the script or not being able to manage the game like someone else will be deterring him from doing so.  But, if Nord is pulling the strings, expect more of the same crap that Purdue has been giving the last few weeks.  But prepare for a big first or second play!!!

Tibesar needs to throw out everything he's been doing the past few weeks as well.  If it takes using 12 players to stop PSU, do it.  Hell, Paterno did that a few years ago and all he got was a flag.

Here's a crappy scenario that I think is possible: Purdue will show fight for a half, and maybe get the lead...but that lead will bring TerBush off of the bench for some solid game management and prevent defense on the other side of the field.  Purdue could have a 10 point lead with three minutes left and give that away; we've seen it before.  The good news is, if that scenario rolls around, Hope's revolutionary timeout strategy will save Purdue again...ammiright?

Show me, Boilers...I wanna be wrong.

Loving Lions 35
Purdue 31