Each week, a beat writer from the opponent’s campus newspaper will give his or her take on the day’s matchup against the Ducks. This week: Purdue.
At Purdue, we care about our football.
But not nearly as much as our Breakfast Club. We have this tradition where the campus bars open at 7 a.m. on game day and students flock to them in Halloween costumes.
So pardon us if the stands look a little empty at the beginning of the game. We’ll get there, eventually. And that ugly chick in the front row? Yeah, that’s probably a guy still in his Breakfast Club attire.
But we really wouldn’t miss this game for anything. We wouldn’t want to miss our legendary quarterback, after all. I’m talking about Purdue alum Bob Griese in the ABC booth, not Curtis Painter.
Painter’s not too shabby either, however. He just can’t seem to win that big game. Nobody on Purdue’s sideline can, actually. We haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2003.
But that’s why we’ll be there. This Oregon game is a big deal to us. It’s a chance for Painter, a four-year starter, to prove himself. It’s a chance for Joe Tiller to finally end that streak in his final season as coach.
But most importantly, it’s a chance for us to see in person those kickass jerseys you guys always wear. This week there’s been more talk on our campus about what your team will wear than anything. It’s
like the guys from “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” took over our minds. (One of the “guys” is a Purdue alum too, by the way.)
But seriously, nobody here really knows what to think about Saturday’s matchup. We’re off to a 1-0 start, but we didn’t exactly beat a powerhouse in Northern Colorado last weekend.
We bring a cast of unproven receivers to the game, which could be a problem with our pass-heavy offense. I don’t use “unproven” lightly. Outside of Greg Orton, our receivers had a combined nine catches before this season.
We don’t know what to think about our defense, either. Linebacker Jason Werner will miss the game with a back injury, and in his place will be a freshman who moved from safety two weeks ago.
That’s scary.
Oregon has put up some pretty solid numbers in its first two games, but do stats put up against the local high school teams even count? I think even my sports desk staff could rush for at least 200 yards against Utah State. But 408 is a big number.
Whatever happens Saturday, I’m definitely looking forward to the game. It’s not often we play teams from a BCS conference in our non-conference games.
Just don’t overlook us. We’re due, after all. Five years is a long time.