Rutgers 37, Purdue 30: The Bigger Picture
By: Dakota Isgrigg | November 29th | @dakota_isgrigg | @BoilerInTexas
I spent the night going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to do a post game write-up on this one. I watched the entire game from start to finish and I, like many fans, had some feelings regarding the outcome.
Here is what I’ve decided to write regarding the actual play on the field. Purdue was playing a good game before some back-breaking plays and penalties took the wind out of their sails and Rutgers pulled away down the stretch. Purdue struggled to regain their composure and the defense couldn’t get the stops necessary in the second half. That’s it. That’s all I want to say about the game.
*Before you continue, what I say here doesn’t mean that we aren’t allowed to be frustrated with decisions made, plays made (or not), and the final results of the game. I get frustrated and emotional about every Purdue sporting event, ask my girlfriend who isn’t a sports fan, and you’ll know that my day can be made/ruined depending on the game.
Now, after a night to calm down, I woke up this morning with a new perspective. I don’t know if it was a dream or just my subconscious reminding me of why I’m a Purdue fan at all. Here are my thoughts going forward through the rest of the year and I hope that someone else can get something from these thoughts as well.
We often ask the question, “Why are we Purdue fans?”. Usually after something gut-wrenching happens, something doesn’t go our way, or something is just generally disappointing in the moment. This is often said in jest and, as far as I can assume, isn’t actually said by someone considering their allegiances. The answer usually extends beyond the product that is out on the field/court.
We. Love. Purdue… Period.
It’s been talked about before that there are very rarely fair-weather Purdue fans in the world. We aren’t Ohio State, we aren’t Alabama, we aren’t Michigan, we aren’t Notre Dame. Those who choose to follow Purdue, usually went to Purdue, or is related to someone who went to Purdue. We follow them because they are our Boilers, they go out and represent Purdue week in and week out. We want the teams to succeed because we are fans. I want Purdue to succeed because I love Purdue. I want to see our Boilers win just as much as the next guy. But I believe my time at Purdue taught me something more.
If any of you don’t know (and if you don’t you should really check out “Who Am I?”), I was a student during the worst 4 years of Purdue football history. Darrel Hazel was my Purdue football coach at Purdue. You know what I did every fall Saturday in West Lafayette? I was either perched in the stands at Ross-Ade, or butt firmly planted on couch/bar stool watching our Boilers go out there and play. No matter the product on the field, I was cheering, I was frustrated, but you know what? I was there. Even now, I wake up with nervous anticipation every Saturday because I know we get to watch Purdue Football that day. But I think some things have changed for me and I didn’t realize it until this morning.
Jeff Brohm arrived in West Lafayette in the fall of 2017 and immediately transformed the Purdue football program. Then over time the perception of Purdue football had changed. We were no longer the absolute doormat of the Big Ten. People’s expectations rose, eyes turned towards the future and hidden expectations rose further with the recruiting successes. And here is where we can have an agreement. Purdue this year has not lived up to expectations. We can say that. There have been aspects that have lived up to expectations, as this offense still screams potential at almost any position. We knew that the defense would be a long road back, it’s fine to say that the Bob Diaco experiment is failing. These are things that we as fans can agree on. What we as fans can not do, is make decisions for the program. We can not know what goes on in practice, or in meeting rooms, or behind any other closed doors. Without these details we as fans don’t have any idea of what is happening on the day-to-day basis. This coaching staff has shown that they keep things close to the vest and are fine with continuing to do so no matter what. So, what can we do as fans from here?
After remembering what it was like from 2013-2016. Here is what I am going to do.
My Commitment
I am making a commitment to myself and Purdue football going forward.
Every Saturday that the Boilers play you will find me:
With my butt firmly planted on my couch
Adorned in as much Purdue gear that I can have on at once
Game on
Inevitably getting too worked up about every play
Happy to have Purdue sports to cheer for
I will continue to produce content about my favorite school with the same excitement as I did before. I will support them whether they win or lose. I will support them from 1,198 miles (thanks Google) away. I will dream of making it back for games when I can. I will be frustrated at times, but I will keep in mind that these are our guys at the end of the day. These coaches are doing their best (this point is a bit up in the air on the Diaco side of the ball).
I still believe in Jeff Brohm.
My commitment is to be there for our guys, to support them, and be happy to do so.
Even with this commitment, I will continue to relay my feelings to you all in my write-ups and podcasts. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to ignore the issues, sweep problems under the rug, or ignore the obvious. I will continue to tell all of you exactly what happened and what it means going forward. What this commitment does do is help keep me from writing things entirely based on emotion only. Maybe this is something other bloggers/podcasters have already mastered, but now it’s my turn to take a shot at it.
I hope you all can join me in this commitment to whatever degree is appropriate for you.
Everyday is a great day to be a Boilermaker.
As Always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue.
