2007 Purdue Boilermakers Additional Information

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Additional Information




Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
Official School Bio - Joe Tiller

Assistant Coaches:
Official School Bios - Assistant Coaches
Mark Hagen - Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams/LB's
Bill Legg - Co-Off. Coordinator/Centers and Guards
Brock Spack - Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
Ed Zaunbrecher - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Lou Anarumo - Defensive Backs
John McDonell - Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends
Brian Rock - Wide Receivers
Joel Thomas - Running Backs
Terrell Williams - Defensive Line
Lamar Conard - Graduate Assistant
Joe Deifel - Graduate Assistant
Mike Jacobs - Graduate Assistant
Kevin Nesfield - Graduate Assistant
Don Coller - Director of Football Operations
Jim Lathrop - Director of Strength and Conditioning
Denny Miller - Director of Sports Medicine
Tom Schott - Assistant Athletics Director
Mike Shandrick - Equipment Manager​

Recruiting

Starters Returning: 20 (Offense 9, Defense 9, Special Teams 2)
Letterman Returning: 54 (Offense 25, Defense 26, Special Teams 3)
Notable Returners:
C Robbie Powell, RG Jordan Grimes, RT Sean Sester, TE Dustin Keller, WR Dorien Bryant, WR Selwyn Lymon, WR Greg Orton, RB Kory Sheets, QB Curtis Painter, DE Cliff Avril, DT Ryan Baker, DT Alex Magee, LB Dan Bick, LB Stanford Keglar, CB Royce Adams, CB Terrell Vinson, FS Brandon Erwin, SS Justin Scott, K Chris Summers, P Jared Armstrong

Starters Lost: 4 (Offense 2, Defense 2, Special Teams 0)
Letterman Lost: 17 (Offense 8, Defense 8, Special Teams 1)
Notable Losses:
LG Uche Nwaneri, LT Mike Otto, DE Anthony Spencer, LB George Hall

Purdue Boilermakers Past Recruiting Classes

2004 Recruiting Class
**LB Kyle Williams (Bolingbrook HS) Bolingbrook, IL 6-2/219
DE Ryan Baker (Bishop Chatard HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-6.5/240
WR Dorien Bryant (Fork Union Military) Fork Union, VA 6-0/175
**RB Anthony Heygood (Cardinal O'Hara HS) Springfield, PA 6-1/210
DE Jeremy Coley (Mesabi Range CTC) Virginia, MN 6-5/240
RB Kory Sheets (Bloomfield HS) Bloomfield, CT 5-11/196
**RB Chris Haslon (Holy Cross HS) Delran, NJ 5-11/180
DE Jonathan Patton (Hubbard HS) Chicago, IL 6-5/240
LB Clifford Avril (Clay HS) Green Cove Springs, FL 6-3/210
WR Torri Williams (Leander HS) Leander, TX 6-2/185
OL Zach Smith (Moeller HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-4/280
OL Sean Sester (Highlands HS) Ft. Thomas, KY 6-8/270
LB Dan Bick (St. Xavier HS) Louisville, KY 6-1/192
WR Fabian Martin (Prosser Voc/Acad Prep) Chicago, IL 5-11/175
**DE Rob Ninkovich (Joliet JC) Joliet, IL 6-3/245
**WR Bruce Gordon (Dodge City JC) Dodge City, KS 5-11/190
**S Zach Logan (Trotwood-Madison HS) Trotwood, OH 6-1/175
**WR Brian Hare (Pima JC) Tucson, AZ 6-2/190
WR Brandon Whittington (Collingswood SHS) Collingswood, NJ 6-0.5/194
**LB Jimmy Ladd (Center Grove HS) Greenwood, IN 6-2/220
**S Christian Graham (Warren Central HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-2/190
OL Garret Miller (Bay City HS) Bay City, TX 6-6/260
WR Desmond Tardy (Warren Central HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-1/180
**CB Lance Melvin (Bridgewater-Raritan HS) Bridgewater, NJ 5-9/180
**LB Luis Vasquez (Ledyard HS) Ledyard, CT 6-3/225
QB Curtis Painter (Lincoln HS) Vincennes, IN 6-4/205
**P Dave Brytus (West Allegheny SHS) Imperial, PA 6-4/225
**QB David Ramire (Grace Prep Academy) Arlington, TX 6-2/190
OL Jordan Grimes (Plainfield HS) Plainfield, IN 6-3/290

**No Longer With Team

Fun Facts:
The 2004 Boilermaker class was rated 32nd in the nation by Scout.com and 20th in the nation by Rivals.com. Both rankings were good enough for 5th place in the Big-10 ...

The class was headlined by 4* prospects Kyle Williams, Ryan Baker, Bruce Gordon, and Dave Brytus. Williams was tabbed as the #5 LB in the country by Scout.com and Baker was rated as the #14 DE ...

Ryan Baker played in the US Army All-American game and was selected as the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year ...

Dan Bick's father, Sam, played professional soccer for the St. Louis Steamers of the Major Indoor Soccer League ...

Dorien Bryant initially signed with Boston College in 2003 before heading to Prep School ...

Not-So-Fun Fact:
Kyle Williams is currently serving a 37-year prison sentence for crimes committed in the state of Illinois ...


2005 Recruiting Class
DE Keyon Brown (Thornton TWP HS) Harvey, IL 6-3/225
OL Zach Reckman (Indian Hill HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-6/245
**TE Alec Huber (Eagles Landing Christian Acad.) McDonough, GA 6-5/225
**WR Derek Benson (The Hun School) Princeton, NJ 6-1/196
**S Todshon Jones (Winslow TWP HS) Atco, NJ 6-2/185
**DE J.B. Paxson (Center Grove HS) Greenwood, IN 6-3/265
**OL Jason Kacinko (Penn Trafford HS) Harrison City, PA 6-6/300
CB Brandon King (Houston County HS) Warner Robins, GA 5-11/175
DT Alex Magee (Oswego HS) Oswego, IL 6-4/272
WR Selwyn Lymon (Paul Harding HS) Ft. Wayne, IN 6-5/190
DE Frank Halliburton (Bishop Chatard HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-1/233
OL Eric Hedstrom (Prospect HS) Mount Prospect, IL 6-6/265
WR Greg Orton (Wayne HS) Huber Heights, OH 6-4/190
QB Joey Elliott (William Henry Harrison HS) Evansville, IN 6-4/200
DE Jared Zwilling (Central HS) Evansville, IN 6-4/240
DE Mike Neal (Merrillville HS) Merrillville, IN 6-4/240
LB Jason Werner (Roncalli HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-5/205
**RB Dray Mason (Bishop Chatard HS) Indianapolis, IN 5-9/183

Fun Facts:
The Class of 2005 netted Purdue a ranking of 26th in the nation by Scout.com and 29th by Rivals.com. They were ranked 4th in the Big-10 by Scout and 5th by Rivals ...

The class was headlined by 5* prospect Selwyn Lymon and 4* prospects J.B. Paxson, Greg Orton, and Eric Hedstrom. Lymon was rated by Scout.com as the nation's 5th best WR, Paxson the 5th best DE, and Hedstrom the 14th best OL ...

J.B. Paxson went the baseball route and is now the starting catcher at Western Kentucky ...

Keyon Brown is the cousin of Kansas City Chiefs LB Napoleon Harris ...

Selwyn Lymon's father, Terry, was a RB at Ball St. from 1980-1983. Lymon is also the cousin of Kansas City Chiefs S Bernard Pollard ...

Greg Orton was a high school teammate of Buckeye LB Marcus Freeman at Wayne H.S. in Huber Heights, OH ...


2006 Recruiting Class
OL Ryan Prater (Trinity Christian Academy) Addison, TX 6-4/265
**S Mario Swope (Brebeuf Jesuit) Indianapolis, IN 5-10/185
CB David Pender (Charlton County HS) Folkston, GA 5-11/170
CB Jonte Lindsey (Riverside JC) Riverside, CA 5-10/165
**K Tim Dougherty (St. Xavier HS) Louisville, KY 5-11/185
WR Roberto McBean (CC of San Francisco) San Francisco, CA 6-0/180
QB Jeff Panfil (North Crowley HS) Ft. Worth, TX 6-6/195
P Jared Armstrong (Harper College) Palatine, IL 6-3/240
DE Michael McDonald (Tyler JC) Tyler, TX 6-2/240
**RB Dario Camacho (Citrus JC) Glendora, CA 5-11/205
**CB Brandon Blackmon (Mt. San Antonio JC) Walnut, CA 6-0/175
S Brandon Erwin (Grayson HS) Loganville, GA 6-2/180
DE Jeff Benjamin (Riverside JC) Riverside, CA 6-3/270
RB Jaycen Taylor (Los Angeles Harbor JC) Wilmington, CA 5-11/180
S Justin Scott (College of the Sequoias) Visalia, CA 6-1/200
**DE Shaun Richardson (Joliet JC) Joliet, IL 6-2/240
LB Kevin Green (North Chicago Community HS) Chicago, IL 6-2/200
WR Keith Smith (Shoemaker HS) Killeen, TX 6-3/205
**RB Deon Williams (Guilford HS) Rockford, IL 6-0/200
CB Royce Adams (Glenville HS) Cleveland, OH 5-11/175
OL Justin Pierce (Tom Bean HS) Tom Bean, TX 6-5/300
TE Kyle Adams (Westlake HS) Austin, TX 6-5/230
LB John Humphrey (Liberty HS) Youngstown, OH 6-1/210
S Jeff Lindsay (L'Anse Creuse HS) Macomb, MI 6-4/220
**DT Kyle Sheehan (Fairmont SHS) Fairmont, MN 6-4/255

Fun Facts:
The Boilermaker class of 2006 was ranked 54th in the country by Scout.com and 50th in the country by Rivals.com. Both rankings were good for 8th in the Big-10 ...

The class was headlined by 4* prospect Jeff Lindsay, who was ranked as the #21 S in the country by Scout.com. Purdue signed a whopping 10 JUCO players in the class (7 of which made it to West Lafayette) ...

Roberto McBean was a teammate of current Buckeye LB Larry Grant at the CC of San Francisco ...

Jeff Panfil's father Doug was an All-American OG at Tulsa and was selected in the NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. His brother Matt is a DE at TCU ...


2007 Recruiting Class
LB Gerald Gooden (Hooks HS) Hooks, TX 6-3/210
DE Preston Numa (John Curtis Christian) River Ridge, LA 6-4/235
FB Jared Crank (American Heritage Acad.) Carrollton, TX 6-2/223
WR Charlton Williams (Coral Springs HS) Coral Springs, FL 6-2/190
**OL Michael Chacksfield (Cincinnati Hills Christian) Cincinnati, OH 6-6/265
LB DeVarro Greaves (Charlton County HS) Folkston, GA 6-3/200
DE Nickcaro Golding (Evanston TWP HS) Evanston, IL 6-5/215
QB Josh McKinley (Leander HS) Leander, TX 6-1/200
OL James Shepherd (Christian Co Learning Acad.) Hopkinsville, KY 6-6/315
RB Malcolm Harris (Paterson Catholic HS) Paterson, NJ 5-11/185
S Joe Holland (Bishop Chatard HS) Indianapolis, IN 6-1/201
QB Justin Siller (St. Mary's Prep) Orchard Lake, MI 6-3/195
WR Waynelle Gravesande (Irvington HS) Irvington, NJ 5-10/160
DE Ryan Kerrigan (Muncie Central HS) Muncie, IN 6-5/225
RB Dan Dierking (Wheaton-Warrenville HS) Wheaton, IL 5-10/175
DE Nick Mondek (Naperville Central HS) Naperville, IL 6-6/225
TE Colton McKey (The Woodlands HS) The Woodlands, TX 6-6/215
WR Derrick Sherman (Withrow HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-0/180
K Chris Summers (Hamilton SE HS) Fishers, IN 6-1/170
QB Tyler Haston (Avon HS) Avon, IN 6-3/205

Fun Facts:
The Purdue class of 2007 was ranked 59th in the nation by Rivals.com and 70th by Scout.com. Rivals tabbed it as the 9th best class in the Big-10 and Scout place it 10th in the conference ...

The class was headlined by 3* prospect Justin Siller who was ranked as the nation's 35th best QB by Scout.com ...

Justin Siller was a teammate of current Buckeyes S Aaron Gant and WR Taurian Washington at St. Mary's Prep ...

Dan Dierking's father, Scott, played FB at Purdue and with the NY Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ...​

Behind the Numbers

Clash of the Titans (?)

On the surface, the numbers for this week's game make it look like the Buckeyes are playing the Boilermakers for the conference championship. Both teams have beaten every opponent by at least 2 touchdowns and seem poised to present each other with the first big test of the season for both teams. What's more, these two teams absolutely dominate the major statistical categories in the Big Ten Conference.

Category___________________Big Ten Leader
Passing Efficiency__________Ohio State (Purdue 2nd)
Passing Offense_____________Purdue
Total Offense_______________Purdue
Scoring Offense_____________Purdue
Rushing Defense_____________Ohio State
Pass Efficiency Defense_____Ohio State
Passing Defense_____________Ohio State
Total Defense_______________Ohio State
Scoring Defense_____________Ohio State
.
.
.
Kickoff Returns_____________Purdue
Kick ret. yardage def.______Purdue
3rd Down Conv. Def._________Ohio State

In addition to leading the above categories, the teams are tied for second place in Sacks Allowed (Minnesota). The Buckeyes are also second in Rushing Offense (to Illinois) and are less than 1.5 inches behind Penn State for the conference lead in Net Punting.

With statistics like these, the Disney Family of Companies will have no problem casting these teams as the class of the Big 10. They will hype the monumental struggle between the Unstoppable Force (Purdue's Offense) and the Immovable Object (OSU's Defense). The "House of Mouse" already has America believing that this game will punch someone's ticket to the BCS.

Anyone who didn't sleep through last weekend's craziness will realize that either of these teams might win this game. But you don't have to be Donald Duck to see that only the most superficial, Mickey Mouse[sup]TM[/sup] analysis can portray these teams as equals.


Differential Statistical Analysis (DSA)

This battle-of-unbeatens warrants the 2007 debut of DSA. Those of you familiar with DSA will recall that this look Behind the Numbers compares a team's statistical results to the average results posted vs. the teams they've played. Let's look at an example for scoring offense and scoring defense and then dig into the numbers.

Note: As with previous years, games against lower division teams are factored out. This hurts the teams that bullied the smaller schools and helps the team *Michigan* that was "nice" to them.

Example:

If your opponents have given up 21 points per game when the games they played against you are factored out, and you averaged 42 points per game against those teams, then your Differential Scoring Offense (DSO) is 42/21 = 2. Similarly, if your opponents score 21 points per game when the games they played against you are factored out, and you gave up 14 points per game against them, then your Differential Scoring Defense (DSD) is 14/21 = 0.667. As you can see, a higher number is better for DSO and a lower number is better for DSD. The same type of analysis can be done for yardage.​

Two weeks ago, a carefull inspection of the numbers showed that Northwestern was better than people thought they were (and that it wouldn't matter). And last week a careful analysis showed that Minnesota was better than people thought they were. Sadly, peering Behind the Numbers will not be so kind to the Boilermakers. Indeed, this year's initial DSA shows that Charlie Weis isn't the only one who likes cupcakes.


DSA on Defense

While the raw numbers show that Ohio State's stop troops are vastly superior to Purdue's; DSA shows that the difference is even bigger than most people realize.

TEAM______________DSD_____RK______DYD_____RK
Ohio State_______0.273_____2_____0.527_____2
Purdue___________1.037____63_____1.302___106

Where:
DSD = Differential Scoring Defense
DYD = Differential Yardage Defense
RK = National Rank out of 119 D1-A teams​

So while OSU's opponents scored just 0.273 teams against OSU for every point they scored against everyone else, Purdue's opponents actually found scoring easier when playing the Boilermakers. The difference is even more pronounced with respect to yardage.


DSA on Offense

Although DSA drew the teams into sharper relief on defense, making the difference between the two clearer; on offense this analysis shows a much smaller difference between the teams than is seen using raw numbers.

TEAM______________DSO_____RK______DYO_____RK
Ohio State_______1.188____37_____0.972____65
Purdue___________1.218____35_____1.045____51

Where:
DSO = Differential Scoring Offense
DYO = Differential Yardage Offense
RK = National Rank out of 119 D1-A teams​

So while Purdue scored more points than Ohio State, both teams scored about 1.2 times as much as their opponents normally have given up. And while the Boilers have logged many more yards than the Buckeyes, neither team departed far from their opponents average Total Defense.


Preliminary Conclusion

Thus far, DSA seems to show that OSU holds a huge lead in defense while Purdue enjoys a slight margin on offense. If we were to use these numbers to attempt to predict the final score we come up with the following:

Ohio State: 28-38 points
Purdue: 9-12 points​

The fact that the game is in West Lafayette at night skews the expectation somewhat in Purdue's favor, but probably not enough to enable the Boilermaker's to stay within the touchdown that 'Vegas is giving them. While West Lafayette is abuzz with optimism, it says here that they will be fortunate to keep the final margin to single digits.


Tresselball

While the above analysis provides as good a guess as any regarding what will probably happen, one can't help but wonder what might happen if ...

You don't have to be Pat Fitgerald to realize that OSU's defense is fantastic. And you don't have to be Charlie Weis to realize that Purdue's defense is bad. The above analysis shows the difference between the two accurately.

But is Purdue's offense really better than Ohio State's? Raw numbers suggest it, and even DSA seems to bear this out.

As Lee Corso might say (but we hope he doesn't), not so fast my friends. Tresselball prevents even DSA from ever showing how good OSU's offense is.

As with the past 6 seasons, Ohio State has left points and yards "on the table" in the interest of managing the season the Tressel way. While we can't track these unrealized points and yards the way we track other numbers, there is a number that gives us an indication of how much juice that is still in the tank.

The best illustration of the number in question comes from last season in Austin. Troy Smith threw the ball 10 times on first down in the first half of the Texas game. He threw the ball zero times on first down in the second half.

As was seen so clearly against the Longhorns, the number of passes on first down is a great indication of how Jim Tressel feels about a game. If he is believes that his team needs to score, he passes on first down as often as he runs, sometimes moreso. If he believes it is time to let the clock run and shorten the game, he turns the clock back to 1968 and gives the ball to the tailback.

While Ohio State's offensive numbers are still handicapped by the unit's slow start to the season, even the game against Minnesota's porous defense produced fewer yards and points than the opponent gave up to other teams. Todd Boeckman went against the nation's worst pass defense and actually slipped down in the national passing efficiency rankings. This wasn't really a regression by the offense so much as it was attributable to Tresselball. The number of passes on first down proves it.

Ohio State had 34 first down plays against Minnesota. The play-selection/result breakdown is as follows:

Rushing: 25 carries -- 134 yards -- 5.36 ypc
Passing: 7-9 -- 108 yards -- 12.00 ypa​

Of the 9 passes on first down, 2 took place on the 1st possession of the 1st half and 3 were on the 1st possession of the 2nd half. One other was late in the first-half when time was short. Ohio State attempted only 3 other passes on first down in the entire game.

Apart from the 1st possession of each half and the last possession of the 1st half, Ohio State was running on first down and Minnesota knew it. If Jim Tressel had wanted to, he could have put up bigger numbers by continuing to throw on first down throughout the game. The following numbers prove it:

Beanie on 1st down: 4.4 ypc
Beanie on other downs: 5.4 ypc

Boeckman on 1st down: 7-9, 108y, 1td -- 215.24 efficiency
Boeckman on other downs: 11-20, 101y, 1td -- 113.92 efficiency​

Judging from these numbers, it is arguable that the paucity of passing on first down after the 1st possession of each half prevented the Buckeye Backfield from getting into a rhythm. It is conceivable that production on other downs may have improved if more balance had been shown on first down.

But none of this should be taken as a criticism of Ohio State's coaching staff in general or even of their play-calling in particular. Jim Tressel doesn't just call plays. He doesn't even just produce game plans. He has a plan for the whole season, and he executes it.

When you look at the numbers that really matter, the number of wins, you wouldn't have it any other way.​

The Lighter Side

On a day where the big dogs were going down faster than a triple cheeseburger in the hands of Charlie Weis, Ohio State found the strength to overcome it's own malaise and defeat the Golden Gophers in convincing fashion. Perhaps inspired by the seeming fate of the day, the Tim Brewster led Gophers presented in warm-ups clad in their normal maroon jerseys and yellow pants, but then upon taking the field we saw giant, hulking bananas running to the Home sideline. Early confusion was evident as the Buckeyes saw the mighty chimpanzee treats march right down the field on them. Fortunately, the resulting field goal try sailed wide. Likewise, it took the offense a few moments to understand what was going on. After an almost botched fake punt gained a first down, the Buckeyes moved right on down the field for seven. While some tension would present itself in the second quarter, ultimately the Buckeyes won going away. Let that be a lesson to future upset Saturday coaches, when the stars are aligned for you, don't get all gimmicky with alternative uniforms and such. The "upset Gods" won't recognize you as they wave their magic fingers about. Besides, Oregon has cornered the market on making kids ball in the "hot fashions" of some chuckle-head designer. Until you get yourself a designer who's also clinically insane, just put on your normal uniforms, get out there and hit someone.

Speaking of clinically insane, it wouldn't be a lighter side article without mention of Lou "Tsunami Mouth" Holtz. I suspected something was going on with this weekend when I saw the South Florida Bulls beat West Virginia. The "upset" of it wasn't that unexpected, really. I mean, any team in the Big East that has made even the slightest effort to put a defense on the field will always stand a good chance of knocking off the national spotlight offense only "powers." No. What was the real clue was that Mr. The-Mississippi-River-Starts-Here pepped up the Bulls and they actually won. There's only one force in the universe powerful enough to overcome the misfortune a Holtz pep talk (or prediction) brings, and that's the ever watchful eye of the football gods. The football gods hate five things. The media, particularly where it is engaging in months premature "who's getting screwed by the BCS" hysteria, Me, but only when I talk smack regarding fantasy sports, the alternate uniform gimmick, thoughtless analysis and analysts and finally they hate the teams which any of the preceding four topics covers. So, when Rich Rodriquez starts talking about how the Mountaineers are like the Yankees (runs afoul of the analysis/analyst rule), the football Gods take notice and make you pay. I'm not certain why the gods unleashed the fury against so many top ten teams this week, but I'm thankful that the Buckeyes weren't one of them.

Up next is Purdue. To understand what the football gods think of Purdue we have to look at their history, much like we would if we were considering Michigan State. Purdue's always seems to be a team that is sometimes on the cusp of greatness, and others on the cusp on completely falling off the map. For every Seth Morales game winning touchdown, there's a 42 - 2 ass beating. Recent history suggests a hard fought battle between these schools, with the Buckeyes owning a slight 3 - 2 advantage over the Boilers since 2000, with one of those wins being the "Holy Buckeye" nail biter in 2002 and another being 16-13 OT win in 2003. The good news is, considering this history, the Buckeyes won't be looking past the Boilers (and why would they, with Kent State looming) The better news is, the Boilers look to have already attained their high water mark under Tiller.

Cusp of greatness, or cusp of falling off the map? Well, it might appear we're in a cusp of greatness year. But, we're not. True, Purdue is 5 - 0. True Purdue has a rep of being an unstoppable offensive juggernaut. But, these numbers are misleading. Five and Oh, yes, but it's come against 1 - 4 Toledo, 3-2 D-IAA Eastern Illinois, 2-3 Central Michigan, 1-4 Minnesota and 0 - 5 Notre Dame. As juggernauts go, consider: Purdue has buried defenses currently ranked 109 (Toledo), 116 (Central Michigan), 117 (Minnesota) and D-IAA Eastern Illinois. What happens when Purdue faces a defense ranked better than 109th? Well, 52nd rated Notre Dame held them to a paltry 371, some 120 yards below their average. You don't have to be DaddyBigBucks to see that aint good. Worse, however, is that aside from also being home to the worlds largest drum, the offense is the bright spot. When Notre Dame 2007 puts up double digits points (19) and a season best 427 total yards on you, there's much to cause concern. While Purdue is not a team that the Buckeyes can beat by simply throwing their helmets on the field, this game may receive more hype than is warranted.

Consider this also. Since 1919 Ohio State has lost to Purdue in consecutive games played a grand total of 3 times (1960 - 1967 (no games from '61 - '66); 1947 - 1952 (no games from '48 - '51); 1943 - 1945 (no game in '44)). The Boilers are on a one game winning streak right now, having beat the Buckeyes in West Lafayette in 2004. The more likely scenario is that Ohio State is poised to begin one of it's winning streaks against the Boilers, the shortest of which (not including the 14 - 14 tie in 1946) is 3 games, and the longest of which is seven games. Yes, it's true that these numbers are completely meaningless as to what should happen on the field. But, a historical trends becomes a historical trend because the trend happens with regularity.

Cusp of greatness, or cusp of falling off the map? I'd say the latter. The world - not including Ann Arbor, of course - has caught up to "basketball on grass." While there are smoke and mirrors hiding the reality of Purdue's sliding further away from the Drew Brees-led team's successes, and we're not quite at the level of the Jim Colletto led disasters from the early 90s, Purdue should have their work cut out for them against the Buckeyes. But, I can tell you this with certainty. If the Boilers come out wearing some spiffy new color scheme, or if their fans decide to all dress as if they're given the clothing options of communist China, or if Holtz decides to shower them with one of his bizarre pep talks, Purdue will be in for a hurting. The football gods like tradition. They like teams being what they have always been. Purdue's been an up and down team forever, and they're on the downward path right now. Bank on it.​

Traditions & Opponent Perspective

Purdue began its football program in 1891 under the direction of Head Coach Knowlton L. "Snake" Ames. Like most schools with such a long history, Purdue has amassed a number of traditions.

• Boilermakers - The first time the Purdue football team was refered to as the Boiler Makers was on October 26, 1891, when a Crawfordsville reporter wrote about the team's dismanteling of Wabash College 44-0. Not long after, Lafayette papers also began refering to the team in the same way, and in October of 1892, The Purdue Exponent gave its stamp of approval. Other names which the early Purdue teams were known by include "haymakers," "railsplitters," "sluggers," and my personal favorite, "cornfield sailors."
• Old Gold and Black - The Purdue colors, Old Gold and Black, were adopted in 1887. The colors were proposed that year by the team captain, with the purpose of achieving a distinction.
• Hail Purdue - Written in 1912 by Edward S. Wotawa, (Music) and James R. Morrison (words) "Hail Purdue" was orginally called "Purdue War Song." In 1913, "Hail Purdue" was published and dedicated to the Varsity Glee Club. Wotawa had been a member of the Glee Club.

Chorus
Hail, hail to old Purdue!
All hail to our old gold and black!
Hail, hail to old Purdue!
Our friendship may she never lack,
Ever grateful ever true,
Thus we raise our song anew,
Of the days we've spent with you,
All hail our own Purdue.

(Verse 1)
To your call once more we rally,
Alma Mater, hear our praise;
Where the Wabash spreads its valley,
Filled with joy our voices raise.
From the skies in swelling echoes
Come the cheers that tell the tale,
Of your vict'ries and your heroes,
Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!

(Verse 2)
When in after years we're turning,
Alma Mater, back to you,
May our hearts with love be yearning,
For the scenes of old Purdue.
Back among your pathways winding
Let us seek what lies before,
Fondest hopes and aims e'er finding,
While we sing of days of yore.
​

• Purdue Hymn - Written by Alfred B. Kirchholff in 1941 The Purdue Board of Trustees approved the song "Purdue Hymn" as the official alma mater of the University on February 5, 1993 at the urging of hundreds of petitions from students and alumi. It was first performed by the Purdue Musical Organization's University Choir on March 6, 1943, during a convocation in the Purdue (now Elliott) Hall of Music.

Close by the Wabash in famed Hoosier land
Stands old Purdue, serene and grand.
Cherished in memory by all
Her sons and daughters true,
Fair alma mater,
All hail Purdue! Fairest in all the land,
Our own Purdue!
Fairest in all the land, our own Purdue!
​

• Mascots - The official mascot of Purdue is the Boilermaker Special. Also seen at Purdue events is unofficial mascot Purdue Pete

Boilermaker Specials

Kept in the custody of the Purdue Reamer Club, The Special is used to announce current campus events. The idea for the Boilermaker Special started began with an article in The Exponent by Isreal Silkowitz. On September 11, 1940 Boilermaker Special I was completed. On the head lamp are the numbers 070441 which represent three important dates. 07 is the year that Doc Anderson and W. H. Winterrowd helped construct the body for the Special. The 40 and 41 represent the members of those classes and the Reamer Club members who dedicated their time, energy, and money.

Purdue currently used the fifth version of the Boilermaker Specia, dedicated September 25, 1993. The Boilermaker Special V replaced the Boilermaker Special III, after Special III had logged over 110,000 miles in its 33 years. There is also a smaller version of the mascot, the Boilermaker Special IV (or X-tra Special as it is nicknamed) which also makes appearances at special events.

Purdue Pete

Purdue Pete was created when "Red" Samuels and "Doc" Eppell, founders of University Book Store, asked one Art Evans to develop an advertising logo for the store in 1940. In 1956, Pete made his first debut as a three dimensional entity responsible for entertaining and energizing sports crowds.

Three students share the responsibilty of playing the part of the mallet-weilding Purdue Pete. A Purdue Pete candidate must be at least six feet tall, weigh no less than 180 pounds, be involved in campus activities, and possess leadership qualities.​

• The Purdue Seal - In March 1968, Al Gowen presented the fifth, and current, seal to be used by the University. The seal, which is used in more formal settings, features a griffin behind a shield along with the words "Purdue University." The griffin is a symbol of strength from medieval heraldry while the three-part shield represents the stated aims of Purdue University: education, research, and service and replaced the words Science, Technology, and Agriculture which had been used on an earlier version of the seal.
  
• The Purdue Brand - In the fall of 2002 the words "Purdue University" took on a new look. This marked the first time in Purdue's history that the University adopted a brand identity for its name. The distinctive Purdue University signature logo includes a standardized typeface and colors, and guidelines have been developed for its placement and graphic design use.
  
• "Big Bass Drum" - Purdue Marching Band Director Spotts Emrick commissioned the Leedy Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis, Indiana to produce a massive bass drum in 1941. At a cost of $800.00, the drum has become a lasting symbol of the marching band as well as the university. Seen at home football games, the Drum also makes appearances at parades, alumni rallies, the Indianapolis 500 Race, and other special events.

Often thought of as the Worlds Largest Bass Drum, officially, the University dubs it the "Big Bass Drum" (BBD), rather than world's largest. There are other schools which also claim the title of worlds largest, including a drum at the University of Chicago and Texas University's "Big Bertha." While no official comparative measurement has been made, in 1961, Texas and Purdue pledged to bring their drums to a national convention in Wichita. Only Purdue turned up.

Built on the carriage of a Model T Ford, the drum easily towers ten feet high. The exact dimensions of the drum itself are a closely held secret known only to the crew members. Amazingly, the drum retains many of its original components, including the carriage, axle, wheels, and wood shell.

The inside of the drum includes the names of previous drum crew members. In 1961, former President Truman signed the drum head.

• • Spinning - In pre-game the drum is placed in the middle of the "P" which is formed by the marching band, and spun while the band plays "Hail Purdue!"
  • Drum Crew Ariels - Upon Purdue scores, the drum crew can occasionally be seen performing aerials in the Southeast endzone of Ross-Ade Stadium. To perform various stunts, they first remove the Drum carriage's 'third' wheel, which acts as kick stand. Two crew members pull down of the back of the drum as two other members are lifted on the front bar of the carriage performing stunts.
  • Push-ups - The Drum Crew will also do pushups to correspond to whatever point Purdue has acheived. Joe Tiller's high-scoring "basketball on grass" philosophy can have its disadvantages. Indeed, prospective crew members are required to be in good shape, and during training must do two minutes of pushups, two minutes of sit ups, run a 1.7 mile road course as well as a 100 meter run and a 400 meter run.

Historical Data

Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) Founded 1869

Football 1st Season: 1887
Stadium: Ross-Ade Stadium (West Lafayette, IN)
Constructed: 1924 (Renovation Phase 1 of 3 was completed in 2003)
Seating Capacity: 62,500 (originally 13,500)
Playing Surface: Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) - Natural Grass (Bermuda)
Conference: Independent from 1887-1889, Indiana Intercollegiate Athletic Association 1890-1895, Big Ten Conference since 1896 (charter member)
Colors: Old Gold and Black
Mascot/Nickname: Boilermaker Special (V) a victorian-era railroad locomotive, Boilermaker X-tra Special, Purdue Pete, and Rowdy
College Classification: D-IA (or equivalent) since 1937 (first year of NCAA classification)
Conference Championships: 7 Big Ten Titles: 1918*, 1929, 1931*, 1943*, 1952*, 1967*, 2000* (*=Co-Champions)
Consensus All-Americans: 19 (as of 2005)
College Hall-of-Famers: 11
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 3 (Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Hank Stram)
Award Winners: 1 Davey O'Brien Legends Award, 1 John Mackey, 1 Maxwell, 1 Ray Guy, 3 Sammy Baugh, 1 Socrates Award
National Championships: No Recognized National Titles, 2 unrecognized titles.
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: AP-17 years, Coaches-17 years​

Records

All Time: 558-474-48 (.539)
Bowl Games: 7-7-0 (.500) Most recently a 24-7 loss to Maryland in the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl
All Time vs the BigTen: 303-331-31 (.479) versus teams with conference membership at time of game.
All Time vs the Ohio State Buckeyes: 12-35-2 (.265) Most recently a 24-17 win in West Lafayette in 2004
Coach's Reord: Joe Tiller, 1997-current, 75-49-0 (.605), overall 114-79-1 (.590)

2006 Season: 8-6-0 (.571)
Sep 2 - W vs. Indiana State, 60-35
Sep 9 - W vs. Miami-Ohio, 38-31 OT
Sep 16 - W vs. Ball State, 38-28
Sep 23 - W vs. Minnesota, 27-21
Sep 30 - L at Notre Dame, 21-35
Oct 7 - L at Iowa, 17-47
Oct 14 - W at Northwestern, 31-10
Oct 21 - L vs. Wisconsin, 3-24
Oct 28 - L vs. Penn State, 0-12
Nov 4 - W at Michigan State, 17-15
Nov 11 - W at Illinois, 42-31
Nov 18 - W vs. Indiana, 28-19
Nov 25 - L at Hawaii, 35-42
Dec 29 - L at Maryland, 7-24

2007 Schedule
Sep 1 - W at Toledo, 52-24
Sep 8 - W vs. Eastern Ill, 52-6
Sep 15 - W vs. Central Mich, 45-22
Sep 22 - W at Minnesota, 45-31
Sep 29 - W vs. Notre Dame, 33-19
Oct 6 - vs. Ohio State, 8:00 PM
Oct 13 - at Michigan, 12:00 PM
Oct 20 - vs. Iowa, TBA
Oct 27 - vs. Northwestern, 12:00 PM
Nov 3 - at Penn State, TBA
Nov 10 - vs. Michigan State, TBA
Nov 17 - at Indiana, TBA​

Links

Official Sites:
Official School Site - Purdue University
Official Alumni Site - Purdue University Alumni Association
Student Newspaper - The Exponent
Official Athletic Site - PurdueSports
Official Conference Site - Big Ten Conference

Message Boards & Team Pages:
Message Boards - Boiler Sports Report (Scout)
Message Boards - Gold & Black Illustrated (Rivals)
Message Boards - Gold Fan (Independent)
Message Boards - Old Gold Free Press (Independent)

Blog - Purdue FanHouse (AOL)
Blog - Boiled Sports
Blog - Boilermaker Banter
Blog - Boilermaker Football Blog
Blog - Bad Idea Jeans

Team Page - NCAA
Team Page - ESPN
Team Page - USA Today
Team Page - Fox Sports
Team Page - CNN/SI
Team Page - CBS Sportsline
Team Page - Yahoo Sports
Team Page - Sporting News
Team Page - AOL
Team Page - CSTV
Team Page - ATSH2H
Team Page - Covers

Local News Sources:
Lafayette Journal & Courier - Local News
Indianapolis Star - Local News
South Bend Tribune - Local News
Fort Wayne - Local News

Team Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 Team Breakdown (PDF) - PurdueSports
2007 Schedule/Results - PurdueSports
2007 Spring Roster - PurdueSports
2007 Spring Prospectus (PDF) - PurdueSports
2007 Spring Game Results - PurdueSports
2006 Overall Stats (PDF) - PurdueSports
2006 Conference Stats (PDF) - PurdueSports
2007 Fan Guide (PDF) - PurdueSports
2007 Media Guide (links to PDF files) - PurdueSports
2007 Roster - PurdueSports
News Releases - PurdueSports

2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - CFN
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Offense - CFN
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Defense - CFN
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Depth Chart - CFN
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Recruiting - CFN
2006 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - CFN
Purdue Team Report - CSTV/Sports Xchange (Links to previous reports)
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Athlon
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Sports Network
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - CNN/SI
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Rivals
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - The Ozone
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - College Football Poll
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Dispatch/Buckeye Extra
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Maddux Sports
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - BigTen Fans.com
2007 Purdue Boilermakers Football Preview - Madison Capital Times



B10 Conference Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 BigTen Prospectus (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Team Breakdowns (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Media Info(PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Composite Schedule (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Season in Review (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Overall Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Conference Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2007 CFN Big Ten Preview - CFN
2007 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Preseason Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Schedules & Predictions - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team Capsules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Unit Rankings - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Ultimate Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Recruiting - What It All Means - CFN
2007 CFN Spring Preview - Analyzing the Big Ten - CFN
2007 CFN Big Ten Spring Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Composite Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team-by-Team Schedules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Spring Games Wrapup - CFN
ASK CFN (6/22) ... The Big Ten Network - CFN
2007 Big Ten - CSTV
2007 All-Big Ten Teams - Athlon
2007 BigTen Inside Slant - USA Today
2007 Big Ten Preview - College Football Poll

Travel:
2007 Fan Guide (PDF) - PurdueSports
Ross-Ade Stadium Info - PurdueSports
Directions - PurdueSports
Travel & Lodging - PurdueSports
E-Stadium - PurdueSports
​

Preseason Rankings

#29 CCR
#40 Rivals
#41 - Chicago Tribune (Teddy Greenstein)
#42 Athlon
#53 CFN​

Preseason Watch Lists

Davey O'Brien Award - Curtis Painter
Doak Walker Award - Kory Sheets
Fred Biletnikoff Award - Dorien Bryant
John Mackey Award - Dustin Keller
Manning Award - Curtis Painter
Maxwell Award - Dorien Bryant
Maxwell Award - Curtis Painter​

Big Ten Conference Players of the Week

Sept. 1, 2007 (Week 1)
CO-OFFENSE: RB - Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State & QB - Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin
DEFENSE: LB - Sean Lee, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: WR - Dorien Bryant, Purdue

Sept. 8, 2007 (Week 2)
CO-OFFENSE: QB - Adam Weber, Minnesota and QB - Curtis Painter, Purdue
DEFENSE: LB - Dan Connor, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: DE - Kenny Iwebema, Iowa

Sept. 15, 2007 (Week 3)
OFFENSE: QB - Kellen Lewis, Indiana
CO-DEFENSE: DE - Jonal Saint-Dic, Michigan State & LB - James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
SPECIAL TEAMS: PR/KR - David Gilreath, Wisconsin

Sept. 22, 2007 (Week 4)
OFFENSE: RB - Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
CO-DEFENSE: DE - Will Davis, Illinois & S - Jamar Adams, Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS: P - Ken DeBauche, Wisconsin

Sept. 29, 2007 (Week 5)
CO-OFFENSE: QB - Kellen Lewis, Indiana & RB - P.J. Hill, Wisconsin
DEFENSE: LB - Shawn Crable, Michigan
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS: KR - Arrelious Benn, Illinois

Oct. 6, 2007 (Week 6)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 13, 2007 (Week 7)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 20, 2007 (Week 8)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Oct. 27, 2007 (Week 9)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 3, 2007 (Week 10)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 10, 2007 (Week 11)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 17, 2007 (Week 12)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:
​

Preseason Accolades

BigTen Preseason Media Poll
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Ohio State

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year - Mike Hart - Michigan

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year - James Laurinaitis - Ohio State​

Link to 2007 Purdue Boilermakers Game Preview​

Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data

 

[ReamerF'06]

Correction to information

Under the Boilermaker Special info section there needs to be a few small corrections. In this sentence:

"On the head lamp are the numbers 070441 which represent three important dates. 07 is the year that Doc Anderson and W. H. Winterrowd helped construct the body for the Special."

This info is incorrect. It doesn't actually make sense. The idea and first construction for the Boilermaker Specail started in 1939. The 07 actually stands for Clinton"Doc" Anderson and W.H. Winterrowd's gradutating class (1907) at Purdue University.

Also, it is Irsael "Izzy" Selkowitz not Silkowitz.

For more information on the Boilermaker Special or the Purdue Reamer Club visit Purdue Reamer Club.