It’s that same
old Purdue feeling, inconsistency, heart break and leaving fans
frustrated with questions of what if. The start of season number two
for Jeff Brohm had everyone shaking their heads with expectations of
a big step forward in West Lafayette but instead Purdue was 0-3 with
a home loss to Eastern Michigan. Will the Boilers make it to a bowl
game with #23 Boston College coming to West Lafayette and still most
of the Big Ten slate left? It sure was looking ugly and a familiar
feeling for Purdue fans, having expectations that didn’t seem they
were going to come anywhere close.

Then Brohm
showed everyone why those big jobs have been rumored, four straight
wins that started with a drubbing of #23 Boston college and ended
with a dominating performance to knock off unbeaten and #2 Ohio
State. That was the team we all expected this year and that 0-3 start
turns in to three close games with mistakes that were decided by
eight total points. The Boilers captured national attention and put
themselves back in the Big Ten West race. With a win against Michigan
State could the Boilermakers find themselves in the top 25?

Against a
backup QB and playing on fire it seemed like the black and gold were
gonna roll on to their fifth straight win, but the Spartans found
their defense holding Blough without a TD pass and forcing three
interceptions. 23-13 was the final score but backup QB Rocky Lombardi
threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns. Back home and a crucial Big
Ten West match up against #16 Iowa was next and Brohm and Blough
responded in a big way. It came down to a field goal but Purdue was
now 3-0 against ranked opponents.

In the Big Ten
West race, a chance to get bowl eligible before the end of the season
with a struggling Minnesota team next all of our hopes were high, and
instead the black and gold laid an egg again. A 41-10 drubbing ending
the the Big Ten West race and has Purdue back to the drawing board
again. The most points given up in the Brohm era and tied for the
least amount scored, this definitely looks like the worst loss for
the coach.

The Golden
Gophers were fresh off a shellacking by Illinois in which they gave
up 430 yards on the ground, but were able to hold Purdue’s high
powered offense without a third down conversion in to the second
half. Purdue couldn’t do anything on either side of the ball in the
second half and looked like they weren’t competing against a team
they were better than. This didn’t look like a Jeff Brohm team but
like a Hazell team.

Is this a 6-6
team? 3-0 against ranked teams and it seems like this Purdue team
could just squeak in to bowl eligibility. Getting to a bowl in year
one was a huge surprise and a testament to Brohm and his staff’s
ability to coach. In year two it may just be a reminder of how much
work it will take Brohm to rebuild the Boilermakers. Fresh off of 4*
WR commit Milton Wright choosing Purdue and pushing the class up to
24th nationally, more talent is coming and so are big
things but we’re all scratching our heads a bit this season.

Flirting with
the top 25 but just not quite there. Inconsistency and dumb penalties
are marks of a not good team, but we’ve also seen just what this
program can do without the talent that Brohm can bring in. It feels
like that same old Purdue feeling but this is different. Yes there
has been disappointment but it’s just the setbacks before the big
breakthrough.