The Motor City Bowl is the pre-eminent bowl game on the calendar and all Big 10 teams strive for an invite to this presitigious game. (We’re going with that as long as Michigan is in the driver’s seat for the MCB.)
The WLA would like to learn as much as it can about potential MCB suitors from the BigTen, so we sent a questionaire to some fellow BigTen bloggers. First up is dedicated steel worker and blogger, Travis, from Hammer & Rails. Last month, gamblin’ extraordinare Jamie Mac ran down the odds for Purdue to get to the Motor City Bowl. He concludes:
Purdue, 3/1
Purdue is only a season removed from being Motor City Bowl Champions. The program knows what its doing as far as mapping out a successful season and ending in Detroit. Last year was a down year in Joe Tiller’s swan song. Now that he’s left town to hawk oatmeal and Our House season DVDS, perhaps new blood surges the program back into the mix. Purdue will need to step up against better competition as their woeful 4-24 mark against bowl teams can attest. Purdue will need to improve, although not too much, mind you, to make it back to Detroit.
Let’s see how Purdue holds up. Travis, go:
1. Explain Purdue’s outlook for 2009 (Projected wins/loses):
If you read anything in the national media, we’re expected to battle Indiana for last place in the Big Ten. CFN even predicted a possible bowl season for the Hoosiers in their Indiana preview, which means they must have gotten all of Kellen Lewis’ good weed.
Personally, I think Purdue wins six games and squeezes into a bowl somewhere simply because the Big Ten will be very weak this season. Nearly every team has major questions and two of the favorites, Iowa and Penn State, are not on Purdue’s schedule. I see Purdue beating Toledo, Northern Illinois, and Indiana for sure. I think we will be slightly favored against Illinois and Northwestern at home. Wisconsin and Minnesota on offer opportunities to steal one on the road, but I will go one better. I think we will upset Oregon in Autzen Stadium. We played them very well last year and they must replace most of their O-line (which battled injuries in spring ball) plus the secondary. It’s also a bit of a trap game between a trip to Boise State and a home game against Utah.
2. Who is your most-hyped freshmen? Has he heard of Tate Forcier (aka White Jesus)?
Who is Tate Forcier? j/k. Our most hyped freshman is probably incoming running back Al-Terek McBurse. He was our lone four-star recruit and he is already on campus after enrolling early. He didn’t get to do spring ball because of an issue with the NCAA, but he is cleared now and ready to go. I expect him to compete immediately at running abck and, if we’re smart, we will run a lot more against teams while the receivers get up to speed.
3. Who is one opponent you are most afraid of this year? Please include any recent nightmares. Bonus points if the answer is “Michigan”.
Notre Dame, mostly because I can already hear the superior attitude brewing if we lose to them. Conversely, if we can win that game it will be like taking a huge dump on their entire season. I fear them mostly because I don’t want shouts of returns to glory coming from South bend. 2007 was their greatest season in school history and they need to return to that glory.
4. Is your coach on the hot seat? If Rich Rodriguez loses every game this year, would you want him?
Danny Hope would have to do something pretty major (a.k.a. the Mike Price “Roll Tide” with a stripper major) to get fired this season. He’s in his first full year and has absolutely zero expectations. If he wins nine games like Tiller did in his first season Hope will be Big Ten coach of the year. As far as RichRod goes, I don’t want any part of him. He should have been fired last year because there is absolutely zero excuse for Michigan to have a 3-9 season. With the talent you guys have simply by saying, “By the way, we’re Michigan” to recruits a trained chimp should be able to coach you to six wins. I love your program. I respect your history and tradition, but RichRod is a terrible coach.
5. Is your team willing to buy a few cars while in Detroit?
I’d love to, but I kind of need a real job first. I love the auto industry though. I have three family members who worked at the Chrysler transmission plant in Kokomo, IN and three others that worked for Delphi-Delco there. My sister currently works for Delphi, so I know the pinch right now.
6. Please. How about a van?
Tell you what, make my Powerball numbers come up tomorrow night and I’ll buy a Dodge Viper. [Ed. 4, 12, 19, 27, 38, 42]
7. How many defensive coordinators have you had in the last 10 years? Has anything improved or has it been more along the lines of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic?
Donn Landholm is our new defensive coordinator and he takes over for Brock Spack. Spack was the only assistant that was there with Tiller all 12 years and if he hadn’t forgotten that it is completely legal to blitz and make in-game adjustments after 2004 Spack would likely have been the new head coach. Instead, he didn’t get the job and is now head coach at Illinois State. As long as Landholm realizes we might want to cover the guy that has been uncovered on the last 12 passes to him I think we’ll be better.
8. What new traditions has your team tried to implement in recent years? How well has that gone for you?
The newest one is a pseudo-ripoff of Wisconsin’s Jump Around.We have a famous alumni come abck and lead the crowd in SHOUT between the third and fourth quarters. I kind of like it, especially when we had Neil Armstrong come back and do it last year. They need to make an improvement and not have them read off of a cue card so much though.
9. Is there any particularly stupid subject in your blogosphere that has the natives really up in arms? Night games perhaps? Rawk music team intros?
We recently had a pretty good pissing contest with Tennessee over the Robert Marve situation. We should get bonus points for Miami fans coming over and warning both of us about him. When Miami, with some of the problems they have had, warn you about a kid it should be a red flag.
10. Are there any particular recruits that your coach is heavily pursuing? Has your blogosphere begun Facebook stalking to poor kid? Has the word “skinsuit” been used in any discussion?
I haven’t given a ton of thought about recruiting for next year. We keep getting the updates that we have orffered this kid and that kid, but so far Marve is the only commit for 2010. There is hope that he will open a bigger pipeline to Florida, but time will tell.
11. What are the best nicknames on your team? Have any methods been used by the fans to anoint any nicknames on players?
The one I came up with the other day was Torri “I wear two to count my DUI’s” Williams He needs a better nickname though. He has been arrested twice for DUI, once for stealing condoms from a grocery store, and once for driving on a suspended license. He also broke his leg and missed all of 2005. He blew out his knee entirely in the 2006 season opener. Against you guys in 2007 he tore and achilles tendon. Last year he was finally healthy, and this year he has been awarded a 6th year of eligibility. He’s a good kid, but I question his common sense at this point.
12. Is there a team about whom your fanbase is obsessed with accusing of being obsessed with your team?
Come on, we’re Purdue! All I hear from most smarmy other fans is PUke, Purdon’t, Spoilermakers, five banners (for IU basketball). Most people have no reason to worry about us football-wise.
Thanks Travis. We suggest Hammer & Rails to anyone wanting to stay up to date on the rail line industry, oh and Purdue.
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