SB Nation Pittsburgh: All Posts by Travis Miller

Purdue In Third Place after Three Rounds

2013-05-24T12:28:24Z

Thursday was a good news/bad news day at the NCAA Women's Golf Championships for Purdue. The good news is that Purdue moved up in the overall standings into a three-way tie for third place with Alabama and UCLA. The bad news is that No. 1 Southern Cal is running away with the field.

Last week at the West Regional Purdue finished second to USC by just one stroke, giving promise for this week's championships. The Trojans took a big lead on Wednesday, however, by firing a 276. That was the best team round of hte tournament by far and the only one under 284. Yesterday they had a 285 to stand at 19-under for the event.

Duke is in second place at just 2-under, so USC has a comfortable 17 stroke cushion heading into today. Purdue, UCLA, and Alabama are at 9-over, meaning Purdue needs an utter collapse by USC to win and second place is still 11 strokes away too. Still, Purdue is in the final pairing for the fourth straight season and who knows what can happen.

It is amazing Purdue is in third place as they fired a 295 as a team, six strokes over their first two days each. They spent a good portion of the day at about 12-over on the round before a solid finish.

Aurora Kan fell off the individual lead pace by firing a +5 to fall to +3 for the event. Paula Reto is in seventh place individually as Purdue's best golfer at -1 after yesterday's -2. She birdied five of the last seven holes yesterday to have a great finish. Laura Gonzalez-Escallon was at even par yesterday and is +1 for the tournament.

Purdue's fourth and final counting golfer was Kishi Sinha, who also had a rough day with a +5 to go to +9 for the week. Margaux Vanmol was +4 yesterday and is at +12 for the week, but birdied four straight holes after a disastrous start.

2013 Notre Dame At Purdue Football: A Q&A With One Foot Down

2013-05-23T18:44:42Z

It's another Q&A today, this time with our third football opponent of the 2013 season. I tried to line up an Indiana State one, but couldn't find anyone. Today, however, Eric Murtaugh of SB Nation's One Foot Down is around to talk about the Fighting Irish:

T-Mill: Last season was a true return to Glory for Notre Dame after many false starts, but Purdue was one of the closest calls as a true coaching gaffe (benching Robert Marve for Caleb TerBush in the third quarter) may have been the only thing that prevented an upset in South Bend. We have fixed the coaching situation (hopefully) and ND has to come to Purdue. Is this a dangerous game for ND in your opinion?

Eric: Sure it is absolutely a dangerous game, especially considering it is sandwiched in between the Michigan and Michigan State games. It'll also be the second straight road night game for the Irish as well. Actually, that might help Notre Dame to get up for the game but there's also a let down factor involved assuming the Irish can get past the Wolverines in the Big House.

When you also factor in the rivalry between these two teams it's always dangerous. This is a game where the Irish would like to take care of business but as we've seen in recent years it is often a nail biter.

T-Mill: What can we expect from Everett Golson in year No. 2 as a starter?

Eric: I expect a nice step forward for the young quarterback. I think there's some Heisman potential involved but I really don't think that will be realized for a couple years---especially in comparison to some of the other sophomore quarterbacks like Manziel, Hundley, and Mariotta. Golson's already running behind these guys in terms of production and stats, but his skill-set is right up there with them.

The question moving in to 2013 is whether or not the coaching staff let's Golson loose a little more and sharpens his natural playmaking abilities while letting him simply get out of the pocket and make things happen. I'd expect that to happen this fall and more responsibility falling on Golson's shoulders.

There are enough weapons on offense for Golson to thrive and hopefully the passing game opens up a little bit more after being very conservative in 2012. He's proven to be able to protect the ball and limit turnovers so I'd expect a little more of a vertical passing game which should make the Irish more explosive this fall.

The x-factor will always be his legs. I think there's some worry about protecting Golson and his slight frame (realistically he's 5'11" and MAYBE 190) but he has the quickness and agility to really thrive as a runner---particularly when the pocket breaks down. I'd predict a nice increase in passing numbers and Golson becoming a bigger weapon as a runner, particularly against the better teams on the Irish schedule.

T-Mill: I have heard that the ND defense may be better with the loss of Manti Te'o. What improvements will be there?

Eric: Well there was a belief that the defensive line would get better, but the possible loss of incoming 5-star freshman DT Eddie Vanderdoes hurts that unit a little bit. He was expected to come in and be a quality backup at the very least.

Still, we're now seeing the fruits of Brian Kelly's recruiting finally coming to fruition. I know it may seem like this is always being said at Notre Dame but the defense is really bigger, faster, and stronger. Certainly the depth is pretty impressive across the board. 5-star linebacker Jaylon Smith is going to have to fight for playing time and beat out 2 players at his position. 5-star safety Max Redfield enters a very deep secondary and will have to impress big time to grab something greater than a two-deep spot.

Examining the depth chart a little more closely Notre Dame is losing DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, the aforementioned Manti Te'o, and safety Zeke Motta. That's it. Everyone else is back and a very highly touted group of redshirt freshmen are entering the fold in addition to the stellar 2013 class.

Most are expecting DE Sheldon Day to be about as good as Lewis-Moore and he certainly offers more disruptive abilities. If he can eat blocks as well as KLM did, there should be an increase in TFL and sacks from this new starter.

Jarrett Grace takes over for Te'o and has been groomed to do so for a couple years now. He's obviously not going to have the type of season that Te'o had last year and Manti is clearly a huge loss in terms of leadership. However, the Irish coaching staff has praised Grace a ton over the past year and they really haven't been known to blow smoke on players who aren't deserving. With the return of both co-starters at the other MLB spot, Grace should feel pretty comfortable in his first year of starting. He has a ton to prove to fill Te'o's shoes but he's believed to be a little more athletic, a little faster, and just as much of a ball hawk as Te'o.

The loss of Motta could hurt but again the Irish are getting more athletic there and plenty of options are available. Elijah Shumate has been said to be a SEC-type talent at safety and played all spring with the first team. He doesn't bring the leadership that Motta did, and there's still some concerns that he doesn't know the defense that well after playing nickel corner as a freshman in 2012, but he's crazy athletic and is going to make a ton of plays.

T-Mill: Purdue played the only two undefeated regular season teams to a virtual draw on their home fields last year but got pantsed at home in all three big games. Was it matchups or did the Irish just have an off day?

Eric: That's a great question. I guess it would be a little of both. The Irish interior offensive line really struggled mightily against the Purdue defensive line and that put a ton of pressure on Golson to make plays in the passing game in his first career home start. All things considered he did pretty well throwing for almost 300 yards. Still, running back Cierre Wood was suspended for the game and the running game was nonexistent. Matters weren't helped when Eifert and Daniels went down with injuries on offense---as did Kapron Lewis-Moore on defense.

The Irish defense played well enough holding Purdue to under 300 yards and 4.3 yards per play. I think it was just one of those games where a bunch of things converged at the right time to make it one of those close college football games.

T-Mill: What gigantic tight end in the Tyler Eifert and Kyle Rudolph mold does Purdue have to face this year?

Eric: The biggest one yet! That would be 6'7" 260 pound Californian Troy Niklas aka Hercules. He played a lot last year primarily as a blocker but he did show some flashes as a pass catcher---even hauling in a 30-yard reception against Purdue. By the way, if you want to understand Notre Dame fans' hopes for Golson just watch that play where he gets the ball to Niklas.

Actually, this is a pretty untested tight end group for Notre Dame. It's been something like 7 or 8 years where the team didn't have a proven tight end coming back who caught 20+ passes the year before. Niklas is an athletic freak and has a ton of potential---some think he could go pro with a big year, which I think is sort of ridiculous---but this is only his second season at tight end after moving from outside linebacker and he only has 5 career receptions.

He'll be backed up by Ben Koyack, one of the top national tight ends from the 2011 class, but his career really hasn't taken off yet. Some think he's poised for a breakout season but he'll also be battling Alex Welch coming off a knee injury too. The Irish used a lot of 2 tight end sets last year so you can expect to see a lot of these 3 players.

T-Mill: Finally, do you have an early prediction for us?

Eric: Well in my recent summer preview of Purdue I predicted the game day spread to be Notre Dame (-13.5) so that says it all, I guess. Depending on how the game plays out that could be a comfortable victory for Notre Dame, but I don't expect a huge disparity. The Irish are much more talented and should be stellar on defense again and at least for this season I like their chances going up against a Purdue program that is going through a transition with a new coaching staff.

2013 College Football: Purdue Vs. Notre Dame

2013-05-23T18:31:58Z

Purdue nearly spoiled Notre Dame's 2012 season. Will Darrell Hazell be the difference this time?

In 2012 Purdue played both teams that completed undefeated regular seasons in major college football on their home fields. In both games the Boilermakers played the hosts to a virtual draw despite being overmatched in nearly every category. Ohio State was 12-0, but had to survive late touchdown and two-point conversion drive with a backup quarterback and a minute to go while down 8. It should have never even gotten to that, as a blocked extra point earlier in the game prevented Purdue from having a two-possession lead at that point.

Notre Dame also went 12-0, but escaped on a last second field goal with a 20-17 home victory mostly thanks to a colossal coaching blunder by one Danny Hope. Caleb TerBush was ineffective in the first quarter, but Robert Marve led Purdue on a 58 yard touchdown drive in 13 played just before halftime to tie the game at 7. Purdue had momentum, Marve was hot, Purdue would get the ball to start the second half thinking upset. Instead, Hope sent TerBush out, who went 3-and-out, interception (that set up a crucial field goal), three-and-out while going 0-for-4 and gaining only 17 yards before Marve was sent back in.

We all know what happened next. Marve led a scoring drive and had Purdue in position for the tying score before he got hurt and TerBush completed a 15-yard pass for a TD with 2:12 left. Purdue lost on a field goal, but fans already turned on Hope for benching Marve in favor of TerBush. Did it cost Purdue the game? We'll never know, but Purdue certainly had its chances and a 10-minute stretch of no offense whatsoever under TerBush did not help those chances

Last season's Notre Dame game was the beginning of the end of Danny Hope. Had Purdue upset the Fighting Irish in South Bend who knows what it would have meant for not only Hope, but the positive momentum of the team. Instead, it started a 2-6 stretch where the Boilers looked awful in every loss except against the two unbeatens. The 2013 Notre Dame game now looms as a chance for Darrell Hazell to make his mark. It is the first Big Game under coach Hazell, and after Hope dragged the program down it could be a turning point much like the 1997 contest against the Irish.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2012 Record: 12-1

Bowl Result: Lost to Alabama 42-14 in BCS Championship Game

Blog Representation: One Foot Down, UHND, NDNation, Irish Roundtable, Inside the Irish

Series with Purdue: Notre Dame leads 56-26-2 (Notre Dame leads Shillelagh portion 37-19)

Last Purdue win: 9/29/2007 at Purdue 33-19

Last Notre Dame win: 9/8/2012 at Notre Dame 20-17 (Notre Dame has won five straight).

Last Season for the Irish

There have been many false returns to glory for the Irish over the past 20 years. At one time both Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis were deemed as The Greatest Coaches In Human History, but last season the Irish finally returned to the nation's elite. Their 12-0 regular season was more than earned as they had a stifling defense and luck on their side in the form of Pittsburgh's kicker missing a game-clinching field goal in overtime.

After TerBush found Antavian Edison for the tying touchdown Notre Dame did not give up another touchdown for 13 quarters as they beat Michigan State 20-3, Michigan 13-6, and Miami 41-3. Notre Dame was 5-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less and beat both Stanford and Pittsburgh in overtime. The offense wasn't great, but the defense was up to the task by not giving up more than 20 points in regulation before the BCS title game. Four of the wins came over ranked teams, including Pac-12 and Rose Bowl winner Stanford as well as Big 12 co-champ Oklahoma.

On of the hardest things to do in sports, however, is go undefeated in consecutive seasons in college football. Not only do you need to be very good, but you need some luck along the way. Alabama may have won three of the last for National Championships, but each of the last two seasons they have dropped a home game. The 2013 Notre Dame schedule has plenty of landmines that could prevent another unbeaten run. They must go to Michigan and Stanford in addition to traveling to Purdue (hey, we gave them a game and we got rid of the one major factor in our loss). Michigan State has a strange hex on them in South Bend and must go there. Oklahoma and USC also come to South Bend.

The 2013 Irish will still be a very good team, but the odds of another spotless run seem very long.

Notre Dame Offense:

Last year at this time there was a QB debate between Everett Golson, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, and Gunner Kiel. Now, that debate is over. Golson started 11 games and was solid with 2,405 yards and 12 TDs against only six interceptions as a sophomore and will once again be the starter. Rees and Hendrix are back as solid backups, with Rees having the most experience. Rees, if you remember, was sort of a closer last season as he led the game-winning drive against Purdue.

Golson was an effective runner with 298 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He could be turned a little more loose this year too, thus opening the door for injury risk. Rees is a solid backup with multiple starts, however, and a very nice luxury to have.

The running game was held to only 52 yards by Purdue last season, which was a welcome relief after years of seeing guys like Cierre Wood run wild. Both Wood and Theo Reddick are gone with a combined 1,650 yards rushing, however, leaving George Atkinson III (361 yards, 5 TDs) as the top returner. Five-star running back Greg Bryant could also be an instant impact guy along with Four-star Tarean Folston, Amir Carlisle, and Cam McDaniel.

Golson has plenty of targets to throw to again. T.J. Jones (50-649-4) tied for the team lead in receptions with the departed Tyler Eifert. Eifert will be replaced by a massive tight en in Troy Nilklas, who only had five catches for 75 yards but is 6'7" and 260 pounds. Daniel Smith (7-47-0) and DaVaris Daniels (31-490-0) are at the top of the depth chart right now but there is a ton of recruited talent that can still make an impact.

The offensive line should give Golson lots of time to operate as it boasts three senior starters led by tackles Zack Martin and Christian Lombard. Purdue's defensive line was able to cause a lot of problems against them last season, however. As a whole, the line gave up just 18 sacks, but five of those came from Purdue players. Kawann Short sacked Golson twice while Greg Latta, Ryan Russell, and Nnamdi Ezenwa each got him once.

Notre Dame Defense:

January's National Title game featured the top two defenses in the country as the Irish gave up just 12.8 points per game. It could be excellent again thanks to two massive linesmen that are poised to have big years. I don't see how anyone can block 6'3" 347 pound Louis Nix, who is basically a Destroyer of Worlds at nose tackle. He had 50 tackles, 7.5 of them for loss. Then there is 6'6" 322 pound Stephen Tuitt. Tuitt had 12 quarterback sacks, a 77-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and 47 tackles. These guys are pretty terrifying.

At linebacker the Irish lost Manti Te'o as one of the country's best players overall. He had a team high 113 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and seven interceptions. He was excellent in pass coverage over the middle, so replacing him will be tough. Prince Shembo (51 tackles, 7.5 sacks), is effective as a rusher off the end in their 3-4. Carlo Calabrese and Danny Spond also bring them experience. Jaylon Smith also enters as a five-star recruit for good measure.

The pass defense gave up less than 200 yards through the air per game but has two sophomore starters in KeiVarae Russell and Nicky Maratti. Matthias Farley and Lo Wood (who missed all of last season) are also listed on the top of the depth chart, but five-star defensive back Max Redfield was one of the top high school safeties in America and signed on, so he could definitely see time in the middle.

Notre Dame Special Teams:

Kyle Brindza was called on 31 times last season and was almost automatic inside 40 yards. He had a long of 52, but was just 4 of 8 beyond 40 as he was 23-31 on the season. He'll handle kicking duties and he is currently slated to handle punting duties too.

Atkinson is a dangerous kick returner with speed to burn and will be a factor it that area even if he is not the top running back.

Game Outlook:

It's Notre Dame and Purdue. They are always loaded with the pick of four- and five-star recruits while Purdue doesn't have anything close to their talent. In three of the last four games Purdue has been close despite this, however. In 2009 Danny Hope's ridiculous timeout in the closing seconds was huge. In 2010 Hope again spiked Purdue by having the most vanilla offensive game plan I have ever seen despite talking about how Marve was going to open things up because of his talent. Then you had last year with juggling quarterbacks, which EVERYONE KNOWS DOES NOT WORK!

Does the addition of Darrell hazel change things in Purdue's favor? Many of the same pieces are back. Guys like Bruce Gaston, Dolapo MacArthy, Akeem Hunt, and Raheem Mostert had good games last year. Rob Henry has played against the Irish before even if he didn't throw a pass in that 2010 game. This is also a night game and there is an excitement around the program from the fans that was not there under Hope.

Danny Hope was a listless 0-4 against Notre Dame, mostly because he was a terrible coach when it came to facing them. He coached scared and made blunders a 12-year-old playing Madden wouldn't make. If Purdue has indeed upgraded its coaching (and I think it has) this could be a very exciting game. Despite everything last year Purdue was tied with two minutes to go and had them facing a 3^rd and 6 before John Goodman made a great catch to keep their winning drive alive. With a similar team and improved coaching, plus playing at home, Purdue at least has a chance.

Prediction:

I said Purdue had a chance. I didn't say we'd win. This is still an awfully good Notre Dame team with a solid front seven on defense that will be tough to move the football on. Purdue has a lot of questions offensively and we haven't even settled on a quarterback. Golson is a year better, but Purdue has handled mobile quarterbacks very well, so I think we can hang around. I think this is a game for about three quarters before a late score allows them to pull away. Notre Dame 23, Purdue 13

H&R Exclusive Interview With Antoine Miles

2013-05-23T16:56:16Z

Once again, Evan Massey came through, as the second of three interviews with incoming Purdue players was with Canton, Ohio defensive end Antoine Miles:

Evan: Why did you decide to sign with the Boilermakers? What draws convinced you?

Antoine: On my official visit, I instantly felt at home.

Evan: How excited are you to be playing in one of the toughest football conferences? Any of the Big Ten rivalries excite you the most?

Antoine: Well, I would say "excited" is an understatement. I'm more than excited to play in the Big Ten. And as far as the rivalries, I can't really choose and pick. I'm just a player that loves to play in a large atmosphere! I love large crowds.

Evan: Coming out of High School, what do you expect to be the most difficult change to D1 football?

Antoine: I would say I expect the game speed and the margin of error to be the most difficult!

Evan: What kinds of things do you do in your free time off the field? What kind of music do you listen to?

Antoine: I'm a people person, so I like being around friends, and hanging out and having fun. And I have no specific type, I like pretty much all music.

Evan: Who would you say has made the biggest impact in your football career, to help you get to this point?

Antoine: Hands down my mother.

Evan: As far as career goals at Purdue, both individual and team, what are you looking to accomplish?

Antoine: Win. As a team I feel like the goal to accomplish is to simply win. You play the game to win. I don't think anyone plays to lose, so that's the team goal.

Evan: What would you say the number one thing you need to improve in would be?

Antoine: Paying attention to the small details.

Evan: What can we expect to see from you on the field?

Antoine: You'll just have to wait and see, haha.

Evan: If you were speaking to a young football player with dreams of playing D1, what would you tell them to do?

Antoine: I would tell them that if you want to be successful, be dedicated, work hard, and never give up!

2013 Purdue Football: Northern Illinois Game To Kick At Noon

2013-05-23T16:02:35Z

Normally a semi-marquee home game out of conference against a team that played in a BCS bowl last season would be a nice night game. The strange fact that it is a non-conference homecoming game would also allow returning alumni to enjoy the campus for the day before the game itself.

Northern Illinois is not your average BCS team. Also, Purdue is not your average college football program, as the lack of lights has relegated what could be an exciting MAC-Big Ten game to the noon death slot. Purdue announced that the game on September 28 against the Huskies will kick off at noon:

The Sept. 28 Homecoming game against Northern Illinois will begin at noon ET. TV is TDB #BoilerUp!
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) May 23, 2013

I will spare you the 2,309th rant against Morgan Burke's refusal to install lights at Ross-Ade Stadium, but a homecoming game against a MAC opponent? I know you try to schedule a homecoming for a weaker conference opponent to increase chance for a win, but a MAC team? not only that, but a MAC team that made a BCS bowl and returns Jordan Lynch as one of the best dual-threat QBs in the country?

Purdue Goes +1 On Day 2 At 2013 NCAA Women's Golf Championships

2013-05-22T17:59:30Z

Day two turned out exactly like day two for Purdue at the 2013 Women's NCAA Golf Championships. On Tuesday Purdue opened in 5th place with a 1-over par 289. That was their Wednesday score as well as consistency is always key in an event like this. Several other programs are still on the course, but Purdue is currently in sixth place as a team at 2-over par halfway through.

Purdue was as low as 4-under par early in the day and had moves up to third place but slowed as the day went on. it may not matter, however, as No. 1 USC moved into first place with a stunning 12-under par round to go to 16-under for the tournament. They currently lead second place Alabama by 12 strokes, who also finished early.

Aurora Kan was 1-under par on the day for Purdue and is in the top 10 individually at -2. Paula Reto is at even par for the tournament and was +1 on the day. Laura Gonzalez-Escallon fired a +1 today and is at the same for the tournament. Kishi Sinha is Purdue's No. 4 score with a +1 today. She birdied two of the last three holes to get that score. Maraux Vanmol is Purdue's fifth golfer and was at even par, but is +8 for the tournament. Only the top four scores for each team are used, however.

Know Thy Opponent 2013: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2013-05-22T17:39:42Z

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2012 Record: 12-1

Bowl Result: Lost to Alabama 42-14 in BCS Championship Game

Blog Representation: One Foot Down, UHND, NDNation, Irish Roundtable, Inside the Irish

Series with Purdue: Notre Dame leads 56-26-2 (Notre Dame leads Shillelagh portion 37-19)

Last Purdue win: 9/29/2007 at Purdue 33-19

Last Notre Dame win: 9/8/2012 at Notre Dame 20-17 (Notre Dame has won five straight).

Last Season for the Irish

The 2013 Irish will still be a very good team, but the odds of another spotless run seem very long.

Notre Dame Offense:

Notre Dame Defense:

Notre Dame Special Teams:

Atkinson is a dangerous kick returner with speed to burn and will be a factor it that area even if he is not the top running back.

Game Outlook:

Prediction:

H&R Exclusive Interview With Keyante Green

2013-05-22T15:47:46Z

Reader and journalist Evan Massey e-mailed me earlier this week asking if I would be interested in a series of entrance interviews from some incoming Purdue football recruits. Naturally, I was happy to take advantage. Evan was able to interview three incoming football players and I will be publishing them as the week goes on.

First up in incoming four-star running back Keyante Green, who could play immediately this fall:

Evan: What made you choose to sign with Purdue? What made them the right fit for you?

Keyante: When I went there and met wit the players, I just felt home with the guys, and when they got a new coach and I met and talked with him, I just felt like God has meant for me to be at Purdue.

Evan: For those not familiar with your game, what can we expect to see from you on the field?

Keyante: I'm physical. You won't seeme juke or anything like that. You will see me stiff arm a couple of people but I'm just physical and you won't see my try to run away from people that are bigger than me. I will consistently try to run them over.

Evan: Purdue has had a rough past couple of seasons. What do you think you guys need to do to get back on top of the Big Ten?

Keyante: I just think Coach Hazzell knows what he is doing, and as long as we buy in and do what he tells us to do, we will be fine with everything. Take each game one by one. I have talked to some of the players and we plan on doing extra work because people doubt us and we will show them what we are made of this season.

Evan: What would you say are your individual and team goals for your career with the Boilermakers?

Keyante: When I get there my goal is to rush for a thousand yards per season, and win as many games as possible. Get us to the Rose Bowl again.

Evan: Who would you say has made the biggest impact on your career to help get you to this point?

Keyante: My coach. He is such an influence on my life letting me know that pain is temporary, and working to be the best I can. Because he was a center at the citadel, and earned a spot and didn't let anyone take that from him because he worked hard.

Evan: How has your Christianity affected your career?

Keyante: Very, very positive. It makes me focus on the very important things in life like school, and keep me on the right track with life overall. Like drugs and etc...I really use God in everything I do. He is the ultimate purpose on why I like to work hard.

Evan: What do you like to do in your free time? Favorite music artists?

Keyante: I either like to hang out with my girlfriend or friends, go eat out or movies, and stuff like that either way to have a bonding time with my friends. My favorite artist I will have to say is Hillsong United off of Christian music...and Kid Cudi, haha.

Evan: What would you say is the one area that you need to improve in most to be the best you can be?

Keyante: Speed. If I get my speed down I will be good.