It is amazing how much Purdue fell off the map since the Joe Tiller days. 15 years ago, Purdue was the most exciting team in the conference. Basketball on grass. Drew Brees leads Purdue to the Rose Bowl. Then in 2003 Kyle Orton has Purdue 5-0 and all Purdue needs to do is run out the clock against Wiscy to go to 6-0, Orton does a bootleg to get the first down, but fumbles. Wiscy picks up the ball and returns it for game winning touchdown. Purdue goes on to lose 4 in a row, and Purdue and has never been the same since. Tiller eventually quits but Purdue was still averaging 50k+ at the time.
Then purdue hires Danny Hope instead of Kevin Sumlin. Purdue completely bottoms out under Hope.
Anyway, it all goes back to that 1 play, the Kyle Orton fumble. I have never seen a program's fortune change so much on just 1 play.
Wow, that is quite a collapse. And kudos to you on being a Boilermaker aficionado. Boiler up!
First 3 home games
WMU 37,031
CMU 36,410
SIU 31,434
This is their homecoming, so maybe a few more. But not many.
That is why you never pick a coach based upon him having the same facial hair as the last coach. A man with a mustache has something to hide. In Tiller's case is was a quiet confidence, in Hope's it was incompetence.
What was Hayden hiding with his?
I really wonder if they should have got Tiller to do a renewed effort and at the same time have tiller hire an asst head coach as the head coach in waiting for a few years down the road.
Hope was their head-coach-in-waiting for like 2 years. It was just a bonehead hire. The Tiller regime had run it's course. I think he wanted to promote his DC Brock Spack to the head chair, but there would have been a fan revolt, so Hope was his 2nd choice.
The B1G has seen some awful, awful coaching hires in recent years, and that's why the conference is in the shape it's in currently.
Anyway, it all goes back to that 1 play, the Kyle Orton fumble. I have never seen a program's fortune change so much on just 1 play.
First 3 home games
WMU 37,031
CMU 36,410
SIU 31,434
This is their homecoming, so maybe a few more. But not many.