We play at Purdue this week and it will be our 1,200th game ever. Historically we have dominated these guys, holding a 41-12 all time record against them. We have won the last five games against them. However, this is Joe Tiller's last chance at the Wolverines and the Michigan team is not exactly a juggernaut. It is time for the Boilermaker edition of KNOW YOUR FOE.
History: Like many of its Big Ten brethren Purdue University was founded as a land grant college. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869 as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a $150K donation and 100 acres of land from Lafayette businessman John Purdue to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture in his name. Purdue had built his wealth during the Civil War by selling dry goods to the Union Army. An interesting side note, in order to protect his assets during the war against southern sympathizers he established the "Purdue Rifles" a volunteer protective force of about 100 trained, uniformed and armed men in and around Lafayette that guarded Confederate prisoners, rounded up deserters and maintained order. John Purdue’s grave is on campus near the Union Building.
Location: Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is the flagship of the six campuses within the Purdue University System, one of the largest university systems in the United States. It is situated in Tippecanoe County about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The place is named in honor of General Lafayette, a French military hero who fought with the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. 
Nickname: They call themselves The Boilermakers. For years I thought it was interesting the drink my Uncle Andy liked was the same as the local college team near his house. It wasn’t until I got a little older did I realize it had nothing to do with beer and whiskey.
railroad locomotive built on a truck chassis. The Special was originally designed to demonstrate Purdue's engineering programs. It is "street legal" and can be driven on expressways at a top speed of 65mph and it attends all of Purdue’s football games home & away. Hats bearing the logos of defeated opponents are attached to the Boilermaker Special's cow-catcher. There is a smaller version (called the X-Tra) for indoor events. The Special is operated, maintained, and funded by the unfortunately named Purdue Reamer Club.
Not to be confused, the official mascot of Purdue athletics since 1940 has been Purdue Pete. He began as a logo for the campus bookstore. He made his first physical appearance as the athletics mascot at a pep rally in 1956. Pete has lost his head a several times, literally. They lost his original paper-mache head in 1962 on the way back from Iowa City. The head was in the back of the Boilermaker Special when a strong gust of wind blew it out into the road. The crew stopped the Special and searched for hours for the head without any luck. The only thing they found was little piece of the shoulder pad.
Considering they have not had a ton of success as a football program, they have a pretty stable helmet history. In the early 1950’s Purdue’s helmets looked a little bit like the Michigan helmets without the wings. They went to a “numbers on the side” period in the 1960’s until they went with the current gold with a black P in the early 1970’s. However, for some reason during the last two years of the Fred Akers era they had a two-year fling with black helmets (1989 and 1990).
When Drew Brees led Purdue to 2001 Rose Bowl they wore a special “Rose Bowl” version of the helmet. I think it looked great because it combined the classic Purdue style with the very special (and rare) occasion of the Rose Bowl visit. Not many teams could pull that off -- Purdue did. Unfortunately they lost to the Washington Huskies.
Fight Song: Hail Purdue! is the official fight song of Purdue University. The lyrics were written by James Morrison, to the tune set by Edward Wotawa in 1913. The song was initially titled "Purdue War Song" and was dedicated to the Varsity Glee Club, of whom Wotawa was a member. If you have ever played EA Sports NCAA Football you have heard this song, the menu system programmer has to be Purdue grad because it plays all the time.
Hail Purdue
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 vic'tries and your heroes,
Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!
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.
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.
Alternate second verse (often sung by the Purdue All American Marching Band)
In the band we march and swagger
As we play for old Purdue.
At the halftime we do shows
No other band on Earth could do.
When we cheer the Earth will tremble
For we're known throughout the land
As the best in marching music,
We're the Boilermaker Band.
Academics: The reputation of Purdue as a top engineering school is well known. It was the first university in America to award an aviation engineering degree under the direction of the Wright brothers. Purdue was the first university in the country to offer college credit for flight training, and the first to offer a degree in aviation. Over the last ten years, Purdue has awarded more aerospace engineering degree than any other school, and awards more engineering degrees to women than any college in the country. It’s known as the cradle of astronauts, and has one of the largest international student populations of any public university in the U.S.
I find it interesting that even with it’s engineering reputation Purdue only ranks 66th in the most recent US News rankings. While not as lowly ranked as Michigan State and Indiana, they are still pretty low in the Big Ten and tied with Miami (Ohio), SMU, UConn, and Iowa. Go Figure?
Athletics: Purdue was a charter member of the Big Ten and played a central role in its creation. They have an intense rivalry with Indiana in all sports. The Boilermakers battle the Hoosiers on the football field each year to win the Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue leads the series, first played in 1925, 68-36-6. Found on a farm in southern Indiana, the oaken bucket is one of the oldest football trophies in the nation. The winner of game gets to add a bronze "P" or "I" chain link and keep the trophy until the next face-off. Ironically, the first competition in 1925 led to a 0-0 tie, resulting in the first link on the chain being an "IP."
It is good that they battle so hard with Indiana, because in over 100 years of Big Ten football the Boilermakers haven’t really battled anyone else. They have won only one non-shared conference championship (1929) and have only shared of seven others. Only two of those co-championships have taken place in the last 55 years.
But in basketball it is a different story -- Boilermaker Basketball teams have won more Big Ten Championships than any other conference school, with 27 (Men 21 and Women 6). The guys have been to two Final Fours and the ladies three. The Purdue Women won the NCAA title 1999 while the Men were voted NCAA Champs in 1932 (before the NCAA tourney). The rest of the Boilermakers teams are just plain weak. In this century, they’ve only won three Big Ten titles (two in women’s golf and one in women’s indoor track). They show no historical conference dominance in any sport. Their only other national championship in history is a 1961 title in men’s golf.
Famous alums: Purdue alumni have headed corporations, held federal offices, founded television networks, and flown through space. Purdue’s distinguished faculty have won Nobel prizes, solved long-standing riddles in science, headed government agencies, and received countless awards. Famous Purdue people include: Russell Games Slayter, inventor of fiberglass; Harold Gray, creator of Little Orphan Annie; George Peppard, movie actor; Orville Redenbacher, popcorn king; and Ruth Siems, inventor of stove top stuffing. They have a nice list of famous athletes including John Wooden, Basketball legend; Hank Stram, NFL Hall of Fame coach; Ryan Newman, NASCAR driver, and Drew Brees, Len Dawson, and Bob (you can call me Brian's Dad) Griese, NFL pro bowl quarterbacks. I would 
be remiss without mentioning that former Lions QB and current SEC lobbyist Gary Danielson went to Purdue. It is sad to see that a guy that went to high school in Michigan and attended a Big Ten School can be such a blow-hard against his midwestern football roots.
As I mentioned above, Purdue is known as the "Cradle of Astronauts". They have graduated 22 NASA astronauts, including the first and last men to walk on the moon. Pretty impressive. The most recognizable Purdue Space Man is Neil Armstrong. So yes, Purdue beats Michigan in the race to space -- but they have no US Presidents... White House Bitches...
The Game: Purdue is terrible, so is Michigan. Purdue's QB is pathetic, so is Michigan's. Purdue can't score, either can Michigan. Sounds like a great time, huh ? I can't wait to sit down and watch this game, if only to see Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko. He will be the best player on the field. He leads the Big Ten and is 10th nationally in punting with a career-best 44.6 yard average. Michigan is the only team in the country to have a top 10 yardage punter and sit in the top 10 in net punting (1st) and punt return yardage defense (5th). So we've got that going for us....WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO !!!
Michigan 5
Purdue 3
After seeing all the Obama stickers and signs in Ann Arbor last weekend I promised T9 that I would attempt to create a similar iconic image. We discussed and laughed about which word to use (I liked Spread and/or Patience) but decided that I liked "HOPE" the best. Because at this point, that I all I have left for Michigan Football going forward. HOPE.
While technically possible, I think it is logical to assume that this 2008 version of the Michigan Wolverines football team is not going to make it to a bowl at the end of this season. While the disappointment of losing our impressive bowl streak stings, we will need to move on, get better, and eventually return to familiar place at or near the top of the Big Ten. In the mean time, we will need to focus on winning small victories, like this Saturday at Purdue.
NFL update for the week.
Thanks to SiC for pointing this out.
I typically do not post about recruits because I think it opens Pandora's box of bad karma, but considering how bad we are THIS year, it is time for me to start thinking about NEXT year. 
Saturday will be the 101st meeting between Michigan and Michigan State. Typically I look forward to this game, since we have won it most of the time during my lifetime. Overall Michigan is 67-28-5 against them, and the Wolverines have won six in a row, including a fun comeback win last year followed by some great smack talk. But this is a different team and this series has gotten some renewed hatred. The Countdown Clock is about to strike zero -- so here is what you need to know about our jolly green neighbors.
History: The Michigan Constitution (1850 version) called for the creation of an "agricultural school". In February 1855 Michigan Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed the bill to create The Agricultural College of the State of Michigan. This school claims the title as the nation’s pioneer land-grant institution. They actually started having classes in 1857 when they opened with three buildings, five faculty members, and 63 male students. Like most land grant schools, the original curriculum shunned classic Latin and Greek studies and focused on farming and practical training. To help offset the costs they required three hours of daily manual labor from the students. In 1859, this curriculum was deemed too elitist and the college became a two-year vocational school. A short time later the school changed its name to State Agricultural College and went back to being a four-year school and developed into the Michigan State we know and loath today.
Location: MSU's sprawling campus is located in East Lansing, about three miles from the Capital of the State. Most people don’t know this, but East Lansing was a dry (no alcohol) town until the 1960s, but since then a lot has changed. If you have never been there, this campus can throw some wicked parties. Over the years there have been legendary bashes and spontaneous celebration/defeat riots (mostly after big basketball games). I would not be surprised if a flaming couch isn't a part of the town seal. Most famously, The Cedar Village area and the annual CedarFest party has become such a problem, by the city that it plans to demolish the apartments and develop the area with condos and shopping centers.
Nickname: They call themselves Spartans. The teams were originally known as Aggies until 1925. Looking to move beyond its agricultural roots, Michigan State held a contest to find a new nickname. They decided to call the teams the "Michigan Staters". Local sports writers were unhappy and went through the losing entries to find a shorter and more heroic name. They decided on the "Spartans". It stuck.
Mascot: Sparty is a campus legend in several forms: a couple of statues and a costumed cartoon version during sporting events. The original Sparty statue was dedicated on June 9, 1945. It is made of five large glazed terra cotta sections fired from red Ohio clay; these pieces were joined by mortar joints, with a poured concrete core over a steel frame. The statue stands over 9 feet tall and weighs approximately 3,000 pounds. When the statue was erected, the media claimed that it was the tallest free-standing ceramic sculpture in the world. Recently this original Sparty was moved indoors to be protected from the weather. They replaced it with a more weather friendly bronze version in 2005. Sparty is supposed to be guarded by members of the marching band, but sometimes they fall asleep.
The costumed cartoon version Sparty has been a staple at MSU athletic events since 1989. He's won the Mascot of the Year award three times and was nominated to the Mascot Hall of Fame, although it appears as if he lost to Brutus Buckeye for induction. He has been featured in ESPN commercials and this year he was honored on the cover of the NCAA Football computer game (Wii version). One has to wonder if the cartoon Sparty got his muscles from the same special vitamins that helped Tony Mandarich.
athletic teams officially began using the school colors green and white. But records of the Athletic Association of the then Michigan Agricultural College show that on April 11, 1899, the organization took steps toward adoption of a green monogram, "to be worn only by athletes who subsequently take part in intercollegiate events." It is generally thought the colors came into wide use with the arrival in 1903 of Chester L. Brewer as the school's first athletic director.
They've also changed their helmets A LOT over the years, but the primary look as remained: green helmet with white logo. The current Spartan head design has been used on four different occasions over the years. They've also used the block "S" during two different eras, including the George Perles era where they only had the “S” on one side of the helmet (Perles came to MSU from the Pittsburgh Steelers). The fact is, since 1970 Michigan State has changed their helmet designs more times than they have beaten Michigan (11 helmet changes versus 8 victories).
Fight Song: MSU's fight song was created in early 1915 and copyrighted in 1919, when the school was known as Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.). A cheerleader named Francis Irving Lankey, along with lyricist Arthur Sayles, created the song by combining original lyrics with the melody from an early-20th century hymn called "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus". As Michigan State has developed from a farmer school the lyrics have also changed.
| Original MAC lyrics On the banks of the Red Cedar, There's a school that's known to all; Its specialty is farming, And those farmers play football; Aggie teams are never beaten, All through the game they'll fight; Fight for the only colors: Green and White. Smash right through that line of blue, Watch the points keep growing. Aggie teams are bound to win, They're fighting with a vim! Rah! Rah! Rah! Michigan is weakening, We're going to win this game. Fight! Fight! Rah! Team, Fight! Victory for M.A.C.! | Current MSU lyrics On the banks of the Red Cedar, There's a school that's known to all; Its specialty is winning, And those Spartans play good ball; Spartan teams are never beaten, All through the game they'll fight; Fight for the only colors: Green and White. Go right through for MSU, Watch the points keep growing, Spartan teams are bound to win, They're fighting with a vim! Rah! Rah! Rah! See their team is weakening, We're going to win this game, Fight! Fight! Rah! Team, Fight! Victory for MSU! |
Athletics: When the University of Chicago eliminated football and resigned its spot in the Big Ten in 1946, M.S.C. lobbied hard to became a member. Despite the objections of Michigan, the Spartans were allowed into the conference in 1949. Let by one of Fritz Crisler’s protégés named Clarence "Biggie" Munn it did not take long for the Spartans to become a national football power. They won various versions of a football National Championship in 1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, and 1966. Overall, they are 7-11 in bowl games and won the Rose Bowl in 1954, 1956, and 1988.
Famous alums: Michigan State University alumni number around 460,000 worldwide. For a school with 
that many alumni, there sure are not a lot of famous people that called Michigan State home. Famous former Spartans include actors James Caan and Robert Urich; Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane; Nobel Prize winning Doctor Alfred Hershey; former Howard Stern sidekick Jackie Martling; and every Buckeye pedophiles worst nightmare, Chris Hansen; former MLB stars Kirk Gibson and Steve Garvey. Of course every Spartan fan will jump on me if I fail to mention former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
No US Presidents or astronauts. Losers.
The Game: For some reason I am making the trip up to Ann Arbor this weekend for the game. At a minimum it will be nice to see my parents, hang out with T9, and eat at Pizza Bob's. Against all logic, I am feeling good about this game. I know we stink on offense and suck on defense. Maybe it is my standard perspective that we always should beat them on the football field. But MSU is a lot more like Wisconsin than they are like Illinois or Penn State. I just have a calm and confident feeling. I pray I am right.
Michigan 24
Michigan State 21
I'm going to take a stab at a new feature here, something I'm calling "A Girl Scouts". I thought about calling it THE Girl Scouts, but worried about the little green gnomes suing me for infringement or some such nonsense. Plus, while I am no shrinking violet, I thought utilizing a determiner in reference to myself would be beyond the pale and just plain narcissistic. However, I am not so humble as to believe that I don't have something useful and prescient to say about upcoming games. SO. When I consider Saturday's game I believe that Michigan's success will hinge on 3 factors. 1) QB Play, 2) The Run Game, 3) The Fourth Quarter.
He spells the name of his school's mascot with an "E". No, really. A 6'3", 215 lb. senior from Ohio, Hoyer has a 49% completion rate this season with a QB rating of 117.09. He has 6 aerial TDs and 4 air mails to the other team. And, he's been sacked 6 times. Here's my point: sack him, rush him, pressure him, bother molest and otherwise annoy him to no end and he will fold. He averages 2 rushes a game and basically rushes the other way: -14 against Florida Atlantic, -7 against Iowa, -15 for Northwestern and Ohio State each. The guy isn't going anywhere. Blitz him. Defend the screen pass. You heard it here first Shafer.
in the game against PSU he completed 69.2% of his passes. Throw quick up and outs and bubble screens to get a flow going, then stretch the field up top to Matthews. And throw the crossing route in the soft spot of the zone. I'm telling you, that's gonna be the honey hole. BUT: I've said it, Andy's said it and I'm gonna say it again without a solid game from Threet we are done. cooked. hapless. sans rudder. adios. Pray for healing of Threet's olecranon and/or ulnar nerve. Nay---have his mommy kiss his oww-y elbow all week long.
Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame, Indiana, and Northwestern. The Buckeyes held him to 67 yards rushing and no TDs. Iowa kept him under a C-note, and Cal allowed only 81 yards for Javon on the ground. But, not so fast Sparty: Our defense has held opponents to an average of 3.3 yards/rush and 120.9 rushing yards per game. Javon, meet the linebackers. We've got to stop him on the line and defend the screen. And the best fun fact about Javon Ringer???? He's NEVER fumbled. Never, ever while a Sparty. Javon, meet the law of averages! Cough it up buddy!!!! Noo-NAN!!! uuuhhhDROPIT! I'm calling for one crucial fumble by Javon. How beautiful for him to drop the rock and cost his team the game. Yes, when Sparty is concerned I am a spiteful sadist. So sue me.
Yes, we are 2-5. Yes, things look bad. Yes, we are can't beat Toledo. It is time to invoke a little Schembechler spirit into this program.
Quick update on the former Wolverines playing on Sundays:
For some reason in a very short time I have developed a strong dislike for Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio. Over the years I have looked at most MSU coaches with pity -- but something about this guy just rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it his close association with Jim Tressel, but there is no denying it exists.
Thanks to our very own ohio_guy and his ever diligent eye for deviant behavior in the state of Michigan. Please.... oh.... please..... let this guy be a State fan.
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