EXPRESS Purdue's Fine, But

VOL. 29, ISSUE 37. FEB. 14. 2019 EXPRESS Purdue's Fine, but

Purdue was going to lose again this season. That was inevitable.

That it's an acceptable loss from a résumé perspective makes this more palatable in the big picture.

And the Boilermakers still have the most favor- able path from here on out in the Big Ten race, rela- tive to what the other contenders have left. But everyone lost their cool in that second half.

Purdue can take solace in the fact it lost to a This has been an offensive team savvy beyond its ranked team on the road while Big Ten co-leader lost years, and it didn't look it. at middling Penn State, a land mine the Boilermak- ers just sidestepped themselves. Purdue rushed shots atypical of its recent identi- ty and missed 'em all, just about. Purdue's still in a great spot, as long as this loss doesn't become something more, as long as it doesn't What to make of this at this stage of the season let failure beget failure, one dreadful half seeping is to Purdue to tell us, it would appear. into its next game, then maybe leading to another loss, or if this game sets a new blueprint for beating MISSING WILLIAMS Purdue. Purdue couldn't get Trevion Williams established The Boilermakers have been surgical in their on the interior, save for a few brief glimpses. In those off-season execution during their winning streak, glimpses, he was productive. but that went by the wayside as Maryland ramped up its pressure on its guards and started making The early foul probably affected him, but Purdue plays itself on the offensive end. may also not have been as conscious of getting the ball inside, or Maryland might have been defending POISE it well.

Not often in the calendar year 2019 has Purdue Whatever the case, Purdue could have used some looked this shook. higher-percentage offense when it was struggling, not that the Boilermakers didn't miss layups, too. Its poise has been one of its great attributes and we say that in the context that it's been a bit of a It's preposterous to say Purd ue lacked balance surprise given Purdue's new-ness and how it looked because there was really no strength to balance out in non-conference play. in that second half.

Carsen Edwards will fall into the over-aggressive- --Brian Neubert ness trap at times. That's just part of the deal with him and the fine line he has to walk between the ag- gressiveness that makes him great and the over-ag- gressiveness that can be his worst enemy.

GoldandBlack.com 1 Upon Further Review: Eastern and sag off him. Second game in a row the Maryland opponent has switched up its matchup on Eastern. And when Purdue beat the pressure with a back- A look back at Purdue's 70-56 loss at Maryland door cut to Carsen Edwards inside the 16-minute Tuesday night .... mark, the pass escaped him and was turned over. Maryland dunked in transition off the giveaway. WHAT HAPPENED? Jalen Smith’s other-worldly height, length and Maryland obviously ramped things up, and Pur- athleticism really showed up defensively on the pe- due didn’t show a whole lot of patience. On Pur- rimeter, much the same way Matt Haarms’ dimen- due’s second possession, Carsen Edwards took a sions do for Purdue when he’s playing well. And tough, long, fade-away two, challenged, with 10 on Maryland’s superior physicality around the basket the shot clock. Missed it. Nojel Eastern followed it really mattered, too. and went right back up with it in a crowd and was stuffed. Grady Eifert followed that miss and got it PURDUE DOUBLE TEAMS IN POST to Ryan Cline, who attacked off the dribble and was probably fouled, but it wasn’t called. Purdue had a Maryland was much more productive against couple opportunities there to take a deep breath and Purdue’s post doubles in the second half than the reset things but was very aggressive. There were a lot first. of quick jumpers. First-half: Eight first-half possessions; Maryland Maryland definitely put more pressure on Pur- gets five points to show for them. Second-half: Nine due’s guards and its collective athletic gifts did show possessions, 14 points and three fouls on Purdue. up in that sense. Ryan Cline’s first two threes both came with Anthony Cowan’s hand in his face. If you care, which I wouldn’t if I were you, here’s the itemization. Skip over if you’d like. Cowan guarded Cline in the second half and as- signed freshman Aaron Wiggins to account for Nojel First Half Gold and Black LIVE featuring the staff of GoldandBlack.com Interactive live video-stream sports talk show — ask questions, chat with other fans! For schedule visit the college page on WLFI.com. 2 P.M. FRIDAYS At a computer or mobile device near you! Special guests, analysis and more

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GoldandBlack.com 2 tough and-one through Eifert’s foul. 3 19:39: Bruno Fernando dribbles out and passes right back out to the near side and Jalen Smith miss- 18:56: Purdue doubles Jalen Smith and forces es an open three. him to dribble out, but he passes out to Morsell, who has Ryan Cline in space in the middle of the floor 17:52. Fernando dribbles out passes off and and he’s able to make a one-on-one play and not-so- gets the ball reversed and Maryland ends up posting easy shot over Cline. 2 Jalen Smith on the opposite, but Grady Eifert comes off his first double to double that, too, and Maryland 16:00 Purdue double teams Jalen Smith and basi- winds up with an empty possession. cally chases him to his bench, consuming him to the point he can turn and throw it to Fernando alone at 15:54: Fernando dribbles out, gives it up and the rim. But after dribbles out it allowed Fernando Maryland winds up turning it over. to post up in the vacated space around the basket, and after Matt Haarms peels off to guard him, Smith 9:00: Fernando dribbles it out and reverses sprints to the basket, Haarms and Eifert get crossed to Aaron Wiggins wide open in the opposite corner up in the switch and Smith gets a dunk. 2 for a three that misses. 14:40: Purdue doubles and chases Fernando out 4:52: Fernando posts on Evan Boudreaux, of the post. The ball gets moving but Purdue winds and Aaron Wheeler doubles, without much author- up with a stop. X ity and that contributes to an easy kickout pass to Anthony Cowan at the top of the arc for a wide- 14:09: Next time down, after Carsen Edwards open three that misses. scored 1-on-2 in transition, Maryland posts Fernan- do on Haarms. This time, Ryan Cline is the doubler. 3:07: Purdue doubles Fernando and he pass- Fernando dribbles out and under pressure looks for es it out and one pass later Cowan has a wide-open Smith at the rim, but Eifert’s still with him and steals three that he makes, the first points of the game for the pass. X Maryland on a possession on which Purdue doubled the post. 4:45: Eifert comes on a delayed double on Fer- nando and gets called for a foul. 2:17: Now, next time down, Purdue doubles again, and this time Darryl Morsell crashes to (On the next possession, Purdue doesn’t dou- the basket unaccounted for a dunk. He’s free to do ble, and Fernando beats Haarms to the rim and gets so because his man, Carsen Edwards, has rotated to fouled.) the rim to cover Jalen Smith, who’s stationed right under the basket. 3:13: Fernando posts on Haarms and Aaron 1:31: This time, Grady Eifert bluffs for a sec- It’s All On GoldandBlack.com ond on the double team, then runs a hard double at Fernando and forces the ball out of his hands. Mary- The Best land winds up turning it over. The “bluff” might Purdue Sports have been related to where Fernando caught the ball Information or some such factor, I don’t know. I can’t claim to On The Web know Purdue’s game plan. • Real-time Second Half recruiting • Game stories, analysis and blogs 19:41: Maryland posts Fernando but Eifert stays • Premium message with Jalen Smith at the rim, but Nojel Eastern is boards • Video, audio, live stream Free trials cheating off Anthony Cowan and hanging out in events and more available! the lane. I’m not sure what’s going on here, to be • Exclusive access to premium honest, but Fernando throws it crosscourt to Cowan, information Part of the Rivals.com network who drives past the scrambling Eastern and makes a Note: GoldandBlack.com is a separate subscription than your subscription to Gold & Black Illustrated/Gold and Black EXPRESS.

GoldandBlack.com 3 Wheeler comes over but they can’t run Fernando back up with, missed through contact, followed it away from the lane when he dribbles out. He’s able again and passed out to Carsen Edwards, who shot to dribble into it and pass off to Anthony Cowan, a three with a guy on his back and that’s guy’s hand who hits Jalen Smith, who Wheeler had not gotten in his face while Grady Eifert stood alone in the near back to, alone under the basket for a dunk. 2 corner with his hands out to catch the pass that wouldn’t come. The three may have been blocked 2:28: Exact same thing happens, except much and Maryland scored in transition off it. quicker and minus the cut-off man. Wheeler comes in to double Fernando, but Purdue allows the lane, Purdue also posted up Nojel Eastern a few times freeing Smith to slip in behind the double for what and had some success with that. And when Cars- probably should have been a dunk, but Smith en Edwards came out with around 10:30 to play, it brought it down, then blew a layup. He followed his looked like Purdue was setting something up to get own miss, though, got fouled and made both. 2 Eastern the ball in the post as maybe a mechanism to get Williams the ball, because Williams is creep- 1:48: Fernando gets doubled by Trevion Wil- ing to the rim, and Eastern had hit Haarms earlier liams and Wheeler and Carsen Edwards picks up for a foul from the same spot. Eastern was fouled on Smith diving to the rim, but there’s a clean alley for the entry in this case, though, and Purdue reset. Fernando to pass to Eric Ayala wide open for three on the opposite side. The shot misses, but Fernando On the ensuing inbound, Purdue put Ryan Cline beats Williams to rebounding position, follows the and WIlliams in pick-and-roll,, but Cline threw op- miss and scores and and-one. 3 posite side to Sasha Stefanovic, who missed a three. It helps Maryland when it’s 6-10 and agile and long WHY DIDN”T TREVION WILLIAMS Jalen Smith converging on the ball screen. He took GET THE BALL IN THE SECOND HALF, YOU the pass in to Williams away. MIGHT ASK Furthering that point, when Stefanovic missed Purdue never got Williams established except the three, Williams got tied up for a second under for a two-possession first half span that resulted in a the basket, allowing the gazelle that is Smith even putback for Nojel Eastern and a bucket for Williams, more room to beat Purdue down the floor for a dunk right after Carsen Edwards came out of the game and Maryland’s first lead. and right before Williams picked up his second foul and left the game again. Bottom line here is that Purdue looks inside, but either shot jumpers first or just couldn’t get it in. Both of Williams’ first two fouls were on the Williams’ foul issues made it where Purdue wound slow-to-move-laterally variety, and you hope for up getting the ball to others inside more than him. Purdue’s sake that’s not an indicator of him wearing down and lapsing in his condition, or maybe oppo- FALLING DOWN nents have figured out how to attack him, to try to spread Purdue out, drive at him and get him to turn At least nine points for Maryland came off Pur- his shoulders. due simply falling down on defense. You know about the two threes Eric Ayala made in the second half Anyway, good things tended to happen when — both of which primary defender Carsen Edwards Purdue got him the ball on offense. It just didn’t went to the floor on prior to the shots — but Ayala’s very much. three-point play in the first half was the product of Aaron Wheeler simply losing his balance in contain- To open the second half, Purdue did look inside ment and allowing Ayala a chance to go by Edwards to Williams, but couldn’t make the pass and Ryan and get all the way to the basket. I don’t know if his Cline ended up shooting a tough three with the shot knee buckled, he slipped or just got confused over clock dwindling. Later, Purdue did look inside, but it his responsibility on the screen for a second, but was the first possession after Williams picked up his staying vertical was an issue for Purdue defensively third foul and left the game. The ball went to Matt in this game. Haarms, who settled for a tough turnaround jumper after Fernando bodied him up. Nojel Eastern went MISC

GoldandBlack.com 4 Purdue men's basketball history. Grady Eifert’s three at 15:07 was as good a look as Purdue got in that second half from deep and it Since Mackey Arena opened in 1967, Purdue has needed that one bad, but that’s the shot that kind had 36 walk-ons* that have appeared in at least one of put a face on the “lid on the basket” comments game in a Purdue uniform. But only one, 1984 Big afterward. Tough rim-out there. Ten MVP Jim Rowinski, has made a greater impact on the program. A good example of patience: If we’re gonna talk about the bad shots and stuff, this should be This season isn't over, by a long shot, for Eifert, highlighted, too. so the above prognostication is a bit premature. He is averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds for a 17-6 With 9:40 to play, Ryan Cline missed a contest- Purdue team that is No. 12 in the nation, 10-2 in the ed runner, but Carsen Edwards found the loose ball Big Ten and a half-game out of first place as it plays in the lane and dribbled out. He had opportunities at No. 24 Maryland tonight. to pull-up for a low-percentage three, the sort he’s prone to in such situations, but instead, and he was Yet, Eifert's list of accomplishments is impres- well covered, he dribbled to the middle of the floor sive. And as all Purdue fans and observers know, the and when met with a second defender — again, 6-10 6-6 senior from Fort Wayne doesn't get credit in the and agile Jalen Smith — skipped a pass to Grady Ei- box score for many of the effort plays he makes on fert for an easy post feed to Eastern, who scored to the court. beat the shot clock. Eifert has appeared in more games than any other walk-on (85), surpassing Bobby Riddell (2006-09) Later, Edwards did come off a high screen and two games ago. He is second only to Rowinski (1981- make the right play too by reversing it to Aaron 84) in minutes played, games started, points scored Wheeler as the trailer, but his three missed. Purdue and rebounds. With a 2.3-point career scoring aver- was down six and finally got a clean look. It felt like age that is likely to improve, Eifert ranks third be- Purdue needed that one. A few possessions later, Ed- hind Rowinski (8.3) and Dick Satterfield, a guard in wards gave off to Wheeler for a similar look and it 1974-75, (2.7). Eifert's .561 field-goal percentage is rimmed out, typical of Purdue’s half. As dreadful as tops among walk-ons that have attempted five or Purdue looked on offense, it did have some golden more shots in their career. opportunities that just didn’t fall. And Eifert is one of the best from long range. When comparing 3-point shooters with 10 or more But so did Maryland in the first half, so that career attempts, Eifert is second only to Chad Kerk- evened out a bit. hof. In his four years (from 1997-2000) Kerkhof was 10 of 20 (50%) from deep (.50), Eifert 22 of 52 (42%) Lost in a lot of other topics was Evan Boudreaux and Bobby Riddell is third (27 of 69 39%). giving Purdue some solid first-half. Williams couldn't not foul and had some struggles defensively and this And in terms of the greatest game ever by a was not the Matt Haarms Purdue was used to seeing walk-on, it would be hard to argue against Eifert's during the winning streak, but Boudreaux seemed to "perfect-game" this past Saturday against Nebraska. hold up OK against Maryland's size and athleticism Scoring 16 points without missing any of his 10 up front. shots from the field or free-throw line, grabbing seven rebounds, handing out two assists and throwing -Brian Neubert in four steals for good measure is a remarkable performance by any standard. It shines even brighter considering he started his career at Purdue without Eifert the greatest a scholarship. walk-on ever ? Jim Rowinski's game-winning, last-second bank By just about any measure, Grady Eifert stands shot at Illinois in 1983 might be the greatest single tall as one of the two most productive walk-ons in play by a walk-on. It finished Purdue's 18-0 run in

GoldandBlack.com 5 the game's final 9:38 for one of the greatest come- ball Media Guide. Willie Deane, for example, came backs in Big Ten history. There's still time for Eifert, to Purdue as a walk-on but had a previous scholar- though. ship at Boston College. The list also doesn't include players who were on scholarship in other sports: Only Rowinski's 24-point, 13-rebound effort most notably football tight end Charles Davis, who over top-10 ranked Illinois on Feb. 25, 1984, stands appeared in 19 games in 2005, and baseball pitcher above Eifert's work last Saturday. The effort by the Sherard Clinkscales, who played in four contests in muscle-bound Rowinski--the personifcation of Pur- 1990. due Pete--vs. the Fighting Illini helped the 6-8 cen- --Alan Karpick ter/forward from Long Island, N.Y., be featured the following week in Sports Illustrated, en route to Purdue approach driven winning the Silver Basketball as the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player in 1983-84. Purdue, picked to fin- by analytics ish ninth in the Big Ten that season under fourth- year coach Gene Keady, shared the Big Ten title with As soon as the halftime or post-game box score the Illini. Coincidentally, Rowinski's teammate in reaches Matt Painter, his focus turns to one category the early 1980s was Eifert's dad, Greg, a scholarship before all others, he says: Possessions. player who was in Keady's first recruiting class and started all 29 games in his senior year during the A coaching pragmatist if there ever was one, it's Boilermakers' 1984 title run. long been the Boilermaker coach's belief that the team that has the ball more, that has more chances One other single-game performance by a walk- to score and keeps its opponent to fewer chances to on merits mention: Dick Satterfield's effort at Iowa score, will have an advantage. in 1974. The junior guard had 17-points in a crazy 112-111 loss, coming off the bench to relieve foul- For Painter, that view means a premium put on plagued teammates. The '74 Boilermakers fell just statistics such as turnovers and rebounding, especial- short of a Big Ten title but went on to become the ly the do-overs that come with the offensive variety. first Big Ten team to win the NIT. But now more so than ever, Painter and his staff If Eifert leads Purdue to a league title, a strong have more perspective on what Purdue's doing with argument about who is the greatest Purdue walk-on those possessions, what's working, what's not, and ever could be made. And in terms of a player who where focus perhaps should lie, and that insight has time and again has mopped the court with his body shaped the way this Boilermaker team is playing. in making winning plays that don't show up in the box score, Eifert has no peer in Purdue walk-on his- Statistically, Purdue has been one of the best of- tory. fensive teams in college basketball this season by many measures. According to KenPom.com's for- Stephen Toyra (2013-16) and Paul Gilvydis mula, the Boilermakers presently ranked fourth na- (1994-97) are the only other Boilermaker walk-ons tionally in adjusted offensive efficiency, that mea- to log 100 minutes in a career. Gilvydis played 131 sure being a composite of points per 100 possessions minutes and Toyra 102. framed against such mitigating factors as trending, venue and caliber of opponent. Dick Satterfield, a diminutive guard from Hag- erstown, Ind., made a mark despite playing only Assistant coach Greg Gary, who oversees Pur- two years at Purdue. He was the fifth member, and due's offense, said it's Purdue's offensive rating he lone upperclassman, on Purdue's famed Soul Patrol views as most telling when gauging success, along (freshmen Walter Jordan, Wayne Walls, Michael with points per possession and, obviously, the final White and Eugene Parker were the others) in 1975. score. Wayne Doebling But for Purdue, it's as much about process as *Note: Walk-ons are defined as players who be- outcome, and for that reason, one of second-year gan their career without a Division 1 scholarship at analyst Andrew McClatchey's first tasks during his Purdue or any school. Source: Purdue Men's Basket- post-game deconstruction work is to answer two questions about Purdue's offense.

GoldandBlack.com 6 a line of thinking associated with Houston Rockets 1. How often did it get the ball in the paint — G.M. Daryl Morey, built around the added payout post-ups, drives, cuts, offensive rebounds — and how of the three-pointer and the good sense in shooting did it fare? those value-added shots in bulk.

2. How often did it reverse the ball in halfcourt Purdue is studying its results and the higher re- offense, moving it from one side to the other? ward high-volume three-point shooting can bring, while working to cut out the lower-percentage two- Those two factors typically correlate to success of- point shots, notably the statistical pariah that is the fensively, as Purdue sees it. long-range non-three jumper.

So has one of the simplest elements of the game: This season, McClatchey has been using ESPN's Passing. John Gasaway's shot volume index measure, too, to assess Purdue's offensive play. Purdue's done a lot more of it during this winning streak that's changed its season. Statistically, the “It’s an estimate of your shot attempts per 100 watershed moment was Notre Dame, arguably the possessions," he said. "Coach talks a lot about pos- Boilermakers' bottoming out during its non-confer- sessions, but when you relate it to time, that’s hard ence struggles against a stiff schedule. Prior to, and to do in basketball like you can in football, because including, that game, Purdue was 6-5; since, it's 11-1. if you get a steal for an easy transition bucket, that’s going to hurt your time of possession, but you’re go- Every game has been different, but over the ma- ing to take that over a 25-second possession where jority of that stretch, McClatchey said, Purdue's been you don’t get a good look. You kind of have to tailor passing the ball dozens more times per game — 40 that to possessions, total. We look at like, ‘How many was his estimate — and that's correlated with in- shot attempts can we get per 100 possessions by lim- creased assist percentages, lowered turnover percent- iting our turnovers and getting offensive rebounds. ages and improved defense. “We look at it like, ‘Are we shooting better than Maybe the single-biggest statistical win for Pur- them?’ and, ‘Are we getting more attempts than due this season has been its avoidance of turnovers, a them?’ If we can do those things, we’re probably go- welcomed development for a team breaking in more ing to be in a good position.” than half a roster's worth of new players, for which establishing chemistry was an extended process. A look at how Purdue is faring under KenPom. com's interpretation of analyst Dean Oliver's 'Four “I try to look at what’s been working for us, and Factors' theory regarding the keys to success in bas- it’s not turning the ball over," Gary said. "We’ve got- ketball. * FTA/FGA ten some pretty good offensive possessions when we just don’t turn the ball over or we get it to the second Purdue believes — and data very much backs it or third side. When we don’t reverse the basketball, up — that better offensive possessions lead to better our numbers are very different.” defensive possessions, because teams are much more likely to be back and established on defense when Purdue lost from last year's team some of the bet- they've not taken a quick shot or turned the ball over. ter shooters it's had in its modern era, but with Cars- en Edwards and Ryan Cline, it's on pace to rewrite its But Purdue has also aimed to build a defense own three-point shooting record books anyway. around percentages, putting every bit the emphasis on taking away the paint as it puts on claiming it on Through 22 games, Purdue's averaging just under offense. 28 three-point attempts per game. Among high-major programs, only Villanova and Auburn shoot more Assistant coach Steve Lutz, who oversees Purdue's threes per game. defense, says one of his starting points when assess- ing opponents is their individual shooting percent- That's Purdue playing to its strength, with Ed- ages. wards and Cline, but also a reflection of the program putting an emphasis on "Moreyball," subscribing to “We’ve always been a team that tries to take away

GoldandBlack.com 7 or minimize what (opponents are) best at," Lutz said, “At the end of the day, I’m not saying that’s the "and if the percentages say we can help off someone right way or the wrong way to do it," Lutz said, "but or even back off and allow someone to shoot … if we I certainly believe in that philosophy.” can help off a player who might be making, on average, half a three a game, it’s more important for us to And even if a team shoots above its prior body of take away the person who’s getting 18 rebounds and work, offense and defense are interconnected in the nine rebounds and scoring at the rim.” grand scheme of things.

That might make for some anxious moments “Earlier in the season, even though we weren’t when teams shoot better than their percentages defending the three very well, we were able to lim- against Purdue — as has happened frequently this it (opponents') shot attempts by turning them over season — but Lutz points to last season's win over and being a good defensive rebounding team," Mc- Northwestern in Mackey Arena as an example of Clatchey said. "Lately our defensive rebounding coaches having to make hard decisions at times. hasn’t been great, but our ability to get shots offensively by not turning the ball over and grabbing of- In that game, Purdue allowed Wildcat big man fensive rebounds ourselves has kind of offset that, Dererk Pardon mid-range jumpers, shots that weren't because we’re getting more shot attempts than our part of his regular repertoire. It wanted a body be- opponents are.” tween him and the rim at all times, and it wanted the lane protected as part of its defense of others. That's basketball nowadays, viewed through and shaped by hard data, of which there's more available He made them, to the point that Purdue had to than can be applied usefully, making the ability to win the game in the final minutes on its home floor. interpret and prioritize analytics just as important as having them in the first place. “We decided we were going to live with that, weigh the pluses and the minuses and play the per- “You can absolutely overload yourself with all centages the best that you can," Lutz said. the data," Gary said, "so I just try to stay focused on, ‘Hey, this is my job, this is what I want our offense That being said, Purdue did carry out its primary to be, to be efficient,’ and it goes back to what Coach objective of neutralizing Bryant McIntosh and, most always says, that if we don’t turn the ball over we’re importantly of course, won the game. usually pretty efficient.”

On Saturday night against Nebraska, Thomas Al- -- Brian Neubert len burned Purdue for five threes and 18 points. Looking Ahead: “Thomas Allen is a good three-point shooter," Lutz said. "We understood that and knew that and Cornerbacks we wanted to limit him. But if we could take away James Palmer and Glynn Watson and Isaiah Roby, Last time we saw these guys, Auburn receivers which we did a good job, we didn’t feel like the often were running wide open in the Music City numbers told you Thomas Allen could beat you." Bowl with the Tigers passing for 378 yards and five TDs en route to 63 points. But, it’s time to turn the Palmer, Watson and Roby were a combined 10- page. There is potential at the cornerback slot, as of-33 and Purdue dominated the second half and some good, young talent continues to fill out the won by 18. depth chart. But this remains an area of concern, as youth dominates. Depth also is an issue. Another That's been Purdue's way this season, to assess wild card: cornerbacks coach Derrick Jackson left to individuals' capacity to make threes, with an eye to- become defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. ward allocating resources to higher-priority targets. WHAT WE KNOW With the exception maybe of only Texas, it's worked out. Purdue loses Antonio Blackmon, who had his moments. He arrived as a walk-on back in 2014 and developed into a solid player who earned consensus

GoldandBlack.com 8 honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season. Blackmon led the team in passes broken up (nine) and passes defended (11) in 2018 to go along with Looking Ahead: 67 tackles. Tim Cason—who made six starts last Linebackers season— and Kamal Hardy—who played in all 13 games—also are gone, but both are replaceable. Last season, this unit was a worry. Depth was iffy. And the talent on hand was mostly young. It didn’t The program has a rising talent in sophomore help matters that Derrick Barnes had to shift to the Kenneth Major, who made seven starts last season “Leo” spot--a hybrid end/linebacker--on the line to and finished with 55 tackles and a team-high three help bolster an anemic pass rush. Now, a season lat- interceptions. The 6-0, 195-pound Major also broke er, the linebacking unit returns intact and could be up two passes and had five passes defended. Major the strongest part of the 2019 defense. suffered some growing pains, but he has a bright future and could one day be the lynchpin of the sec- WHAT WE KNOW ondary. The Boilermakers have a bellwether in Markus WHAT WE DON’T KNOW Bailey, who contemplated turning pro before opting to return for his senior season. That was fantastic The time is now for Dedrick Mackey. The 5-11, news for Purdue. A captain in 2018, Bailey was sec- 185-pound sophomore played in all 13 games last ond-team All-Big Ten by the coaches and third-team season and is expected to start opposite Major. by the media last season after leading the team with 115 tackles. The 6-1, 240-pound Bailey also paced There also is a sense of urgency for Jacob Abrams the club with 5.5 sacks and added 9.0 TFLs with an to step up. The 6-2, 195-pound sophomore played interception. The guy just makes plays … and he’s in eight games last season. He has terrific size for a a leader who will start on the outside again. There corner, as this staff continues to make-over the sec- will be few Big Ten linebackers better than Bailey in ondary with bigger personnel. 2019.

Depth is young. Very young. Redshirt freshmen Cornel Jones turned heads as a sophomore in Jordan Rucker and Byron Perkins will be given ex- 2018. The 6-2, 240-pound middle linebacker had a tensive looks this spring. Also, the staff may have knack for being around the ball, but at times lacked safeties Simeon Smiley and Kadin Smith play some discipline. Still, Jones is ultra productive and seem- corner. ingly always in the thick of the action. In 12 starts last season, Jones had 69 tackles with a team-high It's difficult to envision any true freshmen mak- 12.5 TFLs along with 3.5 sacks. As reported earlier ing much--if any--of an impact, but you never know. by GoldandBlack.com, Jones will be out this spring This summer, Cameron Allen after having foot surgery following a bowl practice and Nyles Beverly injury. He should be fine for fall camp. will arrive. Each has the size this staff covets. If needed, Barnes still could swing back to line- NAMES TO KNOW THIS SPRING backer. The 6-1, 240-pound junior was third on the club with 92 stops in 2018. Barnes also had 8.0 TFLs 1. Kenneth Major, sophomore and 3.0 sacks.

2. Dedrick Mackey, sophomore Sophomore Tobias Larry left the program after making nary an impact. He played in seven games 3. Jacob Abrams, sophomore last season.

4. Jordan Rucker, redshirt freshman GoldandBlack.com reported recently that West- ern Kentucky's Nick Holt will be a grad transfer in 5. Byron Perkins, redshirt freshman 2019 for Purdue. Originally a walk-on at WKU, Holt is the son of Boilermaker DC Nick Holt. The 5-10, -Tom Dienhart 220-pound Holt has been highly productive for the Hilltoppers and figures to play a big role for Purdue GoldandBlack.com 9 in the fall. He led WKU with 116 tackles (fourth 6. Jonah Williams, sophomore in C-USA) and 11.5 TFLs last season. * Will miss spring drills recovering from foot WHAT WE DON’T KNOW surgery

Can Jones take the proverbial next step? He -Tom Dienhart has the makings of being a “cut above.”

How good is 6-1, 230-pound sophomore Jay- Purdue in rush to develop lan Alexander? He played in 11 games as a true pass rush freshman last season and made two starts--including the bowl game. He finished the season with Purdue searched far and wide for a pass rush 23 tackles. Linebackers coach Nick Holt likes his last season. And, it never found a consistent push. potential. Alexander was one of just three freshmen who didn't redshirt last season. He looks How spotty was it in 2018? The Boilermakers ticketed to start alongside Bailey and Jones. ranked just seventh in the Big Ten in sacks, averaging 1.9 per game (25 in 13 games) with the line Now is the time for redshirt freshman generating just 10 sacks. As a point of reference, Ja’Qurius "Jack" Smith to make a move. The 6-1, Penn State led the Big Ten with 47 sacks, while 210-pound Smith is a speedy option on the out- Ohio State was No 2 with 41 and Iowa No.3 with side who played in two games in 2018 and was 35. slotted on the bowl game two-deeps. He was able to preserve his redshirt. The inability to get after quarterbacks was a big reason why Purdue had the worst pass defense Sophomore Jonah Williams is a load at 6-3, in the Big Ten (284.7 ypg) in 2018. Foes complet- 235 pounds. Could the walk-on from nearby West ed 62 percent of their passes. Lafayette High School carve out a niche? Perhaps Williams could develop into a "Leo." He has good “The speed factor, the ability to get to the bloodlines, as he is the son of former Purdue quarterback wasn’t our strength,” said Jeff Brohm. wideout great Calvin Williams, who played seven “We need to get better there.” years in the NFL and now works in the athletic department. The defensive ends provided little juice. Long gone are the days when Purdue was known as the It's difficult to envision any of the incoming “Den of Defensive Ends,” producing the likes of freshmen helping this fall. Perhaps Kahli Saun- Rosevelt Colvin, Shaun Phillips, Akin Ayodele, ders Cliff Avril, Chike Okeafor, Ray Edwards, Rob is best equipped. Crishawn Long Ninkovich and Ryan Kerrigan. The Boilermak- and Jacob Wahlberg ers need to revive that legacy of producing top also are slated to come aboard. pass-rushing talent.

NAMES TO KNOW THIS SPRING The production from the ends last year was middling--at best. Kai Higgins had one sack; 1. Markus Bailey, senior Giovanni Reviere had three. Things got so bad, the staff moved linebacker Derrick Barnes to the 2. Cornel Jones, junior* hybrid linebacker/end “Leo” spot. But Barnes had only three sacks. Who led the team in sacks? 3. Jaylan Alexander, sophomore It was linebacker Markus Bailey with 5.5. Safety Jacob Thieneman was second with 5.0. Bottom 4. Derrick Barnes, junior line: Purdue needs a better push from its line. It can’t count on having to blitz to pressure quar- 5. Ja’Qurius "Jack" Smith, redshirt freshman terbacks.

GoldandBlack.com 10 “We have to get better at rushing the passer,” McWilliams, who needs to make a move after flash- said Brohm. ing some good things last season.

Look for Barnes to reprise his role at the “Leo” “Robert is more of a weak side DE,” said Brohm. spot in 2019. The 6-1, 240-pound junior has a burst “He has put on some weight. He is about 230 now, off the edge and a quick first step. He figures to get but he needs to be more productive when we put better. him in there. He got swallowed by blocks, he wasn’t able to as active and productive as we like but he has “Derrick Barnes is gonna have to play our 'Leo' to step up. He has some ability and speed-rush abili- position, which is the hybrid defensive end, and be ty, but we need to see more production on the field.” active and productive,” said Brohm. This summer, Purdue will welcome Dontay The wild-card is true freshman early enrollee Hunter. The 6-4, 239-pound Hunter is a good athlete George Karlaftis. A four-star prospect from nearby who needs to add size and strength, but he could be West Lafayette High School, Karlaftis is one of Pur- a dynamic addition. due’s biggest recruits in decades. The 6-4, 260-pound Karlaftis checks all the boxes. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s “At the end position, that is where we have to nasty and he’s hungry. Being good is important to get better,” said Brohm. “Kai Higgins and Giovanni him. moved inside. Whether they can play a little bit outside ... we will see. We have to add George Karlaftis “We don’t want to put anything past George,” to the mix. And we have to add Dontay Hunter to said Brohm. “He plays hard. He has been produc- the mix. Anybody else we can add to the mix, we are tive at his level. Getting him early is huge. We will going to do it.” put him at all positions, strong and weak end, and try to make sure he has a spot on the field and be a --Tom Dienhart high-motor guy that produces. Wherever that happens to be, strong end or weak end, rush end, whatever, we anticipate him being out there as much as Weekly Word: Title Chasers, he can handle.” teammates and turnover Reviere still may help from time to time off the edge, but his future appears to be at tackle, a spot HALFWAY HOME that produced just three sacks for Purdue in 2019. The staff moved him there prior to the bowl game (Note: This was written before the Maryland last season. At 6-5, 270, the sophomore has room to game) There's a lot of basketball left to play after get bigger--and stronger. Reviere may not be quick Tuesday night's Purdue game at Maryland, and all for an end, but he is for a tackle. Higgins also could the requisite asterisks about the unpredictability of have a future inside, as the senior has been moved college basketball, especially Big Ten college basket- to tackle this spring. Getting a push from those two ball, apply, but the truth is this: The Boilermakers' along with veteran tackles Lorenzo Neal (a senior out path to an improbable Big Ten championship will this spring after knee surgery) and Anthony Watts (a be doubly greased should they find a way to win in junior) would be a boon to the line. And keep an eye College Park. on sophomore Jeff Marks, too. Tuesday night's game at the Xfinity Center rep- “We have a lot of bodies at that (on the defensive resents the last game Purdue will play during the line) in practice,” said Brohm. “Guys that we red- regular season against a top-25 team. It's the last shirted like Branson Deen, Jack Sullivan, KJ Stokes, time prior to the postseason that the Boilermakers (Jack Cravaack), Lawrence Johnson. He has to step will face a team presently sitting in the top half doz- up and be a player for us. Jeff Marks is probable more en in the league. of an interior guy. Developing a productive pass rusher, that is what we have to work hard at.” Yes, four of Purdue's final seven games will be played on the road and no one will, or should, take Another player to watch: sophomore Robert trips to Indiana and Minnesota lightly, or Nebraska considering the 20 minutes of difficulty it just gave

GoldandBlack.com 11 Purdue in Mackey Arena. This has been an almost surreal run for Purdue, But consider the alternative. a team that looked bound for nothing more than a participation trophy in the Big Ten a few weeks ago The Boilermakers have played a vicious schedule. and now sits in position to maybe win a much bigger trophy. However, the worst, or best, depending on your perspective, is over, and while Michigan and Mich- It's been defined by as stark a coming-together of igan State cannibalize each other later this season, a team as Matt Painter has probably ever overseen at the Boilermakers will be hosting conference stuffing his alma mater and driven by the sort of basketball Illinois and Ohio State and boarding a bus to mid- pragmatism that defines the coach himself. dling Northwestern. Its practical, common-sense basketball, max- Maryland is a tall order. The Terrapins are very imizing possessions by not turning the ball over, good and the Xfinity Center is not to be trifled with. playing percentages on defense, working to take the Purdue won't have Mackey Arena's wind at its sails highest-value shots and force the lowest-probability this time like it did when it beat Maryland by the shots, cobbling together a team around a great play- narrowest of margins two months ago. Purdue is er that makes the great player that much better. better now than it was then, but that guarantees nothing. It's pretty simple stuff, really, and it's put Purdue in position to do something special in a year no one Win Tuesday night and Purdue's sitting pretty. could have seen it coming. Lose and it's still in a cozy position. ABOUT THAT ... But under either scenario, questions remain. With the changeover from 2018 to 2019 has College basketball seasons are long and hard and come a distinctly different tone coming from online teams inevitably have to slog through rough patch- megaphones about Grady Eifert, who wasn't so pop- es. The best, and luckiest, teams win anyway, but ular among fans back when Purdue was losing but that doesn't mean it's easy. may as well have been mayor on Saturday night in Mackey Arena. Ask Michigan State, recent loser of three straight, or Michigan, which just endured a patch of less than It wasn't just the Nebraska game, but so much awe-inspiring basketball itself. that came before, all the key plays he's made throughout this Big Ten season. Is Purdue due? Not a season has gone by where the Boilermakers haven't backed over the mailbox When Purdue wasn't winning, he was just the at one time or another. Or did they graduate out of unathletic gym rat who can't score, people said, and such things through their early season difficulties part of the problem, not the solution; now that Pur- against a great schedule? due is winning, hey, look Eifert is pretty good sud- denly. Is Trevion Williams due a freshman wall? Or does the fact his season basically started on second base Thing is, Eifert didn't change. exempt him? Perception did, and conditions around him did. Can a team so dependent on threes keep winning if the shot well dries up here and there? So far, All along, Eifert has been that little L-shaped (or so good. 7-shaped, if you're holding it upside down) elbow wrench that came with the TV stand you bought at But understand this: Purdue isn't more than a Target that one time. few possessions here and there away from a very different reality, and the universe does have a funny When you first pull it out of the box and look it way of straightening out. over, it doesn't seem particularly useful. And when

GoldandBlack.com 12 Eifert was out there diving for loose balls, setting good screens, making simple passes and running But, Purdue will lose coaches on their way up, around like a fool covering other peoples' bases on like Jackson, whose move to a coordinator role at defense in November and December, you might Northern Illinois marks a step toward becoming a have looked at him the same way and been inclined head coach. When you hire good coaches who are to just throw him in a drawer somewhere. motivated to move up, such is life.

But now that things are locking into place for Some Purdue assistants will get looks for head Purdue, it's just much more apparent how much coaching jobs, or NFL jobs. Position coaches may that stuff matters, how much his role means to Pur- draw coordinator opportunities elsewhere. due's structural soundness. TVs are heavy, you know. With it comes another test of Purdue's increasing And Eifert's not alone in that dynamic. Yes, some strength as a program. Purdue players have improved through the course of the season, but the reality too is that some have It's imperative that any head coach be able to been playing roles — acting as pieces – this whole surround himself with the right people, empower time, and now for a bunch of reasons, those pieces them, retain them as long as can be, and then ulti- are making more and more sense together, the fin- mately replace them. ished product taking shape. That comes to the forefront when a coach brings Purdue's gotten better, way better. the majority of his staff from his last stop — Jackson wasn't one of the Western Kentucky carry-overs — I'm not sure Eifert has, at least from Day 1 this and starts to lose those comfort-zone types. season to now. I'm in no way comparing Purdue and Alabama, He's doing what he's always done. Jeff Brohm and Nick Saban, but one of the most remarkable things about Saban is how he's been able It's just taken winning to shine a light on it. to keep Alabama as Alabama despite losing coaches, coordinators actually, every single year. GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE If Purdue gets to that point, then that will be a Jeff Brohm has this sort of dynamic where peo- damn good problem to have, because it would mean ple want to play for him, and want to work for him, it's won a hell of a lot of games, but in the mean- a very good thing, obviously. time, staff continuity could present a challenge here and there. But to the latter point, as Purdue continues its upward trajectory and his reputation continues to Brohm's done everything right at Purdue thus grow in a landscape where people are always look- far. His ability to hire the right people to replace ing to hire the guy behind the guy, people are going those carried by this program's success to bigger and to want the people who work for him, too, as this better for themselves will be another test. week's news of Derrick Jackson's departure to be defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois reminds. --Brian Neubert

The days of Purdue's best and brightest being picked apart by lateral moves — by two-thirds-more- Wanna see Jeff Brohm fret? money-for-two-thirds-of-the-responsibility opportunities elsewhere — are over. Ask any coach, and he’ll tell you it’s relatively easy to get skill-position talent. But linemen? GOOD Purdue has insulated itself against such things linemen? That’s an entirely different story. now. It's a much better place to work than it was just three years ago, its compensation is up to code and Jeff Brohm knows the struggle. He has had to its administration's reputation strong, a significant cobble together fronts on both sides of the ball his HR firewall in place now. first two seasons. And, given the circumstances he inherited, Brohm and his staff have done well. Still,

GoldandBlack.com 13 three years in, and the challenge remains in the trenches. “We have a lot of work ahead at the guard positions,” said Brohm. “That is a very green position One area that keeps Brohm up at night: The in- where we will play guys we haven’t before.” terior of the offensive line, where guards Shane Ev- ans and Dennis Edwards and center Kirk Barron are Offensive line coach Dale Williams has a lot to gone. sort through. Among the players looking to impress at guard are sophomore DJ Washington, redshirt “It is actually very concerning for us because we freshman Jimmy McKenna and former defensive lose a lot of productive players that had a lot of ex- tackle Alex Criddle, a senior. perience,” said Brohm. “We have a long ways to go there. A long ways. We are going on our third year, Redshirt freshmen Will Bramel and Eric Miller but we are very concerned going into Game One also could play guard but also could have futures at that we have to get that position ready to go. Right tackle. Same for sophomore Mark Stickford. now, it’s not.” A wild card: true freshman Spencer Holstege, Purdue looks good at the tackle slots, with Grant who is on campus. Purdue also inked Kyle Jornigan, Hermanns on the left side and Matt McCann on the Dave Monnot and Cam Craig along the o-line in the right. 2019 recruiting class.

“Those two guys we feel very confident about,” And, of course, there's always the prospect of said Brohm, whose squad starts spring drills on Feb- adding a grad transfer. The last two years, Purdue ruary 25. has brought in three who have played key roles: Ev- ans (Northern Illinois), Edwards (Western Kentucky) But both have had knee injuries, so that's a wor- and Dave Steinmetz (Rhode Island). But for now, ry. Still, they are known commodities. The interior? the staff is focused on who is on campus--and the It’s a vast unknown. youngsters set to arrive this summer.

“The interior three are all new guys and they “I like all four linemen we signed,” said Brohm. really haven’t played,” said Brohm. “We have seen “I think they will be good players. That position is some promise in practice, but we have to see more. gonna take a year or two. These four guys we signed We have to do a great job this spring getting guys may take a year or two. If they are ready before, than ready to go in the summer and fall and hopefully great. But Spencer being here in the spring will get they understand the challenge ahead and they do every opportunity. He will have to play interior for their part because it’s concerning at this point.” us right now.”

It’s hoped sophomore Viktor Beach can take over Stay tuned. There is a lot to sort out at guard and at center for Barron, who was a key leader and the center. driving force of the front the last three seasons. --Tom Dienhart “Viktor Beach is a guy who has step up and be our starting center,” said Brohm. “He has shown some signs. But he has been injured at times and Blue-Chip linebacker sees had some ups and downs, which is common. We still have confidence in him that he can get the job opportunity at Purdue done. Purdue's shown in recent seasons it can compete “We have to have more than one center because for some of the best players in the country and that's he has been injured. We have to get Viktor up to exactly what it'll have to do in its pursuit of Ohio speed. I think he’s capable.” linebacker Jaheim Thomas , the Rivals.com four-star prospect who unoffi- While Purdue has a good idea who its center will cially visited West Lafayette at the end of January. be, the guard spots are more murky. Thomas, who was part of a star-studded group

GoldandBlack.com 14 of football visitors for basketball's win over Mich- "I want to commit probably around the start of igan State that weekend, was making his first visit the football season," Thomas said. to Purdue. Jeff Brohm and his staff are coming off a 2019 "The facilities, the coaches were really cool, and recruiting cycle in which they enjoyed significant the basketball game was great," Thomas said. "I re- recruiting success in Ohio, highlighted by the sign- ally liked it." ings of Rivals.com four-star prospects Mershawn Rice and Steven Faucheux. Meanwhile, the Boilermaker coaching staff's message to the 6-foot-5, 220-pound outside line- -Brian Neubert backer was straight-forward.

"Basically, it could be my defense," Thomas said, Jackson leaving "that I could play early." staff for NIU That pitch may resonate with Thomas. And GoldandBlack.com has learned that Purdue Purdue will need it to in order to maintain a place cornerbacks coach Derrick Jackson is leaving to be- in Rivals.com's No. 152 player nationally's recruit- come defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. ing picture. An announcement is expected this week. "I want to go to a school where I'm going to Jackson will work with new Huskies coach play early," Thomas said. "I'd rather not really have Thomas Hammock, a former Northern Illinois to wait. That puts them in the mix." running back and a rising star in the profession who spent the last five years coaching running JaheimThomas backs for the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson coached at NIU in 2005 with Hammock and is a close friend NATIONAL: 152 of Hammock, who also has coached at Minnesota STATE: 4 and Wisconsin. POSITION: 10 RANK: 5.8 Jackson was an original member of Jeff Brohm’s 6'5" | 218 lbs | OLB staff, coming to West Lafayette after spending five Princeton seasons (2012-16) at Wake Forest in a variety of Cincinnati, OH positions. A former Duke defensive back, Jackson CLASS OF 2020 would be the second member of Brohm’s original UNDECIDED staff to leave, as special teams/tight ends coach Tony Levine departed for private business after the Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky 2017 season. are others Thomas says he hears most from. The Buckeyes have yet to offer, but could be nearing A native of Cincinnati, Jackson was one of the such a move. Thomas visited Columbus the same top recruiters on the Purdue staff in addition to weekend as Purdue. being a good coach. He did a nice job while at Pur- due working with cornerbacks like Da’Wan Hunte, "I want to go somewhere that fits me and my Josh Okonye, Antonio Blackmon, Tim Cason and family, somewhere where if I get hurt, I don't just Kenneth Major. Hunte and Okonye were honor- get pushed off to the side," Thomas said. "And able mention All-Big Ten by the media in 2017. somewhere that has a good (business) major." Blackmon was consensus honorable mention All- Big Ten last year, while Major was honorable men- Purdue talked with Thomas about potentially tion by the media. returning for another visit, perhaps a summer offi- cial visit, it being likely he'll take such visits as he At NIU, Jackson is expected to continue to re- plans to make an early college decision. cruit Detroit, Cincinnati and Dayton and the en- tire state of Michigan for a Northern Illinois pro-

GoldandBlack.com 15 --Tom Dienhart gram that traditionally is one of the best in the MAC and often a top Group of Five program in the nation.

Last season, Purdue finished No. 11 in the Big Women's hoops, baseball, Ten in scoring defense (30.0 ppg), 13th in total de- and softball updates fense (452.6 ypg) and 14th in pass defense (284.7 ypg) as the Boilermakers capped a 6-7 season with Women's hoops facing key stretch a loss in the Music City Bowl. The Bpo;ers women's basketball team enters --Tom Dienhart the final stretch of the regular season this week, hosting Minnesota on Thursday (Feb. 14) for a 6 Purdue players shut out p.m. ET tip at Mackey Arena. of Combine The Boilermakers find themselves in the middle of a massive log jam in the Big Ten with just Invitations to the NFL Combine are out, and one game separating fifth from 11th place in the none went to Purdue players. conference standings. The Boilermakers are tied with Michigan and Northwestern, just a half game "Absolute garbage," Purdue center Kirk Barron back from Michigan State at 7-6, while Minneso- texted to me. ta, Indiana, Nebraska and Ohio State are one game back at 6-7. The Boilermakers had several seniors who seemingly had a chance to earn an invite to work The Boilermakers fell victim to a late cold out at the NFL Combine. Barron, quarterback Da- shooting streak, making just one of their final 11 vid Blough, running back D.J. Knox, tight end Cole field goal attempts, dropping a 67-61 loss at Ne- Herdman, receiver Terry Wright and safety Jacob braska on Sunday. Purdue topped the Huskers in Thieneman looked like the most logical. Wright nearly every statistical category but were whistled and Blough both took part in the Shrine Game in for 24 fouls resulting in 28 trips to the free throw January. Purdue will hold a Pro Day on campus on line for Nebraska, the most for a Boilermaker op- March 5. ponent in 2018-19.

"We are ready to kill this pro day," texted Bar- Before the start of Thursday's game Ae'Rian- ron. na Harris will be honored as the 34th 1,000-point scorer in Purdue women's basketball history. She Last year, defensive tackle Eddy Wilson was the cracked the iconic mark minutes into the fourth only Boilermaker invited to the Combine after he quarter at Nebraska on Sunday, becoming the left school early. Wilson went undrafted. But line- 17th Boilermaker junior to score 1,000 and join- backer Ja'Whaun Bentley was tabbed in the fifth ing Dominique Oden, who hit the mark earlier round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Patriots, mak- this season. Harris and Oden are only the second ing it the 21st draft in a row Purdue had a player set of Purdue juniors to ever score 1,000 points, picked. The last draft when no Boilermakers were following Katie Gearlds and Erin Lawless, who ac- selected? It was 1997. complished the feat in 2005-06.

Despite having just one player deemed worthy The Boilermakers have been tough on their of an NFL Combine invite in his two seasons as home floor this season, sporting a 12-2 overall coach, Jeff Brohm still has taken the program to mark and 5-1 record in conference play in Mackey consecutive bowls. Arena. Purdue is averaging 67.8 points per game at home this season, hitting 43.2 percent from the The NFL Combine starts February 26 and ends field and 37.3 percent from 3-point range, while March 4, taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in In- holding opponents to 58.1 points per game dianapolis.

GoldandBlack.com 16 lead in hits (8). Baseball opens season

Purdue baseball's season-opening weekend --Purduesports.com features a stiff challenge against two-time defending Conference USA champion Southern Miss, as the Boilermakers visit the state of Mississippi for Next Issue: the first time in six years. Feb.21 First pitch at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg is set for 5 p.m. ET on Friday (Feb. 15), which is opening day of the college baseball season na- tionwide. Saturday's middle game is also slated for 5 p.m. and series concludes Sunday at 2 p.m.

SCENE SETTERS• The Golden Eagles were 21-8 at home last year. The Boilermakers went 23-16 away from Alexander Field in 2018, winning 11 true road games and 12 more neutral-site affairs. Both teams were No. 2 seeds at NCAA Regionals.• Purdue has won its season opener in each of its first two years under head coach Mark Wasikows- ki. The 2017 win at Texas State was the program's first opening day win since 2013, which marked the end of a three-year winning streak in season openers.

Softball continues play

The softball team continues play this weekend when it travels to Greenville, North Caroli- na for the Pirate Clash, hosted by East Carolina University (ECU) on Feb. 15 and 16. The Boiler- makers are set to face Saint Francis (PA) and Wag- ner twice over the weekend, opening the tourna- ment against the Red Flash on Friday at 9 a.m. ET, before facing the Seahawks at 11:30 a.m. Play resumes on Saturday against Wagner at 9 a.m., before wrapping up the weekend against Saint Francis at 11:30 a.m.

The Boilermakers hit off the 2019 season last weekend (Feb. 8-10) at the Cougar Classic at Col- lege of Charleston where they defeated Pitt and Central Michigan while falling to Virginia Tech twice and the host Cougars once. The Boilermak- ers are batting .273 as a team with four doubles, two triples and a home run while the pitching staff put together a 6.12 ERA and seven strike- outs against 25 walks in 32 innings of work. Ju- nior Madison Douglass leads the way for Purdue offensively with a .545 batting average. Seniors Mallory Baker and Jenny Behan share the team

GoldandBlack.com 17 GoldandBlack.com 18 5

GoldandBlack.com 19 GoldandBlack.com 20 MEDIA MANIA: SPONSORED FOR THE LAST 28 YEARS BY THE UNDERWOOD AGENCY ach week the Maniacs are asked to pick the winners of five games. The prognosticators have Eto rank the games 1-5 and assigns a 5 to the game with the Maniac is most certainty and a 1 to the game the Maniac is least certain. Points will be tabulated throughout the Big Ten basketball season with each week having a maximum of 15 points. In case of a tie, the Maniac coming closest to predicting the total points in the featured Purdue game will be the winner. Kevin Keckler was our winner in Week 6 as we denote the weekly winner with a gold bar. Weekly Media Mania winners receive a dinner certificate for two to Bruno’s Swiss Inn, located in West Lafayette and the yearly winner will be presented with a basketball linked to the Golden Typewriter as the top Media Maniac. Indiana Penn State Maryland Nebraska Purdue WEEK 6 BASKETBALL GAMES at Minnesota at Purdue at Iowa at Penn State at Indiana Chuck Clark, Underwood Agency (13/48) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 1. Iowa 3. Penn State 2. Purdue (135) Orlando Itin, Guest fan (10/48) 3. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 1. Penn State 4. Purdue (130) Matt Brann, Gold and Black alumnus (12/46) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 1. Nebraska 3. Purdue (127) Kelly Kitchel, Purdue Radio Network (7/46) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 3. Penn State 1. Purdue (150) Kyle Charters , The Hammer 101.7 FM (10/45) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. iowa 3. Penn State 1. Purdue (141) Alan Karpick, Gold and Black (12/45) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 3. Penn State 1. Purdue (143) Clayton Duffy, The Hammer 101.7 FM (9/44) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 3. Penn State 1. Indiana (133) Kevin Keckler, Gold and Black Alumnus (13/44) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Iowa 2. Penn State 1. Purdue (174) Nate Barrett, Purdue Sports Network (10/42) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Iowa 2. Nebraska 1. Purdue (158) Andrew Pogar, WLFI Channel 18 (11/42) 2. Minnesota 5. Purdue 1. Iowa 4. Nebraska 3. Purdue (135) Jared Jesulaitis, The Hammer 101.7 FM (9/41) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 1. Penn State 3. Purdue (148) Brian Neubert, Gold and Black (7/39) 3. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Maryland 4. Penn State 1. Purdue (150) Nathan Baird, Journal & Courier (11/38) 2. Minnesota 5. Purdue 4. Iowa 3. Penn State 1. Indiana (139) Stuart Schweigert, The Hammer 101.7 FM (10/38) 3. Minnesota 5. Purdue 1. Maryland 4. Penn State 2. Purdue (132) Jon Speaker, Guest fan (9/38) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Iowa 2. Penn State 1. Purdue (149) Ashley Keller, Gold and Black student staff (12/37) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 2. Iowa 1. Nebraska 3. Purdue (130) Greg Rakestraw, 1070 The Fan (3/37) 2. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Iowa 4. Penn State 1. Purdue (131) Griffin Herdegen, Gold and Black student staff (7/33) 1. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Iowa 2. Nebraska 4. Purdue (177) Michael Wood, Gold and Black student Alumnus (10/33) 4. Minnesota 5. Purdue 3. Maryland 2. Penn State 1. Purdue (139) Reid Karpick, Gold and Black student Alumnus (9/31) 3. Minnesota 5. Purdue 1. Iowa 4. Nebraska 2. Purdue (148) Tom Dienhart, Gold and Black (1/31) 2. Minnesota 1. Purdue 5. Iowa 3. Penn State 4. Purdue (132)

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