Purdue stuns Ohio State, LSU continues its special season, Michigan dominates Michigan State, UMass, Harvard lose

Purdue honorary captain sophomore Tyler Trent

There is only one place to begin, in this field swarming weekend, and that is in West Lafayette, Indiana, where the Boilermakers of Purdue trounced the “mighty” visitors from Columbus, aka the No. 2 ranked Buckeyes of Ohio State, stomping out, like grape season in Tuscany, a jaw-dropping; 49-20 victory.

Double Ouch!

But the best aspect of that stunning, student storming victory celebration, was the kid sitting in a wheel chair with tubes coming out of his kidneys, watching the game from the Purdue Center for Cancer Research suite.

His name is Tyler Trent, and this Purdue sophomore with the Biafran-thin frame, and alabaster complexion, recently and reluctantly withdrew from classes, as a result of his debilitating bone cancer diagnosis, returning home in hospice care.

But before the season began, he had circled his calendar for this game against Ohio State, predicting that his beloved Boilers were going to pull the upset.

And he made it a personal goal to make it to the stadium to witness it firsthand.

But falling terribly ill the night before, the odds of Purdue football’s honorary captain attending, seemed weaker than pulling off the upset.

But the gods were paying attention to the kid’s request, and obviously had a soft spot for his resolve and determination.

Sitting in his wheelchair, behind a window, with a large P on the side of his head, he looked over a Ross Ade Stadium, dotted with the “Tyler Strong, Cancer Sucks” signs, and knew immediately that he was in a zone of perfect comfort.  This is where he was meant to be.

“Boilers Up!  I had to be here,” said Trent.

 

Purdue QB David Blough                   AP photo

Amazingly, Tyler’s Boilermakers exposed all of Ohio State flaws, holding the Bucks to a Rutgers-like total of 75-yards rushing, while the “School of Astronauts” (a total of 23-including Neil Armstrong and Gus Grissom, first two men to step on the moon, and Eugene Cernan, the last man to set foot upon the lunar service), pounded out 539-yards of offense, led by its West Lafayette “gang of three;” QB David Blough – 378-yards-3 TDs, tailback D.J. Knox, 128 rushing yards – 3 TDs, and wideout Rondale Moore, 170-receiving yards – 2 TDs, whose performances this night on the gridiron, flew as highs as its fellow capsule earth encircling alums.

 

Purdue’s scintillating freshman receiver Rondale Moore          AP photo

And as the field swelled with jubilant celebratory students, this awesome West Lafayette football evening belonged to one man, and one man only, “Mr. Tyler Strong,” Tyler Trent.

jubilant Purdue Students storm field at Ross-Ade Stadium        AP photo

What a story, and what a game!

It will long live in the lore of Purdue football history.

We’ll remain in the Big Ten, and scoot over to East Lansing, where for the 111^th time, Michigan and Michigan State got together for the Wolverine State’s football version of the “Hadfields and McCoys” with Harbaugh’s “Ram Helmeted” eleven stamping out an impressive; 21-7 victory, which ended its drought of 17-consecutive road losses against ranked teams.

 

Michigan’s D-coordinator extraordinaire Don Brown, and Wolverines headman Jim Harbaugh

A large dollop of responsibility for that victory, and for this Michigan season of renaissance, lays at the office door of Massachusetts native son, and Blue’s “Gandalfian” d-coordinator, Don Brown, formerly the headman of both Northeastern, and UMass, whose charges attacked Sparty with the same vengeance that “Two-Scoops,” aka the POTUS, shows toward a photo of Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Michigan State, was held to an abysmal 94 yards of total offensive, the third lowest total in program history, averaged less than 1-yard per rushing attempt, while its passing “attack” directed by QB Brian Lewerke (5-25-66 yards), averaged less than 3-yards per completion.  YIKES!

To paraphrase Mr. Rogers; Can you say horrendous or hideous?

And even though Michigan’s offense is just beginning to creak its way into the 21st century, tailback Karan Higdon was stellar carrying 33-times while racking up 144-yards, against a rush defense that coming in, was ranked first overall, holding opponents to a total of 62-yards a game.

Michigan is now 10-0 when Higdon runs for more than 100-yards, and if Harbaugh’s eleven is able to run the table, Michigan should expect a playoff invitation addressed to the Ann Arbor Football Offices to be arriving in the mail.

Good for them.

In Lincoln the wait, which was almost as long as Yaz’s 3000^th hit, has mercifully ended.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost post Gatorade bath leaving field after earning first Husker win of season AP photo

The Huskers, off to its worst (0-6) start in the 129-year history of Nebraska football, and losers of 10-in-a-row which stretched back to last season, and 12 of its last 13, finally broke into the winners circle with its 53-28 victory over the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.

And the Gatorade bath for its coaching “savior” Scott Frost, gives on an indication of patience testing stretch that the faithful of Big Red have endured in witnessing the ineptitude being played out week after miserable week in Memorial Stadium.

From there, we journey to the state of Washington, and the Palouse, home of the Washington State Cougars, where the “Wizard of Pullman” Wazzu coach Mick Leach has the Cougs atop the Pac-12 North and a penthouse spot inside the Top-15, after its dominating 34-20 victory over the Ducks of Oregon.

 

Wazzu fans storm field after defeating Oregon         AP photo

The Cougars led 27-0 at the half.

Leach, the “quarterback whisperer” has found another good one in East Carolina graduate transfer Gardner Minshew (4 TDs), who was rerouted on his way to Tuscaloosa, and into the wilds of Pullman, when Leach called and asked a simple “Godfather-like” question.

“How would you like to be the best quarterback in the country this year?”

It was an offer the kid couldn’t refuse, and has worked out better than the Red Sox signing of J.D. Martinez.

When Leach’s Cougars stormed out to its 27-0 half-time lead, he was asked leaving the field what he attributed to the offensive success he replied simply; “Routine plays.” And on defense, it was the same response, “Routine plays.”

The “Savant of the Palouse” is one of the few remaining characters left in the college football coaching ranks, in a sport that is increasingly filled with Goldman Sachs corporate CEO types.  YEECH!

Good for Wazzu, and Mike Leach, who is a Coach of the Year candidate.

On the Bayou, Coach O (Ed Orgeron), another COY candidate, and his merry band of Tigers, once again knocked off a ranked team, this time the Bulldogs of Mississippi State: 19-3, behind another stellar performance by its high-end Park Avenue D.

LSU field goal kicker and Assumption grad Cole Tracy             AP photo

But the game also carried a local angle, as LSU’s field goal kicker Cole Tracy, an Assumption College grad, was 4-for-4 on his attempts, and is now a stellar 21-23 on this dream season.

Just think, last season the kid was kicking in front of 1200 people max, and now works in front of more than 100,000 worshipping zealots.  Wow!!  What a country!!

undefeated Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens                    AP photo

On the local front it was a mixed day for the teammates from Silver Lake Regional; as Buddy Teevens of Dartmouth, has the Big Green 6-0 after its 28-12 victory over Columbia, while Tim Murphy’s “Veritas” Boys, the Crimson of Harvard, fell to 3-3 after its 29-21 loss to Princeton.

Staying on the local scene the “Sad Sacks” of Amherst (2-6), aka the UMass Minutemen, lost for the sixth time in its last seven, falling to Coastal Carolina; 24-13, virtually eliminating the Amherst eleven from its goal of earning a bowl invitation.

In order to get there, Whipple’s Lads would have to run the table in its remaining four games, and with a season closer against Georgia, that has about as much chance of happening as “Two-Scoops” selling Trump Tower, or making a contribution to a charity with his own money.

Charlie Weis KU coach                                     AP photo

Finally, as always, we close with the woeful Jayhawks of Kansas (2-5), the last team that our bloviating pal Charlie Weis “fixed,” who went down for the fourth consecutive time, a 48-16 smooshing by the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.

And with its daunting remaining schedule, a blind pig would have an easier time finding a truffle, (stolen from “Come Hell or High Water) than KU finding another win.  Sorry Charlie!

That’s it from cyber-space.  We’ll be up and running with our analysis for week 9 Wednesday night.  Until then, Peace, and listen to the music.  PK