Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/218409
f r o m e d i t o r b r i a n n e u b e r t looking for something O nly 60 more minutes of football remain in this woebegone Purdue football season and I think I speak for everyone who endured that battle of blunders that was the Illinois game when I say, thank heavens. Yes, Purdue has one last chance to do something this season in the Bucket game, and when I say "something," I don't mean "something great," "something significant," "something newsworthy" or whatever. Just something. Win or lose, just something to give folks reason to believe, reason to come back next September, 'cause to this point, those things have been missing. Yes, young players are getting experience on offense, but it's hard to latch on to that as a foundation for the future when those very players have been getting their doors blown off all season. I know I'm writing this after Purdue just almost won, "almost" in this case meaning "had a chance to." But Illinois is so blatantly bad and was again on Saturday, doing everything in its power to keep its nearly threeseason Big Ten losing streak's blood pumping. Really, in the context of this season, Saturday's was the worst kind of loss, more disappointing than the bombs Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc., dropped on the Boilermakers this year. This was a team that's been just as helpless as Purdue, in some ways worse, and one that did everything in its power to lose. But when presented with a chance to win, several of them, really, Purdue couldn't. Under normal circumstances, Illinois would turn the ball over four times, twice deep in its own territory and once throwing toward its opponent's end zone, and be on the wrong end of a three-touchdown, game-deciding swing and lose decisively. But Purdue's offense is inept, so much so that its best option on the most important thirddown pass of the game had a freshman wide receiver set to throw the ball, a bad play call, but a situation where good options were few. You read in this space not long ago the opinion that the Boilermaker defense has been a bigger disappointment than the offense this season, because on defense, it's upperclassmen getting shredded like confetti. Not on this day, though, as the defense played its second strong game of the Big Ten season and saw it wasted again by an offense that couldn't make Illinois pay for all its Illinois-ness. Now comes Indiana and its high-powered offense, much the same deal as Illinois: Good offense, bad defense. The good news for the Hoosiers' chances of winning back that rickety old trinket is that Purdue can't even make bad defenses pay. That must change starting in 2014, obviously. This was a difficult year as Purdue's offense fielded either limited or inexperienced personnel all season and game plans didn't make a whole lot of chicken salad, if you know what I mean. As could have been predicted, and is fair, offensive coordinator John Shoop is not terribly popular with Purdue fans right now. The charitable voice would say circumstances were difficult this season, which is fair, but a touchdown every now and then against a good opponent isn't too much to ask, nor is an offense that can simply function consistently, young or old. No one's getting fired after one season, but suffice to say, with at least some measure of experience to work with next season, Shoop's on the clock. Historically, for the most part, when Purdue has been good, it's been good because of offense, and right now it's a million miles away. The spring will be about fixing the offensive line; better playing to whatever strengths Purdue has (whatever they are); and, in my opinion, making certain Danny Etling is the pillar we've penciled him in as. He's been overwhelmed this season and if we can turn to clichéd letter grades here, then he gets an "incomplete," no pun intended. Etling looks the part. No one will question his work ethic or intangibles, but he's shown few signs to the casual observer of improvement while he's been beaten up like a crash-test dummy and victimized by drops, like the potential game-winning touchdown pass Etling threw against Illinois, only to see it left in the grass. Yeah, it's going to be a big spring. But far as I'm concerned spring started last week and continues into this one. OK, offense, let's see what you've got. You haven't scored more than 24 points this season. Twenty-five isn't too much to ask for. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com For daily headlines on recruiting and other Purdue sports news, check out GoldanDBlack express • volume 24, express 12 • 5