An Epic Matchup

The Texas Tech Raiders take on the Oklahoma Sooners on November 22 at 8:00 pm. This will be one of the best if not the best offensive games of the year. Texas Tech with Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree are averaging about 47 points a game. The Oklahoma Sooners on the other hand are averaging 51 points a game, so this is going to be an offensive game all the way. I believe that, although these are the two best offenses in football, that the game will be won by defense because whichever defense gives the best performance will win the game and be eligible for a BCS game. The defenses on both teams are pretty balanced and will both have a tough time against each team. I believe though that by the end of the game the winner will be the Texas Tech Raiders.

Lewis Jackson 23

If you have been to any of the Purdue men's basketball games this year, then you have noticed Lewis Jackson. For what he lacks in size he makes up for with speed. Standing at 5 foot 9 inches, he is one of the quickest point guards I have ever seen. It is his bursts of speed and unbelievable acceleration that makes him so quick and elusive. He is really great at catching his defenders unaware and flat-footed. The second this happens, he makes his move and is driving the lane before his defenders even know what happened. He is also capable of finishing the play with a spectacular lay-up or has the vision to dish the ball off to one of his teammates. He is a really incredible player for a freshman.

Although Lewis does not start, he is still a huge part of our Purdue team this year. He is always one of the first players to go in off the bench. He gets a lot of playing time, averaging just over 21 minutes a game. He has not been a play maker in the sense of incredible stats. He is only averaging 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists per game; but he is definitely noticeable out on the court. His presence is definitely felt by his teammates and the opposing players. The only faults I have found with him is his perimeter shooting and his free throws. He is hasn't made any 3-points yet out of 4 attempts and is only 3 for 6 in free throws. As he matures as a player and gets more experience, his numbers will continue to go up. We need to keep in mind that he is still very young and is new to college basketball.

Even though it is early in the season and his college career, I can see this guy being a huge part of Purdue's team for years and possible one of the best point guards in college basketball, once he learns the college game a little better. Keep watching Lewis Jackson as he makes plays for our Purdue Boilermakers this season.

Purdue Boilers on a Roll

The Boilers basketball team has been doing a great job by filling seats in Mackey and by showing the Purdue fans that they can actually have faith in a sport, since the football team has been playing such bad football this year. Their first regular season opponent was the Detroit Titans who Purdue dominated late in the game to come out with a score of 82-50. Leading scorer for Purdue was E’twaun Moore with 18 and JaJuan Johnson followed with a close 17 points and because of his amazing height and wingspan (he has a 7’ 3” wingspan) he also had 4 rebounds and a block. Robbie Hummel rounds out the top three in scoring for Purdue with a total of 14 points. The top scorers for the Titans were Thomas Kennedy with 18 points and Eulis Stephens with 12 points. The Boilers just dominated this team with athleticism and defensive pressure.

Eastern Michigan was there next opponent and they dominated them in just the same fashion as the team before. They did this by out hustling, rebounding, and scoring the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The leading scorers for Purdue were Robbie Hummel with 18 points and E’twaun Moore with 17 points. The leading scorers for the Eagles were Justin Dobbins with 16 points and Brandon Bowdry with 15 points. The main reason that Purdue was able to beat the Eagles was not because of their scoring but because of their tremendously, effective defensive play. They started out losing but then their defense came into the game and changed the momentum for the rest of the game.

Loyola was Purdue’s next victim as they have advanced in the NIT pre-season easily so far and Loyola was just another day at the park. The scoring this game was much more spread out with E’twaun Moore ending with the top score of 14 points for Purdue. Robbie Hummel had 13 points, while Marcus Green had 12 points and 10 boards. The leading scorers for Loyola were Justin Cerasoli with 14 and Darrin Williams and Andy Polka both had 6 points. The Boilers won this game with heart because starting out they missed their first 10 of 15 shots from the floor but their defense was phenomenal and kept them in the game until the final buzzer went off and Purdue gained a W.

Although Purdue has had a strong showing in their first 3 games they will need to step it up because the deeper they get into the NIT Season Tip-Off the harder teams they are going to face. Next game is at Boston College and should be somewhat of a test because Boston College, although not as good as past seasons, still has some playmakers that could give Purdue a loss. Purdue should prevail though unless they keep playing the way that they have because every game they have played so far they have been under fifty percent from the file this meaning that they only make about forty seven percent of their shots each game that number needs to go up into the high fifties if they want to be contenders when March rolls around.
Now to talk about why it is that Purdue IS GOING to make it to the FINAL FOUR!! Purdue’s defense has been spectacular so far. They pressure the ball on almost all who ever touch it and Robbie Hummel’s tremendous pressure helps create frustration in whoever he is guearding which then usually leads to turnovers for their opponents and buckets for Purdue. They are also great as a cohesive unit working together for a common goal (i.e. team definition, thanks engineering 126) and that goal is to stop any team from scoring and they do a fine damn job of that. Another quality that makes them dangerous is there explosiveness and with Lewis Jackson as backup point they have that explosiveness that can be very dangerous. The final reason that they WILL make it to the FINAL FOUR is that they can change up their style of play from a run and gun fast break team to a half-court setup team and the players they have to do this are in phenomenal shape and have the athleticism to almost run with everyone. I believe that with the help of better post play by JaJuan Johnson, better shooting percentages, and keeping up with the defense the Purdue Boilermakers will be an exceptional team to watch this year.

Rivalry Game to End Season

If you are a Purdue fan, there is no doubt that the Indiana Hoosiers are the one team that you cannot stand losing to. It is the biggest rival game of the year and the last game of the season. There is no doubt that both team will play their hardest since they have nothing else to look forward too. Both teams have a losing record, but none want to lose the last game, especially to their worst foe. Purdue (3-8) and Indiana (3-8) will face each other this weekend in what should be the best game of the year.

Purdue's offense will be led by seniors Curtis Painter and Kory Sheets. There is no question that Painter will start this game. I am not sure if Painter will play the whole game or if his shoulder is still hurting a little. If so, Justin Siller will come in and try to get the offense going. I predict that Kory Sheets will have a remarkable game. There is nothing holding him back. Playing against our biggest rival, the last game of the year, the last game of his career: Sheets has nothing to look forward to. So why wouldn't he play his best and leave Purdue on a good note. Senior Greg Orton has been a huge part in our passing game this year so expect him to contribute a lot.

The defense will be led by senior linebacker Anthony Heygood. Heygood has had a really incredible season this year. Our Boiler defense has all together had a really good year and has kept us in a lot of the games. There would be no reason for a defensive collapse this weekend. Expect a strong show from our Purdue defense, especially Anthony Heygood.

The Hoosier offense does not have a big star on their team. They don't even have a outstanding number one quarterback. Quarterbacks Kellen Lewis and Ben Chappell have thrown the ball almost the same number of times and for about the same yardage. They have 5 running backs that have carried the ball 50 times or more, and 6 wide receivers that have over 150 receiving yards. This team will not look towards just one guy to carry the team. Purdue won't have to worry about one guy making big plays the whole game. But then again, we cannot just focus on one man to shut down their offense. Indiana will keep our team guessing on defense the whole game since they run about as effectively as they can throw. I have no doubt that our defense can keep up with this offense though.

With our many talented senior graduating and head coach Joe Tiller retiring after this year, our Purdue Boilermakers will put on a show this weekend by beating the Indiana Hoosiers. There is nothing better than playing a big rival at home. Everyone should be at the game this weekend and cheer for our Boilermakers in the last football game of the year.

Rice one of the best college baseball teams in the nation has decided to play fall baseball games and it is paying off wonderfully. Teams are starting to begin games in fall instead of the 56 games that they play in the spring it would cut down that number to 52 making it easier on the players. Rice Coach Wayne Graham said, “Texas and us both are in the same position they took three weeks at least out of the schedule, and we both have to take nine days off for finals. Anyone who says playing 56 games in that short a time doesn't put stress on their academics, they don't have any academics. It's no good to play 56 games for us, in fact we probably ought to cut down to 50. But 52, we'll manage. Intra-squading yourselves for five weeks, it's hard to keep them motivated.” This is a very good point because playing that many games straight would put a huge strain on academics.

Rice has played two 14-innning exhibition games against the Texas Longhorns and have came out on top of each by the score of 13-6 each game. Freshman Anthony Rendon and Brock Holt are ready for the real thing said coach Graham. The feeble holt has been hitting the balls repeatedly and been fielding like a pro says Graham and Rendon has been doing a great job at third and may have the position if he keeps up his excellent fielding.

Jimmy Comerota, who played second last year, is going to take over first although he may be switching it up with the freshman later on down the road. He has been hitting the weight room during the offseason because he is much bigger and stronger and during the exhibition games has been hitting the ball in the gaps.

Junior Diego Seastrunk has been moved to catcher and will more than likely stay there the entire season. “There is no tool missing from his catching arsenal,” Graham said. “His hands behind the plate are excellent, he's just got to keep working on his blocking skills, because he can throw, there's no doubt about that.” With his strong arm it will be extremely hard for anyone to steal on him.

The pitching on the other hand is a little shaky because of the loss of seniors from last year. Ace Ryan Berry has improved substantially this season by improving his changeup and with his fierce curve and fastball he will be a force to be reckoned with. Graham has been saying that his team will rely on freshman lefty Taylor Wall who has a ferocious three pitch mix that can fool any hitter. Anthony Fazio will also be relied on and lefty Matt Evers will fill Cole St. Clair’s vacated spot as closer for the Owls.

The Rice Owls have a good chance of making it to the College World Series this year and leaving their mark on every team they play. They have a good lineup and a developing bullpen that could leave hitters wondering what just happened. Their defense is probably their strongest point because of their speed and exceptionally good freshman.

Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma

The Texas Tech Raiders have another challenging, maybe even the most formidable opponent, the Oklahoma Sooners. With two of the best offenses in College Football this should be one of the highest scoring games of the year. Texas Tech is averaging around 47 points a game while Oklahoma is averaging more than 50 points a game; this just proves that it will most likely be an extremely high scoring game. Texas Tech’s defense is the only thing that will possibly put them over the Oklahoma Sooners because the Sooners defense is not as quick and good as the Raiders defense. Although they are still really good and have a damn good defensive line that can pretty much own any offensive line except for maybe Texas Tech’s because they are just that good. The game will probably be one of the most watched games of the year because of the stakes that are on the line. If Texas Tech wins they could be put in front of Alabama as the number one team in the nation and if they lose then they could drop out of the running for a bid in a BCS bowl game. Oklahoma on the other hand needs to win the game to even be considered for a BCS bowl game because of their loss earlier this season. I believe that because of the way Texas Tech has been playing and because of the teams that they have beat in the last two games they will come away with the W and become the number on team in the nation.

Graham and Crabtree

Texas Tech’s quarterback and wider receiver tandem of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree is one of the best, if not the best, in the nation and maybe ever. Both players are in the top five for the Heisman trophy because of their amazingly brilliant and prophetic season that they are having. Graham Harrell has thirty six touchdowns, four thousand yards passing, a 71.7 percent completion rating, and a passer rating of 169.18 passer rating which is extremely high for this late in the season. Harrell is having one of the most amazing seasons that a quarterback could have. Now Michael Crabtree is THE BEST wide receiver in college football and has the size, power, speed and hands to go by and run over anyone in the league. He has made too many unbelievable catches to even name and this just shows how great of an athlete he really is. Crabtree has seventy-eight receptions, over one thousand yards and eighteen touchdowns. His stats are great but really don’t show his entire arsenal which can only be seen when he plays. These two are a great tandem and have the stats to back it up.