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WEST LAFAYETTE – There wasn’t much as much chatter as usual by Purdue players during Sunday’s practice, which started about 16 hours after losing to No. 4 Ohio State.
The reasons were simple enough: disappointment with the loss but also a realization these Boilermakers maybe weren’t as good as they thought.
Purdue’s offense went into the game averaging nearly 45 points but scored only seven. The defense had been solid but then allowed Ohio State to score touchdowns on its first two possessions.
“I just feel (the loss) was a wake-up call for us,” linebacker Anthony Heygood said. “It kind of humbled us a little bit. We were 5-0. We were riding high. Our offense thought they were unstoppable; defense thought we were unstoppable. It was good to come out and play a tough game and play tough and show even when we play tough we can lose.”
Coach Joe Tiller didn’t mind the subdued attitude of the players Sunday – he actually liked the fact they felt a sting from the loss.
His message has been: “If you lose easy, you lose often.”
He also doesn’t believe in overreacting. So despite the fact that a touchdown with 10 seconds remaining in the game was the only way Purdue avoided its second shutout under Tiller, there won’t be any personnel changes on that side of the ball or any scheme changes.
Tiller just wants the offensive line to block better – quarterback Curtis Painter was sacked three times and was under pressure much of the game – and for players to be more focused.
Perhaps the reality of not living up to early-season hype will help with that.
“We ran into a good defense and a great team that really let us know where we were,” Painter said. “I think there’s still a lot of things we need to work on. That’s evident from a game like this.”
Tiller has mentioned multiple times this season how much he likes this group of players, how they stay positive and listen well.
It helps having 40 seniors and fifth-year players on the squad to keep spirits up.
Tiller doesn’t think the loss will damage his team’s psyche, and he certainly doesn’t think players will tank the season because of it.
“There’s a lot of football left in the season,” he said. “This is Game 6, and there’s six more regular games scheduled. We plan on winning all six of them. We’ll work at it. … I don’t think there’s anybody waving a white flag.”
Heygood said despite the quiet start to Sunday’s practice, players were back to normal by the end of it, laughing and joking.
And ready to move on to Saturday’s opponent, Michigan.
“You come in here Sunday, watch film and try to correct things,” Painter said. “Obviously when you come out of a game with that kind of showing, you’re not happy. But at the same time, you’ve got to rebound and get back on track. It’s not something you want to hang your head about. You want to stay positive, keep motivating the guys. I think we’re still a good football team, and I think we’re going to do a good job responding and rebounding from that, and I think we’ll be OK going into this week.
“I think everybody knows this is another big game for us, another big team in the Big Ten. We’re going to have to get sharp and get sharp fast.”
sclardie@jg.net
