If all goes as expected, 5-1 Purdue should be 6-1 Purdue after Saturday’s visit to Illinois. The Boilermakers are among the nation’s surprise stories of the season, while Joe Tiller is fast becoming a legitimate Coach of the Year candidate.
The rave reviews continue to pour in.
“I’ll tell you, I don’t know anybody in the world, anybody in the country, who’s done a better job than Joe Tiller,” said Ohio State coach John Cooper.
And this from Michigan coach Lloyd Carr: “I think I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say I was surprised. They have beaten some very good football teams. They’re a team that has to be reckoned with.”
Tiller, who came to Purdue from Wyoming, isn’t clearing trophy space just yet.
“Talent-wise, people think I’m trying to ho-hum this situation, if you will,” Tiller said. “But really, talent-wise, we are not an exceptionally talented team.”
Best-dressed award: Now the truth can be told. Presenting the real reason why Minnesota coach Glen Mason was dressed to the nines at last Saturday’s game at Penn State:
Turns out that months ago Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno and his wife, Sue, invited Mason’s wife, Kate, to their State College home to take part in a traditional postgame meal after the Oct. 18 game. As an afterthought, Paterno invited Mason too.
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“We’ll have a little fun,” Paterno said.
Mason agreed–on one condition.
“If I win, I’ll be there,” he said.
“Well, I hope I don’t see you,” Paterno said.
Minnesota led for much of last Saturday’s game and eventually lost 16-15. The two coaches met at midfield and exchanged handshakes, but Paterno was too preoccupied to notice Mason’s attire.
“He never did (ask),” Mason said. “But if he would have asked me, `Why did you do it?’ I was going to say, `I wanted to make sure I was dressed appropriately (for the postgame meal) after I beat you.’ “
More notes: Now that the Buckeyes are averaging just 163.4 yards rushing–a disappointing eighth in the Big Ten–Cooper is brutally honest in his assessment. He described Ohio State’s running game as “inept,” blaming the low numbers on a so-so offensive line and the lack of powerful fullback. . . . Monday at 6:45 a.m., Michigan State’s players and staff watched videotape of last Saturday’s 19-17 loss to Northwestern. That done, coach Nick Saban ordered his team to concentrate on this week’s opponent: hated Michigan. “(Michigan is) probably the best defensive team I’ve seen in college football in a long time,” Saban said. . . . Nothing against Carr, but he’s nuts if he thinks the winner of Saturday’s Spartans-Wolverines game won’t influence the thinking of some recruits. “I don’t think the outcome of the game will have any impact on anyone in terms of where they’re going to school,” he said. . . . Paterno didn’t seem to have a problem with the latest polls, which dropped the Nittany Lions from No. 1 to No. 2 after the close game against the Golden Gophers. “I wouldn’t say we defeated Minnesota,” Paterno said. “We lucked out. They certainly deserved to win the football game.” Said Mason, who spent nine seasons in the Big Eight/12: “I bet you everybody in the great state of Nebraska was rooting for Minnesota that day.”