| MUSIC CITY BOWL |
| Purdue Boilermakers (8-4) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (7-5) |
| Thursday @ 3:00 - Nashville, TN - ESPN |
| This looks to be one of the most underrated quarterback matchups of the bowl season. Both Hendon Hooker and Aidan O'Connell entered the season in quarterback competitions, and ended the season as clear cut #1's. Even better, both have confirmed that they will be returning in 2022. While their team profiles need to be substantially stronger next year to factor into the Heisman race, their absence from the preseason discussion there will have nothing to do with the quarterbacks themselves. The two biggest stars in this game are not quarterbacks, and unfortunately neither of them will play, in wideout David Bell, who won Big Ten receiver of the year; and George Karlaftis, who, at the end of October was the 1b to Aidan Hutchinson's 1a in terms of best pass rushers in the conference, before Hutchinson really took off down the stretch. When Ohio State has a handful of NFL guys opt out, they have a bunch of five star talent, albeit inexperienced talent, ready to step up behind them. That's not exactly the case for Purdue. The Boilermakers have other options at receiver, but their #2 option, Milton Wright, also didn't make the trip. At pass rush, they have their full compliment of options behind Karlaftis, but that's not exactly an abundance of riches. Redshirt freshman Kydran Jenkins came on late, recording 4 of his 5 sacks in the second half of the season, but he's going to find his life much more difficult without Karlaftis drawing attention opposite him. Purdue has an underrated secondary, but if Hooker has time, he should have success. He led the SEC in passer rating, and was #3 nationally in yards per attempt, with just 3 interceptions to go with his 26 touchdowns. Tennessee had a crowded backfield, with three different backs splitting carries. Tiyon Evans entered the portal, which actually might make things easier from a personnel standpoint. The Boilermakers need to figure out a way to generate pressure against a Tennessee offensive line which gave up the most sacks in the SEC, really the only weakness of this offense, which was probably second only to Alabama in skill position talent in the conference. With Karlaftis, I'd feel better about that, but Purdue is just missing too much star power here. |
| TENNESSEE 30, PURDUE 28 |
Home game for Tennessee. Not sure how interested their fans are though. They should be, but who knows? They still think they are a helmet. They aren't.My brother who lives in Nashville just finished his MBA at UT a year ago, and said the alumni tailgate RSVP yes list is pretty large.
Go get 'em, Boilers.
Well, hopefully the PU fans show up.The Rose Bowl is great due to the history and the setting is beautiful but personally I'm not a fan of LA as a place to visit so this makes sense to me. I've been to the following bowl locations:
Honestly, I've never had a better time/experience at a bowl game than I did in Nash Vegas.
That include The Rose Bowl.
Rumors swirling that Purdue's QB (Aiden O'Connell) is out for the game. If true, this will go ugly fastHell, I hope not. Plummer already transferred out and left the program, so our #2 is gone.
if Hooker goes down or sits out for whatever reason and Joe Milton plays, Purdue wins. Joe Milton is truly awful at football.Million dollar arm and legs and a 2 cent brain (and that is being generous)
Was FSU ever really a helmet? Was Miami?Thru the 80s/90s early '00s they sure as hell were.And Brian Kelly or I don't share your ND helmet status
so, the attempts by the NCAA and the little programs to level the playing field has finally paid off by reducing the number of "helmet" programs?A great decade or two does not make a helmet, but a bad decade or two can sure take the shine off.
just great!
thanks for giving all of us, Cincy in the playoff
so, the attempts by the NCAA and the little programs to level the playing field has finally paid off by reducing the number of "helmet" programs?My god! It's terrible!
just great!
thanks for giving all of us, Cincy in the playoff
My god! It's terrible!Nah... cincy just put the committee in a bad position and one they'll find a solution to over the off-season especially if cincy loses badly.
We might actually be giving everyone a fair chance?!
Million dollar arm and legs and a 2 cent brain (and that is being generous)trust me brother, I know. saw it first hand at Michigan. Kid is an absolute physical specimen with ridiculous arm strength, but...more to that than playing QB. He's got ELITE size and arm strength, he's A+ in both those categories, probably C+ to B- mobility, he can move but he actually doesn't like to- and then he's basically a D or an F at every single damn thing else it takes to be a QB.
I think Miami, Tennessee and Nebraska have lost their helmets. No replacements, by the way.I'm pretty much with you on all these. I don't think Miami or FSU ever were helmets. They were basically Clemson before Clemson. They are the smaller in-state schools- UF is the huge flagship state school there- and in Miami's case- a very small private school with no stadium on campus and zero fan support. I've lived in South Florida a long time. I've probably ran into more Michigan and Ohio State fans here than actual Miami fans. The people here really just don't give two flying f$#ks about Miami Hurricanes football.
How much longer does FSU have? Was FSU ever really a helmet? Was Miami?
Penn State was on the verge there for a bit, but there is life in State College. Not sure about helmet status though.
Michigan won its first conference title since 2004 this year.
I got:
Notre Dame. They will never lose their helmet.
Michigan. Close to ND.
Ohio State. Close to ND.
Alabama. Close to ND.
Texas. Chinks in the armor here. SEC beckons.
Oklahoma. What will the SEC do to them?
USC. See Texas, but no grave danger. Yet.
Penn State?? In, or not?
Milton is a truly bad football player. His decision making is horrendous. He has a cannon, though, that has earned him the title "ol Joe the flat footed mile slinger" and he who would be capable of overthrowing the taliban or even mother Russia if fielded in such a contest.Yeah, Milton is seriously bad at playing QB. Almost have to wonder if his best position would've been playing something else.
Glory to Allah there is hooker- but he's fragile.
No offense to Purdue, but they don't strike me as a power team that abuses opponents offenses. So long as hooker is healthy there will be movement north and south... hopefully more the intended direction than the other.
I like brohn and I like Purdue. I was happy to see this match up because with both teams at 100%, it would be a very interesting game for both moderate fans and those who study the games. I hate they won't meet at full capacity. That sucks.
I figured it a toss up. I'm thinking now UT has the advantage, yet there is a nagging suspicion that's kept my cash in my pocket.
And @847badgerfan (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=5) , UT will ALWAYS be a helmet school but not for their last generation. They were front and center early and often, and still today command one of the biggest merch markets in the sport (and one not driven by gangs). That is a good indicator... but, 20 years of just plain bad and ugly and zero good put a pretty big dent in that especially for this generation of CFB fans.
Wow, heck of a second quarter by the Boilermakers!Purdue looked completely inept on defense initially, but settled down, and they've moved the ball well, though had to settle for field goals.
I'm at work so not watching but I checked a while ago and they were down 21-7 so I pretty much thought they were cooked and was shocked to see they are up 23-21 at the half when I checked just now.
Announcers obsessing over whether PU caught the TD or not, ignoring that the WR's ankle is destroyed....That was gruesome.
had to go OTThe way this game is going, the O/U is 11.5.
now the question is, how many OTs?
Bullshit. The whistle came after he broke the plane.As they said it's irrelevant by rule.
Fun to watch. Always fun to watch Tennessee lose.always fun to watch the SEC SEC SEC go 0-fer during bowl season
As they said it's irrelevant by rule.Yeah, that’s a tough way to lose. I have to admit in real time it looked like he was down. I was actually shocked when I saw the replay. Just a hell of an effort by the RB. Great game. Fun to watch.
Correct ruling, but Tennessee got jobbed by the refs to even call it stopped forward progress. Bad call by the line judge.
As they said it's irrelevant by rule.If it was a 2nd down play in the 3rd quarter of a game in September, it would be ho-hum. The guy was in a pretzel on an opponent and wasn't moving forward.
Correct ruling, but Tennessee got jobbed by the refs to even call it stopped forward progress. Bad call by the line judge.
If it was a 2nd down play in the 3rd quarter of a game in September, it would be ho-hum. The guy was in a pretzel on an opponent and wasn't moving forward.Tennessee was stupid for not kicking field goal for the 2nd time in that series
Kudos to the ref calling it like it was a normal play. Because yes, high-drama game-ending plays ARE also normal plays.
Tennessee was stupid for not kicking field goal for the 2nd time in that seriesI'm convinced Hooker was off and likely due to injury sustained in the play that caused him to wear that paint on his right shoulder the remainder of the game.... he couldn't thread a damn thing afterward, though he was actually off even before.
The refs made a call that may have been wrong and thats why we have a reviewReviewers are part of the crew. This crew was suspended for two games earlier this season for the duke/Miami debacle that allowed Miami to win.
if a bad call was allowed to stand the reviewers are the ones at fault
#2- I've always said and I stand by it, that overtime only fixes a technicality; if after 60 minutes of play there is no victor, then on that day they were equals. I'd be just as happy with a coin flip and nudge forward at the end of regulation as OT is flawed no matter how it's presented.
I REALLY don't like the idear of the O-lineman pulling the runner's arm over the goal line, but it's allowed by rule
That's not correct. It actually is a penalty. Tennessee should have been flagged and lost 5 yards on the play.I guess that rule does not include pushing cause that happens many times in most games
Straight from the NCAA rule book Section 3 Article 2.b.
"The ball carrier shall not grasp a teammate; and no other teammate shall grasp, pull, or lift the ball carrier to assist in forward progress. (A.R. 9-3-2-I)"
PENALTY—Five yards [S44].
I guess that rule does not include pushing cause that happens many times in most games
Both versions are illegal... had this convo last week. The push was removed way back in the day, bit has been let happen, unenforced, for the last 15 or so years.Really? I thought there was a rule change to allow it.