One has to wonder where Purdue would be right now if they had been able to win those close games at the beginning of the year. A four-point loss to Northwestern to start the year then a mental lapse against Eastern Michigan, followed by a last-second defeat to Missouri. The pigskin sometimes does not bounce the way one would hope. Michigan State is all too familiar with that storyline.
It is a tale of 4-3 teams. One is riding high and the other is at a breaking point. Senior quarterback David Blough has reinvented himself and is one of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks.