"Taking steps forward." Whether you're in AA or trying to date someone, this expression is key to success...It appears that the 2008 Purdue Boilermaker football team has failed to follow the aforementioned phrase. Proof? Saturday's 17 point loss to a beatable Notre Dame team, veteran QB Curtis Painter's inability to manage an offense he has been running for four years, the linebackers inability to stop the run....

Painter, because he is the QB at a Big 10 school, is sure to take brunt of the blame. A four year veteran with a strong arm and good size, Painter was supposed to lead the Boilermakers through their brutal schedule. Instead, Painter had shown an inability to finish drives with TD passes and as one Purdue follower commented, seems to have developed the "yips," ala Rick Ankiel whipping the ball to the backstop in 2001. Painters stats Saturday are a microcosm of his overall inconsistency:

29-55, 359 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 INT (returned for a TD)

What happens now? The undersized LB's couldn't stop the normally decrepit ND running game, giving up 201 yards on the ground...so the thought of physical Big 10 play probably doesn't give Boilermaker fans anything to look forward to. Purdue is currently 2-2, but could easily be 2-5, with consecutive games versus Penn State, Ohio State, and surprising Northwestern. You better believe Evan Royster, Beanie Wells, and Tyrelle Sutton are licking their chops.

Off the Tracks, Purdue Blogger: "We succeeded only in making Jimmy Clausen looks like Joe Montana and Armando Allen look like Marcus Allen."