I watch too much college football, and I’ve seen this story repeat over and over again. A coach takes over a struggling program, invigorates the fan base in the first year with a few wins, struggles when the roster turns over, the previous coach’s recruiting deficiencies become clear, and he fizzles out by year 5 or 6 without ever regaining momentum. It looked like Jeff Brohm was headed down that well-worn path at Purdue.
A victory over Notre Dame would give Purdue and Coach Brohm the spark this program desperately needs. It’s not often you get a shot to beat what appears to be a vulnerable top 15 ranked “blue blood” from your home state on national television.