Lions @ Vikings: A Special Game for a Special Duo

Believe it or not, I have some pretty fond memories of my two-and-a-half years living in Minnesota.

True, I hated the cold.  And yes, I hated my 70-hour work weeks (life of a News and Sports Director, I guess) that resulted in paychecks that McDonald's employees would laugh at.  And, did I mention it's cold there? (Seriously, -20 F should not register as an actual temperature, ever.)

When I wasn't freezing like LeBron in the 4th quarter (ZING!), I made great friends, learned a lot from my job, and got to cover some amazing stories, from President Obama to NFL playoff games.

But, hands-down the best memories I have from my time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes came on Sunday, October 12, 2008 and Sunday, November 15th, 2009.

Those days mark the annual meeting between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome and my dad and I were at both of them.

On each of those two mornings, the two of us woke up with optimism, hope, and enthusiasm and excitedly put on our Honolulu Blue Lions' jerseys (he rocked the Barry Sanders, I had on the Megatron one, and if my grandpa was there, we were determined to find him a Bobby Lane uni).

 

I lived about an hour away from the Dome so he and I established a nice tradition of stopping at the Denny's just over halfway through the drive and grabbing a pregame champions breakfast.  When we stepped into the restaurant showing our unwavering support of the boys from Motown, heads turned.  In a sea of purple, we bravely walked with our heads high and blue bright.   I felt like we were two high school boys sneaking into the girls' locker room.   Everyone just looked and stared in disgust, or at least it felt that way.

Once we got down to the game, we enjoyed the pleasantries of downtown Minneapolis (my dad fell in love with this Ethiopian restaurant) and the ugliness of the Metrodome.

But, all the pregame activities pale in comparison to the moment right before kickoff.

I covered every Vikings home game for two seasons, except for when they played the Lions because I wanted to be able to be in the stands with my dad, acting like a maniac for three hours, cheering on our team. So while I may have missed the catering of the press box, it was still no match for that feeling we both shared together as the Lions ran out onto the field.

My dad is about as calm of a man as there is.  He is rarely phased by something and keeps his emotions in check 99-percent of the time.  But, when he heard "Immigrant Song" by Led Zepplin which the Vikings blast through the speakers before every game, the man got jacked up.   He would throw up high fives and put his hands in the air like he was DJ Khaled.  A caged animal broke loose and was out for four quarters.

The Lions lost both games.  We are both convinced the refs robbed us of the first game even with Dan Orlovsky running out of the back of the end zone for a safety  and the Vikings simply dominated the second go around.

But even though we left the Metrodome twice without seeing our Lions win, the old man and I still talk about those weekends often and the laughs and smiles are still as fresh as they were two and three years ago.

The Lions head back to the Metrodome, Sunday.  My dad and I won't be there.   Since I moved to Indiana, my days at the Dome are over.  But, the Lions game in Minnesota still holds a special place in my heart.

Fortunately, I am going back to Michigan for the weekend and will be able to watch Detroit's game in the Metrodome with my dad, just like we used to.  However this time, the Lions are undefeated (they were winless in 2008) and actually favored to win.

I expect there will be a special Ari Gold-type 'hug it out' embrace between the two of us after we watch the Lions walk out of the Metrodome feeling like winners, just like my dad and I always did.

Purdue Picks Up Win and Momentum in Blowout of SE Missouri

Purdue wasn’t going to have a letdown, Saturday.  The team couldn’t afford one, not if they hope to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2007.

The Boilermakers steamrolled Southeast Missouri, 59-0, at Ross-Ade Stadium to get their season back on the winning track.

“Our team showed up and we played hard,” said head coach Danny Hope.  “I know that Southeast Missouri isn’t quite the same as Rice or some of the other teams we are going to play, but it was the game we were playing today...we got a lot out of today”

Most importantly a win.  The Boilers needed this win and, besides the first half of the first quarter, they played like they needed it.  

“A win is a win.  (Southeast Missouri) didn’t come in here and lay down, so it feels good to get a victory, a big victory and a shutout makes it just that much better,” said linebacker Chris Carlino.

The Boilers dominated the Redhawks in every way.

Purdue racked up 627 yards of total offense, including 393 yards on the ground.  Both are the most for the Boilermakers under Danny Hope.  

Akeem Shavers (11 carries,75 yds) and Ralph Bolden (11 carries, 57-yards) led a prolific Purdue ground attack. Both junior running backs scored a pair of rushing touchdowns.  Freshman Akeem Hunt also found the end zone twice, both in the fourth quarter.

The defense made plays, as well.  The Boilers held the Redhawks to 153 total yards and recorded the program’s first shutout since 2004.

 “I think we got better as a football team throughout the course of the week and I think it showed up some today on the field, and we won and that was our goal for the week, get better and win, that was a pretty simple assignment.” said Hope.  

Purdue is now 2-1, but the jury is still out on what to expect from the team from West Lafayette.  

The Boilermakers needed a fourth quarter comeback at home to beat Middle Tennessee in the season opener and then lost at Rice last week when the Owls blocked what would have been the game winning field goal.

With all due respect to Southeast Missouri, which dropped to 1-16 against FBS opponents, this game wasn’t the litmus test Purdue will use to measure how good it really is.  That probably comes in two weeks when the Boilermakers host Notre Dame.

But, that doesn’t mean Saturday’s win wasn’t pivotal.

“(The win means) a lot of momentum, but at the same time it’s one game at a time.  We won this game, we are going to enjoy this win, but when we get back to it this week…we have to game plan and continue to work together.  We have to want it,” said defensive tackle Bruce Gaston.

Now the challenge is making winning a habit.  

Purdue has not won back-to-back games since October of last year when it opened the Big Ten season with consecutive wins over Northwestern and Minnesota.  The Boilers ended 2010 on a six game losing streak and 2011 has already proven to be a rollercoaster. 

“It was really important that we felt good as a team going into the open week,” Hope said.  “We wanted to win, win big, have fun, get better, and feel good this week.  That’s what this football team needed to do.”

Purdue will feel a lot better, more often, by learning to win with consistency.