West Lafayette, Indiana. As most of you know, I am from Indiana’s heartland, so any time I can hear a little slice of home, which means either watching it on TV or listening to the Boilermaker Sports Network, I get really excited. I can hear Tim Newton and Pete Quinn talking about the game even though I am far away from West Lafayette. It’s the same way with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey, who are the voice of my uncle’s favorite football team, the Ohio State Buckeyes. When Purdue’s train horn blows, the first thing you hear is “Touchdown Boilermakers” and then you wait for the train horn if the play is not under review. You can really hear the excitement in Tim’s voice when he says “Touchdown Boilermakers.” After being silent for way, way too long, the whistle of the Boilermaker Special is coming on Saturday, when the Boilers run out of their tunnel and the head Engineer Jeff Brohm runs with the train on to the Ross Aide turf. However, Jeff has just found out that he is positive for coronavirus, so the Boilers will be minus the head engineer on Saturday. But the Brohm name will still be part of the Purdue program, even if Jeff is not available. His brother Brian will be charged with engineering the train in Jeff’s absence. Brohm is also saddled with the responsibility of calling the plays that are supposed to be executed on the railroad.
When you hear “Hail Purdue” in the background, you know you’re set for an afternoon with the best voice in college football, Tim Newton. The Boilers are playing a pesky bunch of son of a guns from Iowa City, otherwise known as the Hawkeyes. This also is the return of Rondale Moore, who was the sensational train in his freshman year. My prediction: Purdue 49, Iowa 0.
