After a disappointing loss to Cincinnati last week, Purdue coach Darrell Hazell is looking to turn the program around
In a press conference late on Thursday afternoon, Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell was asked about the team’s bye week progress.
“I like our chances this week,” Hazell responded, apparently confused by the question. “A lot of teams will look past Bye, but we’ve looked at the film from the past few years and we have put together what we think will be a winning gameplan.”
When asked to elaborate, Hazell continued, “Look, Bye plays very physically. We’ve lost some guys over the past few years to injuries against Bye, so the guys know what to expect. We had to make some mentality changes too. Previous years, we would still keep our normal greetings, but this year it’s ‘Hello’ when we walk in that door and ‘Adios’ when we leave. There are no good byes this week at Purdue.”
Upon being asked about next week’s game hosting Nevada, Hazell intensified his rant. “We are here to win, and I am paid to play one football game at a time! I cannot be sitting here talking about next week’s opponents when I have a bye coming up this Saturday. We looked past them each of the past two years and we got beat twice. It is not going to happen a third time.”
When asked for an explanation, new Purdue Athletic Director Mike Bobinski declined to comment.