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Saturday was a good day.

Sure, Purdue got beat by Penn State as expected 26-19. But it was still a good Saturday. Navy ended its losing streak against Notre Dame in the third overtime. That in itself wasn't why Saturday was especially sweet but don't say that to a midshipman. It was a good Saturday because the Marine Corps Second Tank Battalion returned from Fallujah, Iraq with the same number of Marines they left with six months ago. In that group was my nephew, Cpl. Justin Sanchez.

Before the bus loads of returning Marines passed through the main gates at Camp LeJeune, Purdue let a Nittany Lion touchdown and the game slip by them in State College, PA. It was a good game and one the Boilers certainly could've won. In Joe Tiller's mind, it was a quality loss. He told post game press conference reporters he was happy with everything about the game except the final score. Joe, I hate to tell you this but when the game is said and done, the score is all that matters. The game started in promising fashion when Dorien Bryant ran the opening kick off back for the Boilers first score. Kicker Chris Summers had a breakout game kicking four field goals including a personal best for 50 yards. A series of dumb penalties by the defense in the first half cost Purdue dearly. Penn State gained momentum and took a half time lead 13-10. It wasn't like that at the start. For a brief moment in the first quarter, it looked like Purdue would lead 17-3. But Penn State forced a goal line fumble when Jaycen Taylor stretched too far for a score and ended up dropping the ball instead. Purdue kept Penn State fans fidgeting in their seats until the last play. After a Chris Summers field goal made the score 26-19, the Boilers narrowly missed recovering their onside kick-off. The Boiler defense held Penn State at bay one last time and the Nittany Lions were forced to punt. With 18 ticks left on the clock, Purdue moved to midfield for a "Hail Mary" pass to the end zone. The Purdue prayers went unanswered. Game over.

The 2007 Purdue football season will be summed up quite simply: Purdue beat the teams they traditionally beat and they got beat by the teams that normally beat them. This week it's the Michigan State Spartans who come to West Lafayette for the final home game of the season. Michigan State is one of those teams Purdue traditionally beats but don't plan on a sure bet. Michigan State came back from an 11 point half time deficit against Michigan last week and took the lead. It was a late, great pass play by Michigan quarterback Chad Henne to Mario Manningham that won the game for the Wolverines. Michigan State needs one more win to become bowl eligible and probably two wins to ensure a post season appearance someplace. Their post season plans begin or end at Ross Ade. Spartan quarterback Brian Hoyer is an experienced quarterback and so is their running back Javon Ringer. In a year when Big Ten conference football is considered "weak", the Spartans remain at the bottom of the conference with a 1-5 record. Their sole win: against Indiana. Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio is no stranger to the Ross Ade sidelines. Dantonio was a graduate assistant coach for Purdue in 1981 under Coach Jim Young. He also was the Buckeyes defensive coordinator when Ohio State won the national championship in 2002. This is a capable Spartan team still searching for a quality win. Last week was a big let-down for the Spartans but with little to gain, costly Boiler mistakes in penalties this week will swing the odds to the green and white.

This season over a million football fans have cheered the exploits of 18-22 year old men in college stadiums across the U.S. Injuries aside, each team returns to the field the next Saturday regardless of what happened the previous week. The Marines of the Second Tank Battalion, is another group of 18-30 year old men, who returned to their home field at Camp LeJeune last Saturday. They were cheered by a hundred or so friends and families...not the thousands of a "Big House" or "Ross Ade" crowd. Their "away" game was played in a place called Fallujah, Iraq. No stadium, no goal posts, and no hometown fans. Instead of catcalls or jeers, the opposing side tossed rocket-propelled grenades and hid roadside bombs. Coming from a country where parents take pride in their kids performance on sporting fields and courts, these young men, these Marines, were confronted with children encouraged to plant roadside bombs by insurgent parents. Unfortunately this grim "sneak play" wasn't clear to the Second Tank Battalion until an investigation cleared the Marine tankers of a defensive attack on the "insurgents" or just simply, children.

"Boiler Up!" and if Purdue doesn't win, remember the team did their best. There will be a next week and another chance to win football games. For Marines and service members overseas, it's another game altogether. There aren't many cheerleaders but they play to win. Americans might not like the schedule or the head coach but it's still 18 to 20-something year olds doing the best they can. And anytime these kids can come back from an away game without losing a star player (they are ALL star players) then you can honestly say that's one for the "win column" until next time.