Weekly Word: Purdue's circumstances, Big Ten crowds and more

The Notre Dame game was a disappointment for Purdue in many ways, but the Boilermakers' three-game body of work thus far, I think, provides good reason to believe there may be six or seven wins on this schedule when all is said and done.

But, here it goes again for Purdue.

Zander Horvath is out. Cory Trice is out. Most significantly, maybe David Bell is out. His backup, Mershawn Rice, is out, as he unfortunately keep solidifying his role as the most promising player on the team who's never on the field.

You can only take so much of these setbacks at a place like Purdue, where across-the-board depth is rarely a luxury coaches enjoy, and not feel it. I'm sure Purdue's already felt it, though the Boilermakers didn't lose in South Bend because this player or that player were unavailable.

That doesn't mean they can't from here on out.