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Hammer and Rails

https://www.hammerandrails.com/ | 318 entries published

Purdue's Okayest Blog

Latest Entries

Purdue-UIndy Rapid React | Gicarri Leap

Gicarri Harris leap The Gicarri Harris leap appears to be upon us. Harris didn’t just look like the biggest surprise for Purdue again for Purdue, but at times, he looked like Purdue’s biggest threat on both sides of the floor. There wasn’t anything Harris didn’t do well in the final exhibition. His state line reads […]

3 months ago | 1 read

Purdue Handles Their Business: Purdue 92 – UIndy 49

And just like that, the exhibition season for the Purdue men’s basketball team is over. From here on out the games are real and they wind up in the win/loss column. Tonight was an important step for this Purdue team to work out some of the kinks we saw in the game against the Kentucky […]

3 months ago | 1 read

How to Watch #1 Purdue vs. UIndy Exhibition & Open Thread

This is the last one of the season that won’t count. This is also the first time this team will play a game in Mackey Arena this season. It will be the first chance for fans to see them in person here in the greatest basketball arena in the country. You can feel the electricity […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

UIndy at #1 Purdue Exhibition Primer

Purdue will finish out its two game exhibition schedule by returning to Mackey Arena to host D2 UIndy on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.. But while Purdue moves onto its final exhibition tune up before the season starts in earnest next week, this week’s game is still more about the reactions to last week’s 78-65 loss […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Xs and Ohs! This Loss to Rutgers Will Haunt Me

You may have heard that the website formerly known as Twitter has been purchased and is now X, a simply horrendous name in my opinion but then again I am not a billionaire so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. You may also know that we have historically shared our favorite tweets from […]

3 months ago | 1 read

What Now?

In lieu of the Whistlestop Tour this week I feel like we need to address the current state of Purdue football. After one of the most pants-on-head stupid losses I can remember ever seeing the Boilermakers fumbled away their last realistic chance at a victory in 2025. That leaves the program at a dismal crossroads, […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Rutgers 27 – Purdue 24: Victory Fumbled Away

Purdue came into this game after being absolutely humiliated against the Northwestern Wildcats. October was the month Purdue football had a chance to truly show improvement, to show what kind of team they were, and to hopefully get some wins. That hadn’t happened as Rutgers came into town this weekend. Purdue was 0-3 against three […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Game Wrap (Exhibition): Kentucky 78, Purdue 65

Purdue came into Rupp Arena as the #1 team in the country set to play a hungry, big Kentucky team with something to prove. Kentucky proved worthy of its top-ten placing in the polls and brought it to the visiting title favorite Boilermakers, winning 78-65.. It’s a familar place for Matt Painter and his Purdue […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

Coach’s Corner: Let’s Talk Philosophy

I’m back again with the head coach of the Harrison High School Raiders, and longtime writer for Hammer and Rails, Kyle Holderfield. Coach Holderfield’s squad took care of business on the road last week in a conference win over Lebanon in a crucial conference game, knocking off the Lebanon Tigers 26-7 and entering sectional play […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Purdue Football: Rutgers Preview

With the basketball season tipping off (unofficially, of course) in Lexington tonight, it’s tempting to pretend like Purdue football no longer exists. As much as I’d like to move on to a more tasteful subject, I’m contractually obligated to continue covering football until there is no more football left to cover. Therefore, I present, without […]

3 months ago | 1 read

How to Watch #1 Purdue at #9 Kentucky & Open Thread

It’s hard to believe we are finally here. It’s back, well sort of. Sure it’s an exhibition game and it doesn’t count, and the game is on a weird network where most of you might not be able to watch but hey it’s still basketball right!?!? Purdue comes into this one as the preseason #1 […]

3 months ago | 3 reads

12 Days to Purdue Basketball – #12 Daniel Jacobsen

As Purdue heads to Lexington today to play Kentucky in an exhibition, we are just one Daniel Jacobsen away from its season opener against Evansville on November 4th. Twelve days and Purdue will try to live up to its #1 billing, and that starts with the most reworked part of its rotation from last year’s […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

Purdue (2-5, 0-4) vs. Rutgers (3-4, 0-4) – Staff Predictions

Saturday’s game against the Scarlet Knights might be the last chance this Purdue team has to win a football game this season. That’s not a good feeling, but maybe it helps the team focus on the matchup as they find a way to win? I asked the staff for their predictions for this weekend’s contest. […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Week 9 Big Ten Preview

This week’s highlights include a pair of big rivalry games as Minnesota goes to Iowa for the Floyd of Rosedale and Michigan State hosts Michigan. I supposed Purdue-Rutgers could also be considered a rivalry game, as both teams are definitely rivals this year with “winning Big Ten games”. I am also curious to see if […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

Interview with the Enemy: On the Banks with Rutgers

I reached out on Twitter this week to the folks who run On the Banks the Rutgers SB Nation site to see if they were interested in trading some questions in preparation for tomorrow’s game. They agreed and I was able to send some questions to Andrew Rice. Make sure to check out their site, […]

3 months ago | 0 reads

Purdue Basketball: Raleigh Burgess to Redshirt

One minor offseason storyline was brought to a conclusion today when Coach Painter announced that Raleigh Burgess will redshirt during the 2025-’26 season. This news wasn’t shocking considering Purdue’s front-court depth with the addition of Oscar Cluff and the return of Daniel Jacobson from injury, paired with Burgess’s offseason leg surgery for a stress fracture. […]

3 months ago | 2 reads

2025-26 Purdue Basketball: Let’s Have Some Fun

Can a Final Four be medicinal? As many of you know, I was away from Hammer & Rails, the site I started way back in 2009, for the past three years. Casey and I were doing our work over at Rivals.com before they were bought out by On3, ending a tenure that, in retrospect, feels […]

4 months ago | 1 read

Xs and Ohs! Northwestern Blowout Loss

You may have heard that the website formerly known as Twitter has been purchased and is now X, a simply horrendous name in my opinion but then again I am not a billionaire so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. You may also know that we have historically shared our favorite tweets from […]

4 months ago | 2 reads