Dancing softball-style

This year marks the 27th NCAA Women’s softball tournament, but for the first time the Purdue Boilermakers will be involved. In an effort to truly be about all things Boilermaker, as promised in the banner headline, I wanted to take a break today and write a little bit about this accomplishment. Women’s softball is probably pretty far off the radar for the average fan. I would even bet that there are some followers of the football and basketball programs that don’t even know we have a team. We have certainly had better teams in other non-marquee sports. The women’s golf team comes to mind after finishing national runner-up last season. They are also in the running for the national championship again this year, and will compete next week.

Still, it is not every day that a program makes the first appearance in school history in its respective tournament. To my knowledge, every other team that Purdue fields has made an appearance on the national post-season stage except the softball program. Since their stay in the tournament will likely be short, it is time to give these ladies their due.

History of the Program:

There honestly isn’t a ton of history, especially considering that Purdue plays in a conference with national powers Michigan and Northwestern. The program began with a 10-2 loss to Canisius on March 5, 1994. Coming into this season the Boilers had an overall record of 443-366-4, meaning the 500th win in school history is a strong probability for next season. That first season Purdue finished 21-17-1 for a modest debut. Before this season the high water mark was a 41-25 record in 1997 that did not yield an NCAA bid. Andrea Hillary is the program’s only 1st team All-America selection in 2003.

This season:

Purdue completed this year with a 34-21 overall record and 9-9 finish in the Big Ten. Any NCAA bid was in doubt with an opening loss to Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, but the committee decided to reward the Boilers on a strong non-conference schedule against several challenging opponents. Purdue started out the season by winning 20 of its first 28 games. All told Purdue faced 7 ranked teams this season, with the best win coming over #7 Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on February 15. Though the season started on February 8th, Purdue did not play at home until March 28th. 14 Purdue opponents played in last season’s NCAA Tournament. One of their possible opponents in the regional, Cal State Fullerton, already owns a win over the Boilers 5-0 on February 29th.

The regional field:

Purdue is seeded third in the four team, double elimination regional hosted by UCLA. Purdue will open against 20th ranked Nevada in what some on the GBI boards are calling the battle for Dario Camacho. The loser gets Dario Camacho’s services. Nevada rolled through the WAC with a 17-3 record in conference play and 42-16 record overall. For those lucky enough to have ESPNU the game will be televised at 5:30 today.

The other game features Cal State Fullerton (27-26-1) as the #4 seed against top seeded UCLA (45-7). The Bruins are the #2 seed nationally and have won 11 national championships, the most in NCAA history. They are the heavy favorite to win their own regional and return to the Women’s College World Series. In nine games against the other three teams in this regional Purdue has never won a game in its history, going 0-1 against Nevada, 0-2 against UCLA, and 0-5 against Cal State Fullerton. Purdue will be hard pressed to avoid being the only team in this field sent home with an 0-2 record. Any win would rank among the biggest in program history.

Who are the Boilers:

The game of softball is built on pitching, and Purdue has a pair of hurlers that have had strong seasons in the circle. Freshman Suzie Rzegocki carries a 15-8 record in 26 starts while junior Dana Alocer has started 29 games with an 18-13 record. Rzegocki has the better overall ERA at 2.49 while Alocer checks in at 3.31. In the opening game either will be matched up against sophomore Katie Holverson (20-6, 2.27 ERA) or senior Jordan McPherson (15-9, 2.61). Those two have combined for 309 strikeouts on the season against 251 for Purdue’s duo.

Offensively Purdue has three players batting over .300 with second baseman Kelly Miller leading the way at .346. Miller only has four walks on the season, so its feast or famine with her near the top of the lineup. Shortstop Candace Curtis provides most of the power in the Purdue lineup. She bats .333 with 11 homers and 39 RBI, leading the team in both categories. Kelsey Haupert (.322, 7 HR, 2 RBI) and Ashley Hall (.311, 15 RBI) also provide some pop in the Boilermaker lineup. Katie Mitchell is a bit of a clutch performer. Her average is only .270, but she is second on the team in RBIs with 31. Hall is the speedster of the group with 8 triples and 8 stolen bases.

Purdue is a very strong defensive team. The four infield positons of Miller, Curtis, First baseman Haupert, and third basman Hallwere recently named to the All-Mideast Region second team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. I don't know what exactly comprises the Mideast region or how many teams are in it, but I assume that this is a pretty good honor that the entire infield made it.

Outlook:

Advancing in this tournament will be difficult. The Boilers struggled offensively for much of the conference season and they are facing three teams that are very experienced. Nevada is one of the dark horse candidates to reach Oklahoma City, as they have some signature wins over powers like Arizona and Fresno State who are both seeded in this tournament nationally. If there is one team that has a chance to knock off UCLA, it is generally considered to be the Wolfpack. The fact that Purdue has already lost to the four seed in this regional, and that four seed was barely over .500 on the season, is not a good sign. Fullerton also already owns a win over UCLA on the season. Purdue is generally considered to have been one of the final at large teams in the field. The fact that they were sent across the country while the other three teams are playing relatively close to home is a sign of this. Expect the Boilers’ stay to be a short, but memorable one.

Best wins of the Tiller Era #4: Notre Dame 1997

Today is a banner day for Off the Tracks. Today marks the 200th post since I started this blog just before the 2006 football season. In that time, I have seen my readership explode, became a member of the Big Ten bloggers’ network, and even turned a small profit on this venture. I have only you the readers to thank for this. For everyone who has stopped by, whether you have commented or not, I thank you for taking the time to read my vagrant rantings. You make this blog a fun thing to maintain each and every day.

I do want to ask my loyal readers, in lieu of sending me large amounts of cash, to instead visit Everyday Should be Saturday and donate to one of the charities listed in that entry. So far they have raised over $11,000 in aid to victims of the cyclone in Myanmar, the earthquake in China, and the storms in The Southeast. For today only, you can donate for the Boilers, or apply your donation against a rival like Notre Dame or Indiana. Right now Purdue sits in the Hall of Shame at just $25, but that is because I split my donation evenly with Miami. Let’s Boiler up and get off the Hall of Shame list before 8pm today!

Our next game in the countdown is the win that started it all. On September 6th, barring an absolutely shocking turn of events, Coach Joe Tiller will tie Jack Mollenkopf at 84 career wins for the Old Gold and Black. Sometime after that, probably before the conference season even starts, Joe will get his second win of the season and sit on top of the coaching wins list at Purdue all by himself. That is a pretty good accomplishment in 12 years on the sidelines, but coach Tiller probably wouldn’t still be at Purdue if not for the next win in our countdown. Coming in 4th with 43 votes is the 28-17 win over Notre Dame in 1997, Tiller’s first in West Lafayette.

Date: September 13th, 1997

Place: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Incoming Purdue Record: 0-1

Incoming Notre Dame Record: 1-0 (ranked 15th)

It’s hard to believe, but before this day no one really knew who Joe Tiller was. An embarrassing 36-22 loss at Toledo to open the season had most Purdue fans thinking that Tiller was more in the realm of Fred Akers and Jim Colletto than the savior of the program. As usual, there was a good crowd on hand. Most of it was Notre Dame fans in one of our few guaranteed sellout games at the time. The Irish had beaten Georgia Tech in its opener by four, and it looked like there was a smooth transition from Lou Holtz to Bob Davie. Davie was the third new head coach for the three major programs in Indiana that season, as Indiana was starting anew under Cam Cameron. By far Davie was expected to have the most success.

Before this day we had not beaten Notre Dame since a 35-17 win at Purdue in 1985. Most of the next 11 games weren’t even close, including the previous year’s 35-0 beatdown in South Bend. That would serve as the last time Purdue had been shutout until the Penn State 2006 game. Purdue came close in 1995, but instead of throwing to a wide open Mike Alstott for a late tying touchdown we overthrew a receiver in the end zone, losing 35-28. A few Notre Dame fans (not completely representing their fanbase, I know) were being their overly arrogant selves even in the era where it wasn’t much of a rivalry. As my brother-in-law, his brother, and I went into the stadium we heard a cry of,” hey, what happened at Toledo last week?”

The Game:

Of the three of us, only my brother-in-law’s brother, Tharon, was a Purdue grad at the time. He had not been to a game, nor followed the program, in several years. Since my parents were on vacation that week both he and my brother-in-law came to the game with me. Brian and I were more than familiar with the state of Purdue football at the time, so we settled in for another grim beatdown. Tharon, however, was pretty ignorant. When Purdue took an early 7-0 lead on a touchdown run by Edwin Watson and actually held it for awhile, Tharon was overly optimistic. “They just might win this thing,” he said. Brian and I laughed and waited for the collapse we knew was coming.

Notre Dame answered with a field goal early in the second quarter, but Purdue came back down the field behind Billy Dicken. When Watson scored again from a yard out to put us up 14-3 even Brian and I looked at each other with the, “what the hell is going on,” look. Dicken was on his way to the best game of his career at that point. The offense, which often didn’t move at all under Colletto, was moving down the field with something called the forward pass. Best of all, the jokes about Colletto being on the other side of the field as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator began flying. Tiller was smoking this guy with his own recruits, and we were loving every minute of it.

Autry Denson would score for Notre Dame before halftime from 16 yards out to make it 14-10, but that did not change our mood. Tharon was as excited as he could be. Brian and I were stunned, but we knew the collapse was coming. This was Purdue, after all. We never beat Notre Dame. In the second half they would start manhandling us and Ron Powlus would cause them to pull away for something like a 38-14 win or something. This was when Ron Pawlus was going through the final season of his Jimmy Montana-esque career, although I must say at least Powlus was better as a freshman and won a few games. He actually beat out other quarterbacks in spring practice for the starting job.

As the third quarter went on we grew more and more concerned. Purdue wasn’t scoring, but the defense was actually stopping Notre Dame. Both sides were scoreless for 15 minutes, and suddenly it dawned on us. We were 15 minutes away, and we just might beat these guys. Nothing happened in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, so at least the clock was going in our favor. It kept moving and we kept getting louder and louder. Could this actually be happening? Then, with 8:50 left, the play we had been waiting for happened.

On second and five from the Notre Dame 39 Powlus dropped back to pass. Pressure forced him out of the pocket, but he had some running room in front of him so he took off. As he got back to the line of scrimmage he got hit from behind by Rosevelt Colvin and went down. From our seats in section 22 it looked like a sack, so we started jumping up and down thinking it was now third and long. A stop on the next play would give us the ball back and a chance to run out the clock.

It took me about 2 or 3 seconds, but I noticed the play was still going on. Adrian Beasley was running down the field with a convoy behind him, and the following slowly dawned on me and Brian at the same time. “Wait a minute… He has the ball! Beasley has the ball and he might score. HOLY SH** BEASLEY’S GONNA SCORE!!!!!! WE’RE GOING TO BEAT THESE GUYS!!!!”


I don’t think I fully got it until Beasley was at about the ten. Since the pessimism had not been thoroughly burned out of us Brian and I started looking for the flag. Surely there was a flag. Never mind that Tharon was screaming his head off. There was no flag, and Shane Ryan lined up to kick the extra point to make it 21-10.

Notre Dame managed a desperate drive to get another score when Denson caught a one yard pass from Pawlus with 1:47 left. Someone forgot to tell Denson that touchdowns were only worth six points, not 12, however. His emphatic spike of celebration resulted in a 15 yard penalty, pushing back the extra point try and negating any realistic chance of a two point conversion. Since no Jim Colletto coach team could gain more than 10 yards at a time, Notre Dame kicked the extra point instead of trying to cut it to three for a potential tying field goal.

Purdue then recovered the onside kick, and instead of running out the clock Tiller went for the jugular. Vinny Sutherland, who finished with 100 yards on the day and became an instant Purdue hero as a freshman, caught a 36 yard bubble screen to the three. With just over a minute left Kendall Matthews punched it in for the final score and a shocking 28-17 win.

After the Game:

I was a senior in high school for the 1997 season, and it was on this day, at this game, that I probably made up my mind to come to Purdue. I had offers to go elsewhere for more money, but I had always wanted to be a Boilermaker since my dad was a Boiler. Seeing the students rush the field that day and Purdue suddenly become relevant again helped me make up my mind. Three years later I asked my parents if I still could have gone to the Rose Bowl with them had I chosen to go to Bradley University, the other school I was weighing at the time. They looked at each other, then said, “We would have waived at you on TV.”

We hung around the stadium soaking it in for several minutes. We wanted to find the Notre Dame fans that taunted us on the way in and ask them what had just happened in there. Brian got in severe trouble because we were late in getting back to Tippecanoe Mall to pick up my sister and nephew. He tried to explain what happened and that we had to stay because it never happens, but she was pregnant with my second nephew at the time and didn’t understand. Neither did Tharon’s wife. This is why I am glad I have a wife that loves college football as much as I do.

The loss started a four game losing streak for Notre Dame, who hadn’t even bothered to bring the Shillelagh with them. They struggled to a 7-6 finish after losing another bowl game, this time in the Independence Bowl to an LSU team they had already beaten at LSU. Of note the following week is that Michigan State started its current six game winning streak at Notre Dame Stadium with a 23-7 win.

As recapped before in this countdown, Purdue went on to a 9-3 finish, a win in the Alamo Bowl, and Tiller won National Coach of the Year Award for the stunning turnaround. The win felt especially good not because it came against the Irish, but because it came against Colletto. You can tell Jim was loved by the players when Watson had said earlier in the week that Colletto, “was used to losing here (Purdue), so it would be nothing new for him." It was also the moment that the Notre Dame Purdue series became a real rivalry again, and a win this year in South Bend would give Joe a final record of 6-6 against the Irish, much to the dismay of their fans that have trouble believing we’ve beaten them once.

Best wins of the Tiller Era #5: Michigan 2000

Before getting into the top 5 of the countdown I have a special addendum to yesterday’s entry on the baseball program. They are not the only story that has developed on the northwest side of campus this spring. An even better story has developed a couple hundred yards further west. Yesterday the NCAA pairings for women’s softball were released, and for the first time since the program began in 1994 the Lady Boilermakers received an invite to the NCAA Tournament. Their path will not be easy, as they are being sent to the Los Angeles regional as the three seed to face Nevada Friday in the opening game. Fourth seeded Cal State Fullerton is also there, and the Titans already own a win over Purdue this season. The final team is just #2 overall national seed and 10-time NCAA champ UCLA. Needless to say, advancement won’t be easy, but it is still a watershed moment in Purdue athletics. Congratulations to the ladies, and good luck on Friday.

Second, I also wanted to post this link from Everyday Should be Saturday. It’s for a great cause, and we should BTFU for it.

Today we finally get to the top five in the countdown, and with 21 votes the 32-31 victory over Michigan during the 2000 is an appropriate introduction. This was an incredible game, and still marks the only win Tiller has collected over the Wolverines. Coach Tiller has multiple wins over programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State, but he has only been able to conquer the Wolverines once. Even then, this victory almost didn’t happen. A near superhuman defensive effort in the second half allowed a dramatic comeback when we couldn’t even come close to stopping Michigan in the first half. The win also gave us the tiebreaker over Michigan for our eventual Rose Bowl berth.

Date: October 7, 2000

Place: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Incoming Purdue record: 3-2, 1-1 Big Ten

Incoming Michigan record: 4-1, 2-0 Big Ten, ranked 6th

This was absolutely a must win game for Purdue. We had dropped a heartbreaker the previous week at Penn State and couldn’t afford to lose to one of the conference favorites. Travis Dorsch was in the dog house after missing another huge kick, this time one that would have made a difference in the loss to the Nittany Lions. With two close losses on the road already the season certainly did not look like it was going to be as special as once hoped.

Michigan came in with one visit to the Rose Bowl already under its belt. On September 16th of that season Michigan lost 23-20 at UCLA, but a 2-0 start had them as the favorites for a potential return to Pasadena. Drew Henson was going through one of his rare stints of actually committing himself to football, and was having a pretty successful time in doing so. They were heavily favored coming in, and I was not expecting a happy birthday. That weekend was Fall Break for Purdue, but several students stayed for the Saturday game. It was five days before my 21st birthday, so even if we won I couldn’t legally celebrate at Harry’s just yet.

The Game:

This was a tale of two halves. Michigan looked every bit of being the #6 team in the country during the first half. The Wolverines touched the ball four times in the first half, and four times they put it in the end zone. The first drive was an unstoppable march as Michigan took the opening kickoff and went 82 yards in 12 plays, taking more than nine minutes off the clock. Marquise Walker ended the drive with a seven yard touchdown catch, but Purdue was able to answer with a 17-play field goal drive to make it 7-3 after one quarter.

Michigan’s second drive was more of the same. This time the Wolverines went 80 yards in 15 plays, taking seven more minutes off the clock before B.J. Askew scored on a 4-yard pass from Henson. Purdue then drove inside the Michigan 20, but Drew Brees was picked off in the end zone to end the Purdue threat. Michigan then made the most of the mistake as Anthony Thomas broke off a 61 yard touchdown run on the following possession to make it 21-3 with 6:25 left in the first half.

Purdue didn’t quit, as Brees led an 80 yard drive downfield for the Boilers first touchdown of the day. This score went to Vinny Sutherland, who changed directions on a dime and scampered to the end zone for a much needed score from 25 yards out. With 1:50 left Purdue had cut it to 21-10, but the defense still had not arrived. Michigan returned the favor by marching 89 yards in 1:39 to score again, this time when David Terrell scored on a 15 yard pass from Henson. Michigan would lead 28-10 at the half, and the defense appeared to have no interest in stopping them.

Fortunately, Purdue played a nearly flawless second half. Purdue’s first drive resulted in a much needed score as Brees directed us down field flawlessly. In less than four minutes we were in the end zone thanks to Steve Ennis’ one yard rush, but the two-point conversion attempt would fail. Purdue was back in it, and most importantly the defense would finally get a stop on Michigan’s next possession.

After a Wolverine punt Purdue took over at its own 20 and went 80 yards in 13 plays for another score. This time it was Montrell Lowe who finished the methodical drive with a bouncing 16 yard run up the middle. Twice on the drive Brees completed third down passes to keep things alive. When Dorsch made the extra point Purdue had trimmed the lead to 28-23 in just under 11 minutes.

Purdue managed another stop, but was pinned inside its own 10 by a Michigan punt and could do nothing. Purdue punted it back to Michigan, who managed to drive just 8 yards, but it was enough for them to kick a 34-yard field goal with 11:55 left. From there it was Brees’ turn to shine again.

Once again he directed the Boilers on an 80 yard drive, this time in 12 plays before finding John Standeford for a 10 yard score. The decision to go for two early came back to haunt us, as another two-point try failed and we trailed 31-29.

This is when the defense really began to shine. They forced a three and out to give Brees the ball back with 4:52 left at the Michigan 48. It was the perfect scenario, as we needed very few yards to get into field goal range. He did just that, but Dorsch would draw the ire of the student section by missing a 32 yard attempt with 2:11 left. Now Michigan needed only a first down to ice the game.

Fortunately, the defense continued its stellar play. They stuffed two straight running plays and used a pair of timeouts to stop the clock each time. Henson then threw a third down incompletion, and Michigan had to punt after holding the ball for a mere 30 seconds. Brees took over at the Purdue 41 with no timeouts and 1:41 left.

What followed was one of the best drives of Drew’s career at Purdue. He opened things with a 10 yard run for a first down, then completed four of five passes to the Michigan 21. The Wolverines then gave us five additional yards with a penalty, and Purdue took two plays to center the ball at the 17 before Brees spiked the ball to stop the clock with 8 seconds left. Michigan called timeout to ice Dorsch as he came on to kick from almost the exact spot he had missed minutes earlier.

During the timeout I remember turning to those around me in the fifth row of the student section and saying one thing. I said, “After this play we’re going on the field to do one of two things: either celebrate a great Purdue win or kick his ass for missing another big kick.” That got quite a few nervous laughs, and we all settled in for the kick. This time Dorsch was good, barely sneaking it inside the left upright for the win with 4 seconds left. Michigan did nothing on the kickoff and I rushed the field for the first time as a student.

After the Game:

Once Dorsch’s kick went through it was sheer chaos in row 5. Everyone was jumping and screaming, and I barely remember watching the kickoff. I didn’t even see the infamous double middle-finger salute that Dorsch gave us. Since I had never rushed the field before I didn’t know exactly what would happen. The rush was tentative at first, but it soon turned into a flood of humanity that pushed me over the railing and onto the field. Within seconds there were about 20 students on the north goal posts, including one gentleman in a Spiderman costume that had managed to bring in a wrench. He was furiously trying to loosen the bolts on the goal posts and bring them down, so I quickly got out of the way before they landed on my head.

Another enduring image was that of tight end and Mackey Award winner Tim Stratton hanging from the goal posts with the others. Tim was a bit of a partier back in the day, and he was having such a great time that he misplaced his helmet. This put him squarely in Tiller’s doghouse for the following week. Had the helmet not been returned by an anonymous fan later on he probably would have been suspended for the next game at Northwestern.

In this game Brees broke the Big Ten career record for touchdown passes and Mark Herrman’s school record for passing yards. He finished with 286 yards passing and two scores while also rushing for 80 more yards. Lowe finished with 130 yards on the ground and Vinny Sutherland had 127 yards on 11 catches. It was also the first time we had beaten Michigan, Ohio state, or Penn State under coach Tiller. As mentioned previously, it would come in very handy as it gave us the tiebreaker over Michigan for the Rose Bowl. It would be needed.

I think this is the game where we truly began to believe that the Rose Bowl was in reach. The Penn State game took a lot out of us, but this huge come from behind win brought the dream right back to life. We grabbed two important wins at Northwestern and Wisconsin before the Ohio State game really put the hype into high gear. I also remember that this was a great day to be a student, and I did get a very nice birthday present from the Boilers.

Toiling Away

There has been a great story brewing all spring on the northwest side of Purdue’s campus. Most people, however, are missing it. My regular readers know that I am an advocate of college baseball because of my wife’s love for the #1 ranked Miami Hurricanes. This is starting to carry over to the Boilermaker baseball program. Since yesterday was a beautiful day and we had little else to do we hopped into the car and headed to West Lafayette for some college baseball – Boilermaker style.

This year’s Boiler baseball team sits at 27-22 overall, 18-9 in the Big Ten conference and comfortably in second place with four conference games left. In the overall realm of college baseball those are modest numbers. A record like that in the ACC or Pac-10 would have the Boilers on the fringe of an at large berth for the NCAA tournament if not a “lock”. In the world of Big Ten baseball, however, the conference is much like the Horizon League on selection Sunday for basketball.

This year the story is Michigan. The Wolverines locked up the Big Ten crown and hosting duties for the Big Ten tournament over Purdue today by beating Minnesota. They are nationally ranked and are being considered as a rare northern regional host. They are in the tournament regardless of what happens, and if they win the Big Ten tournament it is highly likely they will be the only Big Ten representative. Think Butler basketball and that is Michigan baseball in regards to the Big Ten.

Because of that, the Boilers won’t be dreaming of Omaha unless they pull a shocker in Ann Arbor, but maintaining second place by winning a game next week against third place Illinois means a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Because of thin pitching staffs at the college level, the fewer games played the better. A bye mans that a three game winning streak would put the Boilers in the baseball dance for the first time in 21 years and just second time ever.

It is extremely difficult for a Big Ten program to make the NCAA Tournament as an at large team. In 2000 Purdue had a great record with tons of wins over ranked teams, but was passed over. The same is true in 2001, as the Boilers even began the season by knocking over #1 ranked Rice. Purdue hasn’t really been close to a bid since. They have struggled out of conference some years only to put it together for a good Big Ten. Other years they have had great out of conference schedules, but faltered in the Big Ten to cost them a bid, as was the case in 2001.

This year they started the season with a nine game losing streak, but six of those games were against ranked teams on the road. In five of those six games Purdue lost by just one run. Before beating Michigan State yesterday Purdue had unfortunately lost five in a row (three to Indiana, two to the Spartans) to blow any chance at the conference title after a solid start. The Indiana loss especially hurt, as Purdue had been 5-0 in conference series to that point and Indiana was at the bottom of the standings. It also cost us a point in the Crimson and Gold Cup.

As we entered Lambert Field yesterday my wife and I had opposite reactions. I was stunned at a crowd that, for Purdue baseball, was near capacity. I had been to a few games when I was a student from the 1999-2002 seasons when we had a pretty good team and there weren’t nearly as many people as were there yesterday for the Michigan State double-header. My wife, who is used to about 3500 for your average Miami game and upwards of 7000 for a big series, was shocked that there were barely 500 people there.

As for the games themselves, they were highly entertaining and a great bargain at $5 a person for two games. Purdue struggled in game 1 before losing 11-3, but bounced back for a 6-2 win in the nightcap. The crowd was into it as well, as I will give credit to the athletic department for turning up its promotions engine. T-shirt tosses, baseball bingo, and the normal announcer for football and basketball made it even feel like a bigger event than it used to be. It seems like the athletic department is at least intent on promoting the program. Since baseball produces far less revenue than football and basketball do, and the program only plays about a third (at best) of its schedule at home, I am sure they will take what they can get from a crowd like yesterday.

There are some major positives from this team. Closer Josh Lindblom is a former third round MLB draft selection who transferred in from Tennessee. He nailed down his 9th save in conference play, tying a Big Ten single season record. When he came on to close out game to there were four scouts that sprang into action who had been quiet all afternoon. Centered directly behind home plate, they even added to the atmosphere that maybe, just maybe, the program is growing. Leadoff hitter Brandon Haveman scored three times in the win yesterday to give him 35 runs scored in league play. He is now just four shy of the Big Ten record for runs scored in a conference season.

Most of Purdue’s players come from Indiana, but many of the top prospects from the state are often either lost to the draft or to stronger, out of state programs. These guys still work incredibly hard, and one of the most touching things my wife saw was how close these guys are as a team. For the entire game they were up cheering their teammates on in one of the loudest baseball dugouts I have ever heard. Also, in humbling fashion, these guys do their own grounds keeping before and after each game. You can tell these are guys playing for the love of the game and chasing a dream that, unfortunately, is incredibly far away at a program like Purdue’s.

I was impressed by the crowd as well. It was small compared to many college baseball crowds, but since it was baseball alumni weekend they were into it. With a couple of runners on they really got behind Lindblom as he blew away the last two hitters for the save. Lindblom is as impressive as they come for college closers, and he will be handy if the Boilers are going to do anything in the postseason.

Because of rain Sunday, Purdue’s finale against Michigan State was cancelled, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Now that just four conference games remain in the season Purdue holds a five game lead in the loss column over sixth place Northwestern. This means they are assured of being in the Big Ten Tournament as the top six teams of the ten that play baseball (Wisconsin has no program) qualify. Purdue also has a three game lead on third place Illinois, meaning one win in the four game set with the Illini next weekend clinches a first round bye.

Purdue first plays Illinois-Chicago on Senior Day Wednesday at Lambert Field. It will mark the final time that Jordan Comadena (who really needs Funky Comadena as his at bat music), Andy Loomis, Allan Donato, and Tristan McIntyre will play at home. These guys don’t have the name recognition that players like Dustin Keller and Tarrance Crump have, but they have still worked just as hard. It could also be Lindblom’s final game, as this summer’s draft could claim him again. The Major League Baseball draft rules are a little different than other sports. A player can be drafted straight out of high school, but if they choose to enroll in college they must stay for three years, or be 21, before being drafted again. After that, if they don’t like their draft position, they can choose to return and play another year and get drafted a third time.

This coming weekend’s series at Illinois will be televised on the Big Ten Network. While it doesn’t carry the same importance that Miami-North Carolina will as a #1 vs. #2 matchup, it is still a big series of the Boilers’ postseason chances. If you’re one of the lucky five people on the planet that gets the Big Ten Network I advise taking a look and seeing what is one of the more unsung programs. These guys toil in obscurity for the most part in the worst facility of the school’s athletic teams. They deserve any fans they can grab, and they made two more yesterday.

Editor’s Note: Purdue does currently have a plan in place for an improved baseball facility. Since this is the first season that the NCAA instituted a uniform start date in order to level the playing field for the northern teams many programs have decided to upgrade their facilities for what is quickly becoming a revenue generating sport at many schools. The plan is to build a new facility near the soccer complex with lights, meeting facilities, expanded seating and press box areas. These are all areas which Purdue lacks, and would be a huge boost to recruiting if it comes through. Having lights would also allow Purdue to host postseason events.

It doesn’t quite carry the price tag as the Mackey project, but if just $1 million are raised they can begin at the end of the season this year. Details can be found here.

Best wins of the Tiller Era #6: Michigan State 1997

Like Wisconsin last week, we get a double dose of the Spartans on the countdown of the best wins of the Tiller Era. I honestly could have included a number of other games against Michigan State, as wins over the Spartans in 1998 and 2006 were both exciting games that came down to the wire. It seems like Michigan State is the one team that we manage to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on a regular basis. That is why this is their third appearance on the countdown. The 22-21 victory over them in 1997 was exactly that type of game.

On the GBI message boards the other day this game was actually specifically mentioned when I wrote about the Oklahoma State game. It seems like everyone remembers it because it was likely the second most memorable game from that first season under coach Tiller. It has long been a fan favorite because of the dramatic way in which the Boilers won after playing so poorly for most of the game. It ranks sixth in the countdown, having been the first game to really break away from the previous games with nine votes.

Date: November 8, 1997

Location: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Incoming Purdue record: 6-2, 4-1 Big Ten ranked 24th

Incoming Michigan State record: 5-3, 2-3 Big Ten

I have a sad confession to make, and I am sure it will lower my esteem in the eyes of many Purdue fans. My high school is weird in that we have our prom in November instead of the traditional spring date. It was that way when my sister was in high school in the late 80’s and it was still in early November when I was in school in the late 90’s. During the 1996 season I was a junior and had to miss the winning touchdown during our shocking win over Michigan so I could make it home in time to get cleaned up and get to the house we were having pictures at. To make things worse, it was a blind prom date and my date was a Michigan fan. Since the first words out of my mouth that night were, “I can’t believe you guys made me leave the Purdue game early and miss us beating Michigan,” the evening didn’t start well. Fortunately, we at least became good friends once it was all over.

For this Michigan State game, fate would have it that it was once again prom night. I attended the game with my brother-in-law, and once again left early when Drew Brees threw what appeared to be the clinching interception. It certainly looked like a loss since the Boilers were behind by multiple scores, and I had to get home. Sadly, we were in the car when everything happened, and considering that I wasn’t all that excited about prom in the first place and I spent more time that night talking to my previous year’s date, it was a decision regret. I wish I had stayed in the stadium.

The Game:

Michigan State flat out-played us for 58 minutes, but ended up losing. That is the best way to sum this up. Almost nothing went right for the Boilers. We were still in contention for the Big Ten title, but it looked like it would end in this game. In the end we weren’t going to win it since Michigan went on to win an undefeated national title, but we didn’t know that. We already knew that we were going bowling, and people were beginning to dream that maybe, just maybe, 1997 would end the long Rose Bowl drought. A disappointing loss to Iowa the previous week was a setback, but there was still hope.

Michigan State was struggling, but they were still a dangerous team. They had started 5-0 but this ended up being their 4th straight loss, proving not just John L. Smith could ruin promising starts. Nick Saban was just as qualified. Their defense was dominant the entire day as our offense struggled to get anything going. It appeared that we were in for a grind it out type of game when Sedrick Irvin scored in the first quarter to give Michigan State an early 7-0 lead. Just about the only way we could get any kind of movement was through trick plays.

In yet another element I miss from the early Tiller years, the Boilers used some innovation for its only touchdown of the first three quarters. Chris Daniels got the ball on a reverse early in the second quarter and found Brian Alford down the sidelines for a 33-yard tying touchdown. The pass was Daniels’ first of his career, and was the offensive highlight of an otherwise dismal day. All told Purdue barely managed 300 yards of total offense, and much of that came on the frantic final drive for the win. We also threw a pair of interceptions on the day.

On Michigan State’s next drive the Spartans went right back down the field to quickly regain the lead. Marc Renaud capped the drive with a 20 yard run to give Michigan State a 14-7 lead going into the half. As well as their defense had played to that point it appeared to be a safe one as well. I am not lying when I say that the only time Purdue did anything in the first half was on Daniels’ trick play. Other than that we seemed to have an endless string of three and outs.

The third quarter was scoreless, but Lee Brush got Purdue back in business with an interception late in the quarter. A six minute drive got all the way to the Spartan three yard line, but Purdue could only manage a Shane Ryan field goal. Though it was a small victory, Octavis Long quickly took it away with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Todd Schultz. Michigan State led 21-10 with little more than 10 minutes left.

Purdue couldn’t get anything going, so we pulled Dicken in favor of Brees. Brees as a freshman was definitely not Brees as a senior, and when Aric Morris picked him off at the Purdue 26 yard line with 3:47 left we headed for the exits. We figured that Michigan State was already in scoring range, and they could methodically run out the clock or pound the ball into the end zone for a 28-10 lead. It was over.

Someone forgot to tell Purdue’s defense. They engineered a stop and Saban decided to try a 39-yard field goal. Leo Perez broke through for the block and Roosevelt Colvin picked it up and returned it all the way for a stunning touchdown. This happened just as we got to our car and turned on the radio in the Northwestern Street garage. Sure, we could have turned around and ran back to the stadium, but after missing the two it was still 21-16 and there was no way we would go the onside kick. Thus we took off for Kokomo, and I cemented my status as on idiot.

Daniels, who showed enormous patience in waiting for the ball to go exactly 10 yards, recovered the onside kick and we were in business. Dicken came back in and completed four straight passes to the four yard line before Edwin Watson punched it in with 40 seconds left. At this point we were passing Sunnyside Middle School and I felt like banging my head against the dashboard. I couldn’t believe this was happening for the second year in a row and I resolved to never leave another game early unless we were down a lot more. This would apply to turning off the TV too, and it came in handy for the 2001 game at Minnesota.

Now it was Michigan State’s turn for a panicked drive, and they actually put one together. We had gone for two again to make it a three point lead and failed, so they had a chance. A 25 yard completion to Gari Scott put the ball at the Purdue 33 with 14 seconds left. Purdue committed a penalty and Michigan State centered the ball at the 25 with seven seconds left. Chris Gardner would attempt another field goal, this time from 42 yards out with the game in the balance. Gardner must have always wanted to kick for Florida State, because his game-winning attempt wasn’t even close. It sailed wide left and Purdue had the win in the one instance where icing the kicker worked.

After the Game:

Staying at the game would have been much better than the prom, as my best friend left the dance early and I unfortunately wasn’t that into my date. I ended up in a smoky Waffle House at 4am with my previous year’s date and a group of friends. When I finally got to watch the highlights they were pretty fun to watch, as the students got to storm the field for a second time. The Perez-Colvin play almost supplanted Adrian Beasley’s fumble return in the Notre dame game as the most memorable play of that season. Since I missed the Penn state game due to a weekend college visit to Bradley it was also the last game I got to attend that year.

We ultimately did not win the Big Ten, finishing in a second place tie with OhioSstate and Penn State. We finished the year by beating Minnesota, losing to Penn State, and annihilating Indiana before the Oklahoma State win in the Alamo Bowl. Michigan State went on to play in the Aloha Bowl that season, so it was a good win over a bowl team.

As stated, however, the win set a precedent that I would never leave a game or turn off a game even when it appeared Purdue had no chance. That would hold true until the 2005 Notre Dame game when I was so furious with our play I stormed out at halftime. Of course, as bad as we played in that first half we could have been down by 3 and still have no chance.

This win almost made the Minnesota win in 2001 (which I should have included in the countdown) seem routine. No one remembers the stats or that Watson finished with a 100 yard day. All anyone remembers is that we snatched a victory away from certain defeat. Who can ever forget Roosevelt Colvin lumbering downfield with a convoy of blockers behind him, or how Brock Spack called his shot? Michigan State fans will also remember did it the next season as well, scoring two touchdowns with the aid of a blocked punt in the final minutes for another stunning win. I like Michigan State fans, but they have to hate us now.

And on to the video, with several clips simply because the game was that incredible...

Best wins of the Tiller Era #7: Michigan State 1999

Today’s game on the countdown is the last game that received just three votes, but it is still significant because the win was the highest ranked opponent we have beaten at Ross-Ade Stadium under coach Tiller. The 1999 52-28 win over Michigan State was, at the time, one of the biggest wins in school history. We have always done well and had exciting games against the Spartans under Tiller. This is their second appearance on the countdown, and we will see them again. I am not sure what it is about playing them, but the team that is expected to win usually loses. Many times that has been Purdue, as we have often faced the Spartans in their typical second half decline. Only this past season’s somewhat stunning win by Michigan State in West Lafayette seemed to go against the trend. That and the massive egg we laid in East Lansing just a year after this game.

Date: October 16, 1999

Place: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Incoming Purdue record: (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten ranked 20th)

Incoming Michigan State record: (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten ranked 5th)

Michigan State came into this game with incredibly high expectations. The week before this one they had held serve at home by knocking off hated rival Michigan 34-31 in East Lansing. Both teams were undefeated coming in, and Michigan had just beaten us, as usual, 38-12 in Ann Arbor. The win meant that the Spartans were in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten and they were actually in the discussion when it came to the national title. There was reason for concern in this game as the Spartans had defeated Notre Dame and Oregon in non-conference play, making them even stronger. They also had a win over an Illinois team that would go bowling later that year.

There was plenty of reason for panic coming into this one. The Spartans had an incredibly dangerous receiver in Plaxico Burress who had lit up Michigan the week before for 255 yards and a touchdown. We also had simply not played well in losing back-to-back games against Michigan and Ohio State coming in. At Michigan we played terrible, but we always play terrible in Ann Arbor. Against an Ohio State team that would spend the holidays not going to a bowl game we had every opportunity to grab a rare win in Columbus. Unfortunately, we too often had to settle for Travis Dorsch field goals instead of touchdowns. His final attempt was blocked with less than a minute left in a 25-22 loss. Thus began the rumors we could not compete with Michigan and Ohio State back on the schedule. That loss may have been one of the most subtly devastating in program history simply because it was preventable. Had it not happened, the entire perception of Purdue football may have totally changed.

Needless to say, the atmosphere going into the stadium that day was not one of optimism. Since we had just suffered a pair of brutal road losses we weren’t that excited to come home and face a top five team. That would quickly change, however, thanks to Drew Brees.

The Game:

This was a homecoming game, and it was probably the best we have ever played on homecoming under coach Tiller. Most of it came in the form of 509 yards and five touchdowns from Brees. 301 yards, 21 receptions, and three of those touchdowns went to Chris Daniels, who set Big Ten records for receptions and yards in a single game. It was like these two had a Shinning going on that day. They were unstoppable.

Michigan State was coached by Nick Saban, author of the tragedy worse than 9/11 when his Crimson Tide lost to Louisiana-Monroe last season. Saban may have won a national title at LSU, but Purdue made him our bitch when he was at Michigan State. This was another game in which he had no answer for the Purdue offense. At least Michigan State did get off to a good start when Bill Burke found Burress for an 18 touchdown less than five minutes in. Things quickly turned south, however, when Michigan State missed the extra point.

Two minutes later Purdue took the lead for good when Brees found Daniels for a 51 yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. There wasn’t a defender anywhere near Daniels on the play, not that they could cover him anyway. When Brees had as much time to throw as he did on that play it was an easy score with Daniels that open.

A few plays later Burress fumbled the ball back to Purdue at the Michigan State 27. It then took one play for Purdue to get in the end zone again. Brees found a streaking Vinny Sutherland down the sideline for a 27 yard score to make it 14-6. Michigan State’s next drive ended in an interception by Adrian Beasley near midfield and Purdue was in business again. With 2:30 left in the quarter Brees put it in the end zone again with Daniels from 10 yards out. Stunningly, we were up 21-6 on a top five team at home. Since I was only a sophomore at Purdue my seats weren’t great, but the student section was rocking.

The defense got a quick stop and early in the second quarter the Boilers were driving again. Randall Lane was the beneficiary of Brees’ fourth TD pass in 18 minutes when he scored from the seven with 12:47 to go in the half. The play on the clips from Spoilermaker is even more special, as during the broadcast we see that Indiana got absolutely rocked that day at Wisconsin 59-0. Undoubtedly that score was announced to make a jovial student section even more excited.

We quickly got the ball yet again and were about to score before Brees made his first mistake. Drew threw his fifth touchdown pass of the half, but unfortunately it came on an 88-yard interception return by T.J. Turner. T.J. Duckett scored the two point conversion and Michigan State was back in it, at least for awhile. Purdue would get it back just before the half though when Daniels scored his third touchdown from four yards out to make it 35-14 at the break. All told Brees went for a monstrous 344 yards in the half, 200 of them to Daniels. If you count Turner’s pick he also threw six TD’s.

Things slowed down somewhat in the second half as Purdue had to rely on its defense more. Michigan State made things interesting by scoring on a T.J. Duckett run to cap its first drive of the half. Brees then threw a second pick-6, this time to Aric Morris, who returned it 76 yards for a score. As well as Purdue played in the first half, the Boilers were suddenly only up 35-28 with 4:14 left in the third.

As always, Brees had an answer. Drew engineered another lengthy drive and took it in himself from a yard out with 1:28 left in the quarter to bump the lead back up to 14. Michigan State threatened on its next drive, but Beasley came through with his second interception of the day at the goal line. Beasley returned it to the 42 and Purdue was in business again.

A quick side note on Beasley: was there a defensive player that was involved in more big plays from 1997-99 than him? We saw he had a two interception game against Oklahoma State in the last game on the countdown, while we see him here again. We forced 6 turnovers int his game, and BEasley was involved in at least half of them. He also had the huge fumble return against Notre Dame in 1997 that was the turning point of the last 12 years of Purdue football. This kid was money for us, and it’s a shame more people don’t remember him.

After Beasley’s second pick little else happened as the teams seemed to be wore out from trading punts. Purdue finally got on the board again with 3:19 left when Travis Dorsch kicked a 23 yard field goal. The Boilers then added some icing to the win when David Nugent returned a fumble for a touchdown 18 seconds later to cap the scoring. It was an especially sweet play for Nugent, as the previous season he had a TD in the Kansas State game and the sack that clinched the game at Michigan State. All that was left at that point was to watch another promising start to a Michigan State season go up in smoke.

After the Game:

Anyone who was a Purdue student at the time remembers that Follett’s had a special deal for the Monday’s following home football games. The deal was that you would get a discount on any Purdue merchandise equal to the number of points scored by the Boilers in the previous Saturday’s game. While I had missed out on a 58% discount after beating Central Michigan earlier that season, I remember cleaning house to the tune of a shocking 52% that Monday. Since it was just after my birthday it meant I had some extra cash to spend as well, so it was a pretty sweet.

This was an especially vindicating win for the program that needed a big one at the time. It also elevated Drew more into the national consciousness, as it was the best he had performed on the big stage since the Alamo Bowl upset of Kansas State. Even though he ended up throwing four interceptions, his 509 yards and 5 touchdowns was still quite impressive. Michigan State lost the next week 40-10 at Wisconsin, but didn’t lose another game that season. They went on to finish 10-2 with a Citrus Bowl victory over Florida on New Year’s Day, making them our best win of the season. That make’s Drew’s performance look that much better.

We finished the season more down than up. It was the last time we would leave Ross-Ade happy that year, as home losses to Penn State and Wisconsin put a damper on the finish. After the Michigan State game we had a 15-1 home record under Tiller, including 10 in a row, but that changed. Close road wins at Minnesota and Indiana put us in a New Year’s Day Bowl for the first time in the school’s history at the Outback Bowl (technically the 1967 Rose Bowl was played January 2), but we all know what happened there. At 7-5 we finished a respectable 25th, but the season could have been so much more.

All told, I think the 1999 season was just setting the table for what happened in 2000. We learned some lessons we needed to learn in some tough losses, and Drew learned what he needed to learn by being in the national spotlight for the first time. It would make him a much better player the next season.

Best wins of the Tiller Era #8: Oklahoma State 1997

Our next win in the countdown is a step above the others. We had our last tie between this game and the #7 game, but the #7 game came in convincing fashion over a top ranked opponent. Today’s game, Purdue’s 33-20 win over Oklahoma State in the 1997 Alamo Bowl, was a little bit below that. Still, it was an incredibly important win in the history of the program. It had been 13 years since Purdue had played a postseason game, and 17 years since Purdue had won one. We had never faced the Cowboys before, but I am sure that this very game is at least part of the reason that Oklahoma State will be filling the schedule for a home and home series early next decade. I am quite excited to hear that the Cowboys will be coming to Ross-Ade. I am a big fan of playing teams we don’t normally play. That’s why I am also excited for this season’s Oregon game. When Oklahoma State comes to town there won’t be as much anticipation, but Purdue fans will certainly be reminded of that night in San Antonio when they do show up.

Date: December 30, 1997

Place: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Incoming Purdue record: (8-3, ranked 16th)

Incoming Oklahoma State record: (8-3, ranked 24th)

This was a new experience for me. I recently looked up what Purdue game was my first and found it was the 22-22 tie with Louisville at the beginning of the 1987 season. That was the year I started going to games with my parents. In that time I had seen a lot of bad Purdue football. By the time the 1997 season had rolled around I was a senior in high school trying to decide if I would go to Purdue or accept an academic scholarship to Bradley University. I recognize now that because of what I got my degree in it wasn’t the smartest choice, but the 1997 Purdue football season greatly influenced my decision. The sudden success of the Boilers was something I felt like I couldn’t miss out on, especially since Bradley didn’t even have a football team. I had never seen Purdue win more than four games in a season, so playing in the Alamo Bowl was new for me as it was for many Purdue fans.

After thrashing Indiana 56-7 to take the Bucket back by force there was a new buzz around the program. With only five previous bowl trips in our history, and such a long drought since the last one, everyone was excited to be headed somewhere. Technically the BCS didn’t exist yet, so with an 8-3 record and 6-2 conference mark we waited several weeks to find out our destination. Most people didn’t care because any bowl game was cause for celebration at that time. As it was, playing in San Antonio was a pretty good bowl game since it was the best non-New Year’s Day bowl game the Big Ten was affiliated with. As a result, Boiler Nation descended on San Antonio.

The Game:

Lost in the performance of Joe Tiller’s “basketball on grass” offense in his first season was the play of the Boilermaker defense. The offense was certainly fun to watch, but the defense made sure the offense had plenty of opportunities to work. That 1997 defense seemed to always be forcing turnovers, often scoring off of those turnovers. The games against Northwestern, Illinois, and Indiana were especially strong defensive performances, and in the Alamo bowl game the defense came to play again. They forced four turnovers and kept Oklahoma State out of the end zone in the first half. Each turnover was a huge momentum swing as well. The Cowboys had a very potent offense coming into the game as well, but our defense was up to the task.

Oklahoma State was ending a nine year bowl drought of its own, and came out with some momentum. The Cowboys managed an early field goal, but Billy Dicken put Purdue out in front with an 18 yard pass to Brian Alford for a 7-3 lead after one. I wonder sometimes how high Dicken would have been drafted if he had been able to play another year or two in Tiller’s system. As it was, Dicken had one of the best season’s in school history, but his records were quickly eclipsed by Drew Brees over the following few seasons. Still, Dicken’s 1997 season was a thing of beauty, as the senior stepped in and took the early reigns of coach Tiller’s offense to light up the Big Ten.

Both teams managed just a field goal in the second quarter, but it was Adrian Beasley that quickly made a difference. Beasley, who at the time was the author of the most famous play in Purdue history (which we will visit later), had a pair of interceptions in the game. His first set up Alford’s touchdown, and Shane Ryan connected on a second quarter field goal so Purdue would 10-6 at the half.

To start the second half it was Beasley again. Beasley’s second interception came on Oklahoma State’s first series of the second half. He was able to return it all the way to the six yard line and Dicken finished the job with a 1 yard touchdown plunge. Shane Ryan missed the extra point, but that would prove to be moot. Three minutes later Oklahoma State would get close again with a 21 yard touchdown run by Jamaal Fobbs. His score made it 16-13 Purdue, but that is as close as the Cowboys would get.

While the defense had made several big plays to this point, once Purdue got the ball back it was the offense’s turn. A 60-yard catch and run by Edwin Watson set up a 16 yard reverse by Vinny Sutherland to make it 23-13. Purdue got a stop, and needed only three plays to get in the end zone again. This time Chris Daniels, who as we will see in a game later on in this countdown would eventually set an NCAA single-game record for yards the next season, had a 69 yard catch and run for a touchdown. With 3:52 left in the third Purdue was up 30-13.

This was more than enough for the defense. The Boilers never let Oklahoma State threaten when it mattered again. Purdue would add another field goal by Ryan with 9:12 left in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 20. The rest of the game would be a celebration as the Boilers notched their first win in a bowl since the 1980 Peach Bowl. The Cowboys managed a touchdown by R.W. McQuarters with 55 seconds left, but it served to only make the score closer.

After the Game:

As we know, this was the first in a series of 10 bowl games the Boilers have played in during Tiller’s first 11 years. We would go on to win another Alamo Bowl before losing six of the next seven bowl games. At the time, it was a big win and a great way to cap a season that few people saw coming. We would finish 9-3 and have the best turnaround in the country after a 3-8 record in 1996. Joe Tiller also ended up winning several Coach of the Year honors, while a number of Boilermakers such as Brian Alford saw their names called on draft day. It seemed like the culture of the entire program had changed overnight, and that is exactly what we needed.

Dicken closed his career at Purdue with a fantastic encore, throwing for 325 yards on just 18 completions and a pair of touchdowns. Despite three interceptions he took home game Offensive MVP honors, as he added 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His 325 yards passing would set an Alamo Bowl record. Watson didn’t find the end zone, but he finished with more than 100 yards receiving from his running back position.

Honestly, this game seems so long ago that some of the details are forgotten. As we will see over the course of this countdown, two more victories from that season stand out a little more. Still, it was a big win for the program and marked the highest we would finish in a final season poll under coach Tiller. At the time, everyone was thoroughly pleased with anything Joe did. He could walk on water and move mountains as far as we were concerned because he had turned us into a winner. It is interesting to see how the perspective of the fan base has changed in 11 years. It’s a good thing that we are no longer merely satisfied with making a bowl game, but at the same time we got so good so quickly that Joe may have become a victim of his own success. It’s hard to say how things would be viewed differently had we had a slow build up to respectability instead of a sudden surge, but I will take the sudden surge over more years of suckatude any day.