The Boilermakers scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Buckeyes and hand them their first loss of the season. There is a time and a place for it. The program had two Rose Bowl appearances, an incredible all-time roster of quarterbacks that included Bob Griese and Drew Brees, an equally impressive group of defensive ends, and a coaching list that included Jack Mollenkopf. He didn't know a lot about the group. The highest ranked teams in the country have been the most successful against unranked teams. Four more than any other program, the Boilermakers have won against unranked teams in the past. The Boilermakers get another chance Saturday night. It makes its first Big Ten championship game appearance and takes on Michigan, which is ranked second in both the College Football Playoff rankings. The tradition of the Spoilermakers is based on two sources according to the coach. When you play in this conference, we have had some opportunities, and our non conference schedule is usually pretty good as well. Boilermaker is a blue-collar school and that's our approach. You just try to make the most of what you have, work hard and figure things out, and see if you can pull something out. In order to get his team to believe that they're better than they are, Louisville's Howard Schnellenberger was a genius. He communicated in ways to inspire confidence both in the locker room and in the public. In the 24 hours leading up to the football game, his closed-door directives are all about belief. The same approach will be taken before the Michigan game. He said that you can't be in awe, you can't lose confidence, and you can't listen to what people say. If you play aggressive and prepare right, you can have a chance. Here is a look at the Boilermakers' nine wins against ranked teams. The date is October 16, 2021.
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Purdue 24, No. 2 Iowa 7
The Boilermakers upset the second ranked Iowa.
The week before the game, Iowa had earned its highest AP ranking in 30 years. The Hawkeyes relied on their defense and special teams to win games.
There was a way to get a lead.
The quarterback ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Boilermakers took a 14-7 lead. The Boilers defense held Iowa to 15 net yards on its first three drives before recording two picks on the next two drives. The offense surged behind O'Connell and Bell, who both had over 200 receiving yards.
The team made plays in the passing game. You need to be aggressive in your approach. They threw the ball more than they wanted, and we were able to intercept it. They prefer a different formula to be used. Running the football, playing defense and keeping the game close is what it is. They were off that formula.
The date is October 20th.
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
College GameDay showed his love for the Boilermakers last week. The sophomore is a super-fan of the Boilermakers.
There was an upset against Urban Meyer's Ohio State and the presence of Tyler Trent, who is fighting cancer, on that night. Trent, whose story was featured on "College GameDay" that morning, watched his beloved Boilers never trail Ohio State, held the Buckeyes to six points through three quarters and reached the end zone four times in the fourth.
Freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore had a big night, along with quarterback David Blough and running back D.J. The 29-point winning margin was the third largest in the history of the game.
There was a lot of motivation to play a top team and the Tyler Trent story. A few teams had played it close with Ohio State. How can we move that to the next step? We were not passive. We made some changes on defense. They had us on their heels.
The Boilermakers turned away the Buckeyes in the red zone. The Boilers hit the gas with big plays in the fourth quarter.
The lead was extended because of aggressive play by the team. You will find a way to screw it up against a good team if you don't take chances. It's important for your players to know that they are not sitting on a lead.
The date was October 6, 1983.
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Ohio State came into Ross-Ade Stadium with an offense led by several future NFL players. The best offensive football team the Boilers have faced is the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The quarterback for the Boilermakers, Jim Everett, completed 17 of 23 passes for 257 yards and three touchdown. The Boilers scored two times off Tomczak's picks in the fourth.
The cherry on top was a Rod Woodson pick-six late in the game that put it out of reach.
In the first game of the season, the Boilermakers upset Notre Dame in Indianapolis. The Boilers lost to Virginia in the Peach Bowl, but still finished second in the Big Ten with a 5-5 record.
There was a date in 1976.
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
One of Bo Schembechler's teams dominated West Lafayette. Michigan had won eight games in a row. The Navy loss was the worst in the team's history and the UM had shut out four opponents.
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It was as big of a shock as any of them. Alex Agase, the head coach of the Boilermakers, was on his way out. They looked like world beaters.
Scott Dierking ran for a team-record 158 yards and a touchdown against the Big Ten's top run defense in the Boilermakers' victory. Michigan scored on its first possession but would only score once more. Rock Supan, a defensive back with 11 tackles in the game, kicked a 23 yard field goal as the Boilermakers came back to win. He made it, and the Boilermakers won.
The only regular-season loss for Michigan would be this one. After losing to USC in the Rose Bowl, the UM would rise back up to the 2nd spot. It was the fourth straight losing season for the Boilermakers and they ended up finishing with a record of 6-7.
There was a date in 1974.
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Ara Parseghian was the coach of the Notre Dame team that won the national title in 1973. The Boilermakers lost their opener by 14 points to Wisconsin and then tied Miami (Ohio).
The Boilers were 35 point favorites.
The fact that they were such big favorites was taken umbrage by Agse. They appeared in that game.
The most points scored against Notre Dame in the first 15 minutes was by the Boilermakers. A pick-six by Bob Mannella and a touchdown run by Pete Gross were part of the surge.
"Spoilermakers Strike Again!" was the headline for September 30.
There was a date in 1960.
Location: Minneapolis
In 1960, the Boilermakers finished 4-4-1 but ranked 19th in the final AP poll. Six of the Boilers' nine opponents were ranked in the AP top 20 and one of them, Minnesota, went on to win the Rose Bowl.
The Boilers raced to a 14-0 lead behind quarterbackBernie Allen, who went on to play 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. The field goal by Allen was the difference in the game. Forest Farmer was named the national lineman of the week.
The Boilermakers beat Ohio State and Notre Dame in the same year.
The date was October 19th, 1957.
Location: East Lansing, Michigan
Michigan State was beginning its surge under Daugherty, while the Boilermakers stumbled into the game. The Spartans were 21-point favorites over the Boilers, who were without several players because of the flu. Michigan State held a significant advantage in first downs and completions, but lost five of them, including one in the second quarter that led to a touchdown.
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Another play in the second quarter would haunt Michigan State. The touchdown was nullified by a hit penalty. The touchdown was taken away and the penalty was assessed, which led to a missed field goal attempt.
The official who called the penalty replaced a more experienced official who had to leave after his wife had a heart attack. The Big Ten apologized to Michigan State for the mistake.
"That call changed the complexion of the game and we probably would have routedPurdue," Daugherty said.
The Spartans finished in the top three in the final poll. The Boilermakers lost to Ohio State once more, but went on to win the rest of their games.
The date was October 24,1953.
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Michigan State had won the national championship in 1952 and was on a 28-game win streak at the time. Dan Pobojewski, who had started his career at Michigan State but couldn't make the team, was brought in by the Boilers after they lost their first four games.
Pobojewski scored from a yard out in the fourth quarter.
Pobojewski said that he wasn't good enough to make their club. I wanted to cry when I rolled into the end zone.
In 59 games, Michigan State hadn't been blanked. The Boilermakers were shut out in their next two games and then fell to Ohio State and Indiana before ending the season with a win over Indiana.
The date is October 10, 1950.
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Notre Dame did not lose a game from 1946 to 1949. The 1950 season started with a win against North Carolina and the team won three national titles.
The team's tradition was shaped by Dale Samuels, a first-year starter who was just 5-foot-9. He threw nine passes for 158 yards. Notre Dame came back with two scores before Samuels threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Mike Maccioli. Notre Dame had not lost a game at home in over 70 years.
The party lasted for two days. On Monday, they canceled class. Everyone came out at the pep rally. Nobody was in a happy place.
After losing its first six games, the team rebounded with a win over Indiana. 40 million people learned about the outcome through radio or newsreels, according to a report. A high school student in Ohio wanted to be a pilot. The man's name was NeilArmstrong.
He remembers hearing those highlights on the radio as his first exposure to the school. In 55, he graduated.
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