2003 Purdue Boilermakers football | |||
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Capital One Bowl, L 27-34 vs. Georgia | |||
Conference | Big Ten Conference | ||
Ranking | |||
Coaches | #19 | ||
AP | #18 | ||
2003 record | 9-4 (6-2 Big Ten) | ||
Head coach | Joe Tiller | ||
Home stadium | Ross-Ade Stadium | ||
Seasons
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2003 Big Ten football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#6/7 Michigan † | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#4/4 Ohio State ‡ | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#18/19 Purdue | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#8/8 Iowa | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
#20/17 Minnesota | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan State | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn State | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† – BCS representative as champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll |
The 2003 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2003 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Joe Tiller and played its home games at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue played thirteen games in the 2003 season, finishing with a 9-4 record and a loss in the Capital One Bowl to Georgia.
Contents |
Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
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09/06/2003 | 1:00 p.m. | Bowling Green* | #18 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | none | L 26-27 | 58,225[1] | |
09/13/2003 | 12:00 p.m. | at #21 Wake Forest* | BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC | ESPN | W 16-10 | 29,853[1] | ||
09/20/2003 | 1:00 p.m. | Arizona* | #25 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | none | W 59-7 | 52,310[1] | |
09/27/2003 | 3:30 p.m. | Notre Dame* | #22 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ABC | W 23-10 | 64,614[1] | |
10/04/2003 | 4:30 p.m. | Illinois | #22 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPN | W 43-10 | 64,139[1] | |
10/11/2003 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State | #18 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ABC | W 28-14 | 59,720[1] | |
10/18/2003 | 12:00 p.m. | at #14 Wisconsin | #13 | Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI | ESPN | W 26-23 | 79,541[1] | |
10/25/2003 | 3:30 p.m. | at #13 Michigan | #10 | Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI | ABC | L 3-31 | 111,349[1] | |
11/01/2003 | 12:00 p.m. | Northwestern | #17 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPN | W 34-14 | 51,110[1] | |
11/08/2003 | 3:30 p.m. | #10 Iowa | #14 | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | ESPN | W 27-14 | 60,058[1] | |
11/15/2003 | 3:30 p.m. | at #4 Ohio State | #10 | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH | ABC | L 13-16 OT | 105,286[1] | |
11/22/2003 | 12:00 p.m | at Indiana | #16 | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | ESPN Plus | W 24-16 | 41,404[1] | |
01/01/2004 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. #11 Georgia* | #12 | Florida Citrus Bowl • Orlando, FL (Capital One Bowl) | ABC | L 34-27 OT | 64,565[1] | |
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
Boilermakers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 26 |
The senior-laden Boilermakers (8 senior starters on defense) entered the year with high expectations (#18 preseason ranking), but suffered an opening day stunner at the hands of the MAC's Bowling Green Falcons in a 27-26 upset.
After Purdue took the season's opening drive for a TD (a jump-ball TD catch by 6' 9" freshman WR Kyle Ingraham), Bowling Green's senior QB Josh Harris responded with outstanding clutch play, throwing for 350 yards and 3 TDs in the see-saw contest. Late in the game with Purdue leading 24-20, the Purdue offense could not take advantage of a DE Shaun Phillips interception. With under 3 minutes remaining, Harris drove the Falcons down the field to a 4th and 14 situation at the Purdue 32 yard line. In a play eerily similar to the 2002 "Holy Buckeye" play, Harris evaded a heavy rush to deliver a deep pass to WR Charles Sharon, who outfought 2 Purdue defenders to make the winning TD catch.
Purdue WR Taylor Stubblefield had 16 catches for 139 yards and caught his first-ever regular season TD in defeat, but had an unfortunate drop on the final drive that could have set up a game-tying FG attempt. Falcons WR Cole Magner ran out the last 8 seconds of the game clock on a 4th down play by running into and then out of the end zone for a safety, bringing the score to its final tally.
Bowling Green would go on to have one of its best football seasons ever, finishing 11-3 in 2003 with a Motor City Bowl win over Northwestern. Purdue would emerge from this loss with a new determination in the weeks ahead that would bring success...
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boilermakers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
Demon Deacons | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Purdue rebounded from their opening day loss with a close win at Wake Forest - which was nationally-ranked for the first time in 16 years after starting the season with wins over 2 ranked opponents. All-American free safety Stuart Schweigert made a game-clinching tackle for loss on a late 4th and short situation after the Deacons forced a turnover. "Stu" also set up a FG with an interception on the game's first play from scrimmage.
New Purdue kicker Ben Jones, a transfer from Butler, made 3 important FGs to provide the final margin.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wildcats | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Boilermakers | 7 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 59 |
After sporting Gold unis at home since 2002, the Boilermakers were "Back in Black" uniforms for the first of a 4 game homestand beginning with the struggling Arizona Wildcats of the PAC-10. The Boilermakers blew out Arizona by a Ross-Ade Stadium record margin of 59-7. The offense outgained Arizona 580-174, achieving near perfect balance with 288 rushing and 292 passing yards. Redshirt freshman RB Jerome Brooks paced Purdue with 122 yards on the ground, and the Purdue defense sacked Arizona QBs 5 times; fifth-year senior LB Landon Johnson recovered a fumble and had an interception.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Fighting Irish | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Boilermakers | 10 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
The Boilermakers improved to 3-1 and returned to the Top 25 with a win over their rival Notre Dame. Purdue's senior-laden defense feasted on freshman QB Brady Quinn, making his first start, repeatedly knocking him down and intercepting him 4 times (FS Stuart Schweigert had 2 of these thefts). Quinn still managed to throw for 297 yards, but Julius Jones and the Irish running game was bottled up by the Boilermaker defense, which made the ND offense one-dimensional. The Irish defense played well in defeat, holding Purdue's offense to 223 total yards, but they could not force any turnovers.
Purdue struck first with QB Kyle Orton's 36 yard TD pass to Ray Williams on a busted coverage, then they turned LB Niko Koutouvides' interception into a FG for a 10-0 lead. The Irish pulled to 13-10 before the half on WR Maurice Stovall's 85 yard TD catch-and-run. But the Irish did not score again, and Quinn's third interception early in the 4th quarter was turned into a goal-line TD pass from Orton to DE Shaun Phillips, who lined up at TE on the play to provide the final 23-10 margin (repeating his feat vs. Minnesota the year before).
WR John Standeford became Purdue's all-time leader in receptions with 2 catches on the early TD drive. The record was short-lived however, as his teammate WR Taylor Stubblefield would shatter this mark in 2004.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Fighting Illini | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Boilermakers | 20 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 43 |
In their Big Ten opener on homecoming, Purdue jumped all over Illinois early and often in a 43-10 win that brought them to a 4-1 mark. Purdue scored TDs on 4 of their first 5 drives for a 27-0 lead by early in the 2nd quarter. Terrific protection by C Nick Hardwick and the rest of the offensive line helped sophomore RB Jerod Void rush for 119 yards and 4 TDs. RB Jerome Brooks added 82 yards on the way to 300+ yards team rushing.
Purdue's veteran defense shined once again, limiting the Illinois offense to 191 total yards and no TDs. The Illini's lone TD came on a late punt return score by RB E.B. Halsey.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Nittany Lions | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Boilermakers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 28 |
Purdue improved to 5-1 largely thanks to a terrific day of punt returns from Anthony Chambers, who returned one for a TD and set up 2 other TDs with long returns.
Penn State sophomore QB Michael Robinson, filling in for injured QB Zach Mills, endured a difficult day (10-32; 98 yards, 2 interceptions) at the hands of the Purdue defense, who limited PSU to 204 total yards. After Chambers' punt return TD made the score 17-7, Purdue's promising late first half drive was thwarted by CB Alan Zemaitis' 90 yard interception return, setting up a Robinson TD pass to cut Purdue's lead to 3. But the Nittany Lions would not score again.
Physical sophomore RB Brandon Jones relieved injured starting RB Jerod Void to the tune of 149 yards on 29 carries with 2 short TD runs. Kicker Ben Jones missed his first FG of the year, but made his other 2 attempts, improving his early season tally to 9 FGs in 10 attempts.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Boilermakers | 14 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
Badgers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
In a Big Ten classic hosted by ESPN College Football Gameday, the Boilermakers became bowl-eligible for the seventh year in a row under Joe Tiller by prevailing over #14 Wisconsin, which had ended Ohio State's 19 game winning streak the previous week.
The Boilermakers played conservatively on offense most of 2003, but this game was an exception to that as Purdue led with their passing game. QB Kyle Orton masterfully engineered TD drives on Purdue's first 2 possessions for an early 14-0 lead. But Wisconsin rallied with an Anthony Davis TD run and LB Jeff Mack's fumble return for TD to close the margin to 14-13 early in the second quarter (the Badgers missed an extra point). The Badgers kept Purdue out of the end zone the rest of the game, but Purdue did add 3 field goals to produce a 23-16 lead. With less than 3 minutes left, Wisconsin safety Jim Leonhard made a spectacular punt return TD to tie the game. But that's when Orton guided the Purdue offense on an 82 yard drive for the winning Ben Jones 18 yard FG with 3 seconds left. On the winning drive, Orton converted 2 3rd down and long passes, and burned Wisconsin on a deep completion to WR Ray Williams to set up the winning kick.
In defeat, Wisconsin LB Alex Lewis recorded an amazing 5 sacks and forced the fumble that Mack returned for a TD. In victory, the Purdue defense continued its terrific 2003 performance by sacking Badger QBs 9 times, yielding only 12 first downs on less than 300 yards, and forcing 2 turnovers (including an interception by senior CB Jacques Reeves on Wisconsin's first offensive play).
Kyle Orton completed his first 15 passes on the way to a 38-55; 411 yard performance. Senior WR John Standeford and junior WR Taylor Stubblefield combined to catch 30 of Orton's completions for 314 yards. It was Stubblefield's second 16-catch performance of the season.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Boilermakers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Wolverines | 14 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
In a Top 15 showdown, Purdue's long winning streak came to an abrupt end in Ann Arbor, dropping to 6-2 against the supremely talented and eventual Big Ten champion #13 Michigan Wolverines. From start to finish, the entire Purdue offense was bullied, harassed and roughed-up by an ultra-aggressive Michigan defense that employed numerous blitzing schemes (7 sacks) and press "bump and run" coverage to limit the Boilermakers to only 242 yards of offense.
Despite being dominated, Purdue had a chance to seize momentum late in the first half when the Boilers recovered a fumble from a Shaun Phillips sack of Michigan QB John Navarre. After driving to a first and goal, QB Kyle Orton was intercepted in the end zone by CB Leon Hall, the first of 2 picks for the freshman playing for an injured Marlin Jackson.
The Michigan offense had a solid if not dominant day against the stout Purdue defense, as senior RB Chris Perry grinded out 95 yards on 28 carries. The terrific trio of Michigan WRs (Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant and Steve Breaston) each made valuable contributions. Avant had 5 catches for 90 yards, Breaston took an end-around 21 yards for a score, and Edwards had 6 catches for 86 yards and 2 scores, including a highlight-reel TD catch over CB Jacques Reeves to put the game completely out of reach.
Purdue coach Joe Tiller praised the Michigan receiving corps before and after the game as "the best...(he had) ever seen." He also was impressed by what he referred to as the "creatures" on the Wolverine defense.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Boilermakers | 14 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
After the nightmare in Ann Arbor, Purdue returned home and to their winning 2003 formula - turnover-producing defense, running game, play-action passing - against the solid Northwestern Wildcats in a 34-14 win that improved Purdue to 7-2 and kept them in the hunt for a share of the Big Ten title.
The normally fumble-free (NCAA-low 2 fumbles lost coming in) Wildcats lost 4 fumbles to Purdue. Two of these were turned into TDs by the Purdue offense, led by an efficient Kyle Orton (14-24; 212 yards, 1 rushing TD). Late in the 3rd quarter, after the Purdue defense had stopped Northwestern short of the end zone, the Boilermakers embarked on a 98 yard TD drive that ended with RB Jerod Void's 2nd TD run to salt the game away .
Senior WR John Standeford set the Big Ten career receiving yards record in this game, getting a brief ovation after setting the record in the 4th quarter.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Hawkeyes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Boilermakers | 7 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 27 |
On a Senior Day clash with a defense every bit as strong as their own, #14 Purdue scored a surprisingly decisive 27-14 win over #10 Iowa to improve to 8-2 - Purdue's best record this late into the season since 1979. Boilermaker sophomore RB Jerod Void had his best game of the season to date with 34 carries for 120 yards and 2 TDs against the NCAA top 10 ranked Iowa run defense.
For the 8th time in 10 games, the Boilers took their opening drive for a score, as Void took advantage of terrific blocking by his offensive line and junior FB Jon Goldsberry for 22 and 9 yard runs, the latter going for a TD. Purdue then added 2 field goals before halftime, while Iowa miscues kept them scoreless. On two different occasions Iowa QB Nathan Chandler missed open receivers for TDs. On another drive a Chandler TD pass to WR Mo Brown was called back by penalty, and then the Hawkeyes came up empty when kicker Nate Kaeding missed his first FG of the year.
In the 2nd half's opening drive, Purdue started with a kickoff return to midfield, and then converted a 3rd and 5 situation with QB Kyle Orton's 45 yard TD pass to WR Anthony Chambers for a 20-0 lead. On the Boilers' next possession, Orton's efficient passing and nifty bootleg runs set up Void's second TD for a 27-0 advantage with 7:30 left in the 3rd quarter. After Iowa drove for TDs on their next 2 possessions to narrow the score to 27-14 with 9:56 left in the game, Orton directed the Purdue offense on a ball-control 8 minute drive that featured numerous 3rd down conversions to bring the clock down to 2:09 to go, but Purdue came up empty when kicker Ben Jones missed a FG attempt. The Iowa offense then made the game interesting by moving into scoring position on a couple of brilliant Mo Brown receptions. But Purdue free safety Stuart Schweigert - playing in his last home game - put an end to the Hawkeye rally with an end zone interception.
Notwithstanding the late rally, Purdue's defense had another fine performance, as it held terrific Iowa RB Fred Russell to 35 yards rushing on 18 carries, and sacked Chandler 4 times.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
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Boilermakers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
Buckeyes | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 16 |
For the second time this year, ESPN College Gameday visited a contest involving Purdue, and with a chance to qualify for a share of the Big Ten title or an at-large BCS bowl game, the Boilermakers suffered a heartbreaking loss for the 2nd straight year to the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes, falling 16-13 to the Buckeyes in overtime.
As expected, the defenses largely controlled the game by keeping it low in points and high in punts. Purdue took its opening offensive drive 53 yards before settling for a Ben Jones FG. Late in the first quarter, the Buckeyes struck on a 58 yard pass from QB Craig Krenzel to WR Michael Jenkins to set up a 1st and goal. A controversial pass interference no-call resulted in a short FG for Buckeyes' all-time great kicker Mike Nugent to tie the game at 3. Purdue RB Jerod Void returned the ensuing kickoff near midfield, resulting in a short drive that ended with a long Jones FG to put Purdue back up 6-3. The Buckeyes slowly gained an edge in field position for the rest of the half, as they turned a short drive into a 52 yard Nugent FG to send the teams into the locker room tied at 6.
The game turned into a field position battle for the better part of the 2nd half, as neither team's offense had turned the ball over. Purdue did, however, fail to benefit from an 86 yard drive that ended with a missed Ben Jones FG that hooked badly wide left.
Early in the 4th quarter Purdue faced a 3rd and long deep in their own territory. OSU defensive linemen Will Smith and Tim Anderson converged on QB Kyle Orton, forcing a fumble that DE Mike Kudla recovered for a TD that gave OSU their first lead at 13-6. After a punt exchange, Purdue started a drive from their own 8 yard line with 6:36 to go and quickly faced another 3rd down and long yardage situation. Starting with a third down conversion pass to Anthony Chambers, Orton moved the Purdue offense over the next 5 plays to the OSU 11 yard line and then capped the impressive game-tying drive with a well-executed Statue of Liberty TD run by Void.
After the Buckeyes' next drive ended just outside of FG range, the OSU punt by B. J. Sander pinned Purdue inside their own 20 yard line for the seventh time in the game. With under 2 minutes left, the Boilermakers moved the ball to their 32 yard line, but then Orton mishandled a QB snap, resulting in a fumble that the Buckeyes recovered. OSU proceeded to run the clock down to 4 seconds on three running plays to set up Nugent's winning FG attempt. However, on the last play of regulation reserve LB Bobby Iwuchukwu (in for the injured Gilbert Gardner) blocked the FG, keeping Purdue alive and sending the game to Overtime.
On Ohio State's overtime possession, the offense could not get a first down, but Nugent kicked a FG (partially blocked again by Iwuchukwu) to put the Buckeyes ahead 16-13. Needing a FG to tie or TD to win, Purdue gained a first down on an amazing effort by WR Taylor Stubblefield but could not advance further, bringing in Jones for a game-tying FG attempt. Unfortunately for Purdue, Jones missed the FG wide left, ending the game.
In defeat, Senior captain LB Niko Koutouvides had 15 tackles and 2 pass defenses in a truly valiant effort by Purdue against the eventual 2004 Fiesta Bowl champions.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boilermakers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Hoosiers | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
Purdue finished a highly successful regular season at 9-3 to qualify for a New Years' Day bowl, but it was not without struggle against the lowly 2-10 Indiana Hoosiers. The Boilermakers made some uncharacteristic mistakes that turned a comfortable margin into a 5-point game, but then held on to get the 24-16 win.
Two of Purdue's senior stars - WR John Standeford (6-151, 2 TDs) and LB Landon Johnson - had big days and made key plays. The Hoosiers had turned a 21-3 deficit late in the 3rd quarter into a 21-16 margin early in the 4th quarter with a chance to take the lead by intercepting Kyle Orton twice. On the ensuing Hoosier drive after Orton's 2nd interception, LB Landon Johnson picked off Matt Lovecchio to end the IU threat. Purdue later added a Ben Jones FG, and then ran out the rest of the clock with the help of RB Jerod Void's best game of the season (31 carries, 141 yards).
In defeat, IU (and future Ole Miss and New England Patriot) freshman RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis had a terrific day with 155 yards on the ground, becoming the first RB to gain over 100 yards on Purdue's stout 2003 defense.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bulldogs | 14 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
Boilermakers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 27 |
In a game that mostly reversed the script of their previous meeting in the 2000 Outback Bowl, Purdue and Georgia played a game that featured a big early lead (Georgia 24-0) and a late rally to force overtime (tied at 27). However, like their 2000 meeting, Georgia emerged as the winner in a truly entertaining 34-27 game.
Needless to say, Purdue had a rough start. First, as was not typical in 2003, the Purdue defense - which was playing without seniors Jacques Reeves and Gilbert Gardner - got picked apart for the better part of the first half, as Georgia rolled up 24 points and almost 300 yards of offense led by the effective passing of QB David Greene to a talented receiving corps (that included WR Reggie Brown and TE Ben Watson). Meanwhile, the Purdue offense could not move against the ultra-athletic Georgia defense (30 total yards deep into the 2nd quarter). Making matters worse, Boilers starting QB Kyle Orton dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand on a David Pollack sack, removing him from the game as Purdue fell further behind.
In an amazing display of toughness and courage, Orton returned after only a few series, sparking the Purdue rally with 10 points late in the 2nd quarter. First, Orton capped a no-huddle drive with a 20 yard TD run to put Purdue on the board. Then on the first play of the ensuing UGA drive, Purdue forced and recovered a fumble, resulting in a Ben Jones FG.
The third quarter was mostly a field position battle with both defenses firmly in control, keeping the score 24-10.
Early in the fourth quarter, Orton completed passes on 4 consecutive plays to WR Taylor Stubblefield to move Purdue 60 yards to a first and goal situation. Orton ended the drive with his second TD run to make it a one possession game. But Greene and the Georgia offense responded with an efficient time-consuming drive that ended with a Billy Bennett FG for a 27-17 advantage with less than 5 minutes to go.
But the Boilers were far from finished. After an exchange of punts, Purdue started a drive with just over 2 minutes left with a terrific 60 yard pass from Orton to WR John Standeford, and then finished it with an Anthony Chambers TD catch to make the score 27-24.
Georgia recovered the ensuing onside kick, but then Bulldogs freshman RB Kregg Lumpkin marred an otherwise solid day (over 100 yards rushing) with a critical mistake on a clock-killing run: trying to make a cutback for more yardage, Lumpkin was stripped of the ball from behind by DE Shaun Phillips. LB Niko Koutouvides recovered at the UGA 35 to give Purdue new life. Although the Purdue offense could not score a TD, they did tie on a clutch 44 yard FG from Ben Jones to send the game to overtime.
Purdue won the OT coin toss and elected to go on defense first. Helped by a questionable end zone pass interference call, Georgia got a TD run from Lumpkin on a 4th and goal from the 1 - a gutsy call by Mark Richt. Then Purdue could not score the necessary TD on their OT possession, which ended with an end zone interception on 4th and goal.
This was arguably Joe Tiller's best overall team at Purdue, ending one of the school'smost successful campaigns with a 9-4 record.
Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL Club |
Nick Hardwick | Center | 2 | 66 | San Diego Chargers |
Stuart Schweigert | Safety | 3 | 67 | Oakland Raiders |
Gilbert Gardner | Linebacker | 3 | 69 | Indianapolis Colts |
Landon Johnson | Linebacker | 3 | 96 | Cincinnati Bengals |
Shaun Phillips | Defensive End | 4 | 98 | San Diego Chargers |
Niko Koutouvides | Linebacker | 4 | 116 | Seattle Seahawks |
Kelly Butler | Offensive Line | 6 | 172 | Detroit Lions |
Craig Terrill | Defensive Tackle | 6 | 189 | Seattle Seahawks |
Jacques Reeves | Cornerback | 7 | 223 | Dallas Cowboys |
Purdue set a team record with 9 NFL Draft picks, breaking the school record of 8 in 1973.
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