2000 Purdue Boilermaker football team

The Irish scored 17 points off Purdue miscues and Nick Setta kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired to give Notre Dame a 23-21 victory over the Boilermakers (2-1) on Saturday. The loss was the 12th straight for Purdue at Notre Dame (2-1). Godsey, a sophomore making his first start, completed 14 passes - one more than Purdue's Drew Brees managed against Notre Dame and one more than Arnaz Battle did in Notre Dame's first two games. "I did? Wow, sweet," Godsey said when told.

One of his biggest passes came late in the fourth quarter on a third-and-10 from the Notre Dame 37. He connected with Javin Hunter on a 15-yard pass to keep the drive going. Godsey, a sophomore recruited to Notre Dame as a tight end, followed that with an 11-yard pass to David Givens. "You've got to give No. 14 credit. It was a limited game plan but he found a way to get us down there and get us a field goal at the end," Irish coach Bob Davie said.

It marked the third straight time in the once lopsided rivalry that the game was decided in the final minute. Before that, Notre Dame won 11 straight against Purdue with none of the games decided by less than a touchdown.

The Irish won even though Purdue had 398 yards total offense compared to just 236 yards for Notre Dame. "I think had we thrown more, we might have won," Brees said. "But maybe had we taken out those throwing plays that weren't that good on my part, we could have won as well."

The winning field goal continues the trend of last minute decisions in the game. Trailing 28-23 last year, the Irish had the ball first-and-goal at the Purdue 9 with 61 seconds left and gained 7 yards on the first play but failed to score. A year earlier, Brees was intercepted with less than two minutes to go to set up a touchdown that gave Notre Dame a 31-30 lead. Brees was intercepted again in the final minute.

Minnesota (Homecoming)

Purdue kicker Travis Dorsch suffered long enough. So on Saturday, Dorsch finally alleviated some of his angst. He booted a 33-yard field goal with four seconds left, giving Purdue a 32-31 victory over No. 6 Michigan and finally giving Dorsch some solace.

"It's a good feeling," said Dorsch, whose first game-winning kick at Purdue (4-2, 2-1 in Big Ten) brought the Boilermakers their first victory over Michigan under fourth-year head coach Joe Tiller. "I think, you know, the one last week is looked at as the kick that lost the game for us. This one you can look as the kick that won the game for us." The kick a week ago, at Penn State, had been the most recent failure on Dorsch's resume. With 2:11 left Saturday, it looked like Dorsch might suffer yet another setback - when he missed a 32-yard attempt wide left.

But the Purdue forced a punt, and Drew Brees quickly guided the Boilermakers back into field goal position, providing Dorsch with a second chance. "I didn't even warm up for the second kick," he said. "I stood on the sidelines the whole time. I felt like I'd been hitting the ball well, that I'd been getting through the ball quickly. By not warming up, I thought I could slow my leg down." The teams combined for 960 yards in total offense. Brees completed 32 of 44 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 80 yards. He also broke Chuck Long's Big Ten record for touchdown passes and Mark Herrmann's school record for passing yardage, Brees now has 76 touchdowns and 10,054 yards. "Our team was playing with confidence as the game wore on," Tiller said of a defense that limited Michigan to just 79 yards in the second half. "Our team became, not just our defense but collectively as a team, something we talked about at halftime was believing."

Purdue scored on all but two second-half possessions, getting a 1-yard run from Ennis and a 16-yard run from Lowe to make it 28-23 late in the third quarter. Michigan extended its lead to 31-23 when Jeff Del Verne made a 34-yard field goal with 11:55 left. But Purdue responded with another touchdown drive and then failed on its second 2-point conversion, making it 31-29. With 2:11 to play, Dorsch got his first shot from the left hash mark, but missed. Just 1:03 later, Dorsch was back for the game-winner. "I'm happy for us as a team," Tiller said. "But there's no one I'm more pleased to see have success than Travis."

Northwestern

All Drew Brees wanted was a second chance. "I stepped into the huddle and told the guys this is the way it is supposed to be. We will be successful," said Brees, who teamed with a trio of receivers and carried Purdue one step closer to the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Brees tied his career worst by throwing four interceptions, but he passed for 455 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns as the No. 16 Boilermakers beat No. 12 Ohio State 31-27.

With two more victories, Purdue would be assured of its first trip to the Rose Bowl in 34 years. "I didn't know it would happen like it did, but it happened, didn't it?" Brees said. "It's hard not to think about the mistakes, but I guess I redeemed myself."

The Boilermakers (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) trailed 27-24 with just over two minutes to go after Brees' fourth interception set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Jerry Westbrooks. But on the second play after the kickoff, Brees passed 64 yards to Seth Morales, who got behind the Ohio State defense and went in for the winning touchdown with 1:55 to go.

The Buckeyes (6-2, 3-2), who had not lost to Purdue since 1988, fumbled a bad snap on their next possession, and Purdue ran out the clock as fans poured onto the field to celebrate.

Michigan State

The Boilermakers (8-4), playing in their first Rose Bowl in 34 years and second ever, got off to a disastrous start, falling behind 14-0 before the game was 10 1/2 minutes old. They contributed to their problems by committing six first-quarter penalties.

The Boilermakers drew within 10 points on a 42-yard run by Sedrick Brown on a fourth-and-1 with 6:37 left, and got the ball back a little over a minute later when Tuiasosopo threw a lateral Elstrom couldn't handle at the end of a 26-yard run and Ashante Woodyard recovered at the Purdue 49. However, Travis Dorsch was wide left on a 42-yard field goal with 4:54 to play, and the Huskies then ran out the clock. Marcus Tuiasosopo, who was named the game's MVP, gained five yards on a fourth-and-1 play from the Washington 45 with a little less than three minutes left.

"I think their physical offensive line had a big hand in the game, and certainly, their quarterback is an exceptional player, without a doubt," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "They did what they had to do to win the game. I thought our team had its moments. I liked the way we came back in the first half after digging ourselves a hole. Our offense underperformed. We did not put ourselves in position to win the game."

"It was a great road getting here," Brees said. "It was a dream season. Of course, I'm upset that we lost this game, but I thought that we played hard and we never gave up."

=Notable Players' Statistics=
* QB Drew Brees (Sr.): The Heismann candidate, now with the New Orleans Saints, had a great line his senior year: 309/512 (60.4%) for 3,668 yards (305.7 YPG) with 26 TD vs. 12 INT.
* RB Montrell Lowe (So.): 226 carries for 1,033 yards (83.2 YPG) with 6 TD.
* WR Vinny Sutherland (Sr.): 72 catches for 1,014 yards (92.2 YPG) with 13 TD.
* TE Tim Stratton (Jr.): This Mackey Award winner had 58 catches for 605 yards (50.4 YPG) with 2 TD in 2000.
* FS Stuart Schweigert (Fr.): Now with the Washington Redskins, the future "All-American" recorded 5 interceptions and 85 tackles in 2000.
* LB Landon Johnson (Fr.): Now with the Cincinnatti Bengals, Johnson recorded 2 fumble recoveries, 71 tackles, including 6 for loss and 2 sacks.
* LB Akin Ayodele (So.): Now with the Dallas Cowboys, recorded 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and had 66 tackles, including 15 for loss and 9 sacks.
* DE Shaun Phillips (Fr.): Now with the San Diego Chargers as a LB, recorded 14 tackles for loss and 7 sacks in 2000.
* DT Craig Terrill (So.): Now with the Seattle Seahawks, recorded 7 tackles for loss, including 6 sacks in 2000.
* K Travis Dorsch (Jr.): 12 FGM with 45 XPM. Would be given the Ray Guy Award in 2001.

=Other Notable Pages=
*1997 Alamo Bowl
*1998 Alamo Bowl
*1999 Outback Bowl
*2001 Rose Bowl
*2001 Sun Bowl
*2002 Sun Bowl
*2004 Capital One Bowl
*2004 Sun Bowl
*2006 Purdue Boilermakers football team
*2006 Champs Sports Bowl
*2007 Purdue Boilermakers football team
*2007 Motor City Bowl

=References=