November 9, 1996

No. 9 Michigan 3, Purdue 9

After a heartbreaking 1995 season and while suffering through a miserable 1996 campaign, Purdue head coach Jim Colletto announced his plans to retire at the season's conclusion. Though his decision seemed obvious to some, his players were shocked and wanted to send him out with a great win. The following week's game against Michigan would be Colletto's last chance to beat a top-ten opponent and defeat one of the 'Big Four' (Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State) in his six years as head coach. The Boilers did just that by winning this defensive battle 9-3. It was my first chance as a student to storm the field, as my fellow students were carrying a goalpost away to the Wabash River. During the game, West Lafayette received its first trace of snow for that fall, and many students, oblivious to the game, chanted, "We want snow! We want snow!"

Septemeber 13, 1997

No. 12 Notre Dame 17, Purdue 28

"I'm a good coach when I have good players."

With those words, September 13, 1997 became a circled date on calendars all over West Lafayette.

But the Boiler's chances of upsetting Notre Dame diminished in an embarrassing 36-22 loss at Toledo. Many were wondering if new head coach Joe Tiller's unique offense could work at Purdue. Some were even doubting if Billy Dicken would be the starter for the Notre Dame game.

Yet the Boilermaker players displayed a great deal of confidence before the game. Starting running back Ed Watson was quoted as saying, "Colletto is used to losing here (at Ross-Ade Stadium), so this will be nothing new to him."

Purdue controlled the game from start to finish, upsetting no. 12 Notre Dame 28-17. I stormed the field for the second time.

Jim Colletto seemingly tried to take some credit for the Purdue win, stating, "We didn't leave the cupboards empty."

While this was a great win for our program, it was also a great game for me personally because my parents, my sister, four of my cousins, an aunt, an uncle, and his brothers all made it down for the game. While not all of us were cheering for the winning team, I know I had a great time!

November 8, 1997

Michigan State 21, No. 23 Purdue 22

For over three and a half quarters, this could not be considered a good football game for Purdue. Michigan State dominated, and with just over two minutes to go and leading 21-10, they attempted a field goal to seal their win. As they lined up for their field goal attempt, I told a friend of mine, "We're going to block the kick, run it in for a touchdown, get the onside kick, and score to win." Now I am not claiming to be a psychic or anything, I just refused to give up on my team. Many fans in the stadium chose not to believe me, and began their journeys home.

But I was right.

Leo Perez was able to block the kick, and Roosevelt Colvin picked up the ball and returned it for a 62 yard score. With the two-point conversion no good, Purdue trailed 21-16.

Purdue then attempted and recovered the onside kick, giving Billy Dicken 1:58 to get the Boilers in the endzone. The drive ended on a 3 yard touchdown run by Ed Watson. Even though they missed the two-point conversion, the Boilermakers took their first lead of the day at 22-21.

A last second field goal attempt by Michigan State was clearly no good, and the fans stormed the field for the third and final time during my days as a Purdue student.

December 30, 1997

THE BUILDERS SQUARE ALAMO BOWL

No. 17 Purdue 33, No. 23 Oklahoma State 20

Two bowl-starved teams met in the 1997 Builders Square Alamo Bowl. I was fortunate enough to make it down to the game with my dad, and we enjoyed watching the Boilermakers cap off a wonderful 1997 season with a 33-20 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

San Antonio was a great place to have a bowl game. Although Purdue was passed over by the Outback Bowl selection committee, there is not one person who would have rather gone to Tampa over Texas. While we enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s, it was rainy and cold in Florida.

Though we were heavily outnumbered, the Boilermaker fans were the loudest and helped cheer their team to victory. But the game itself was a reward to both schools for a great 1997 season, and I believe that even those wearing orange had a good time.

November 21, 1998

Indiana 7, Purdue 52

In the only other Bucket game I attended, Purdue was embarrassed at home, losing 33-16 in 1996. With this being my last game as a student at Ross-Ade Stadium, and with Purdue's bowl location still up in the air, I was hoping for a convincing win over IU and their acclaimed quarterback Antwaan Randle El.

My wish was granted, as the Boilermakers plummeted the Hoosiers 52-7.

During my four years as a student, Purdue added three 'P' links to the Old Oaken Bucket's chain, while Indiana added only one 'I'. The total points scored in those four games add up to a 175-61 Purdue advantage.

December 29, 1998

THE BUILDERS SQUARE ALAMO BOWL

No. 4 Kansas State 34, Purdue 37

Ranked no. 1 in the country, all Kansas State had to do was win the Big 12 Championship Game against Texas A&M and they would be off to the national championship game. But the Wildcats fell to the Aggies in overtime, and wound up playing in the 1998 Alamo Bowl, against unranked Purdue.

Nobody gave the Boilers a chance, as Kansas State was expected to come out and 'make a statement' by pounding Purdue.

Disregarding the fact that we were huge underdogs, three friends of mine and I drove down to San Antonio anticipating that our team would shock the world.

In the most exciting and most physically draining game that I ever witnessed as a Purdue student, the Boilermakers pulled off the huge upset with a 37-34 victory over no. 4 Kansas State. After a scoreless first quarter, Purdue jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The Boilers probably could have pulled away even more, but two big special team miscues led to 14 Wildcat points.

As Purdue continued to hold the lead, the Boilermaker fans became more boisterous, figuring that it was our destiny to win the game. But the Purdue fans were silenced when Michael Bishop hit Darnell McDonald for an 88 yard touchdown. After the Boilers went three and out, Bishop threw another touchdown pass, giving Kansas State a 34-30 lead with 1:24 left in the game.

Right now everyone in our section is just sick. How could we have led the entire game only to let it slip away in the final minutes? But we still had one chance, and one chance was all we needed.

Needing a touchdown to win the game, quarterback Drew Brees, a Texas native, had to drive his team 80 yards in just over a minute. Brees was able to move the ball, and with 30 seconds remaining found senior wide receiver Issac Jones in the endzone for a 24 yard touchdown pass. The crowd went delirious. ESPN called it "the biggest upset of the decade."

Jones made the catch right in front of us. It was one of those images you will never forget, and such a great way to end my four years at Purdue.

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