Jesus Saves (the Purdue Boilermakers)...Part II

When we left off in my last post, the Boilermaker's entered the locker room at halftime down a TD after a stunning, momentum shifting fumble recovery for a TD put Michigan State on top. Pursue was playing its best Big Ten game of the season, and the shocking conclusion of the first half threatened to derail the Boilermaker Express. What Purdue's players needed at the half was good speach from their coach, Joe Tiller, to get their heads back on straight, and to relight the fire that had kept the Boilermakers, 0-6 in the Big Ten to that point, in the game thus far.

But would the coach be in the locker room. All game long, a man who appeared to be Coach Tiller was sitting behind us in the stands! Here is a photo of "Coach T" I took surreptitiously from my seat:
















Coach Tiller intently watches the football game from a different vantage point

Like that grainy old film footage of Big Foot, I couldn't quite get a clear picture of Coach Tiller hanging out with fans (doubtless trying to gauge the pulse of the disappointed Boiler Nation). Suspiciously, at halftime, however, "Coach T" was nowhere to be found. Coincidence? I'll let you decide.

While we are on the subject of halftime, I need to give the reader a little taste of the local color at a typical Purdue home game: those colors being gold and silver. You see, Purdue has phenomenon called the Golden Girl and the Silver Twins. These three ladies participate in halftime shows and generally strut the sidelines wearing...you guessed it...gold and silver outfits, respectively. For more information than you'll ever need regarding the Golden Girl, click here. For the Silver Twins, click here.

Essentially, these girls are baton twirlers, but, like I said a second ago, also a phenomenon. For example, my wife had never mentioned this tradition to me. After church one Sunday, I ran into an attorney I used to work for who attended Notre Dame during the early 80's. When I told him that my wife had gone to Purdue, he immediately said, "Ah, Purdue. Do they still have the Golden Girl and the Silver Twins?" Apparently, he and some of his Notre Dame buddies had met a few nights before and the subject of Purdue had come up. One of the few things they remembered about Purdue were the Golden Girls and the Silver Twins. And yes, Purdue still does have them.


















One of the Silver Twins shows a little leg to a band member before the halftime show...the most fun he's had since band camp

Ahem, back to the game...

Coach Tiller returned to his seat in section 122, and the team returned to field to see whether the coach's halftime speech would have any effect, or whether Purdue would fall to a humiliating 0-7 in the Big Ten, rather than rise to a humiliating 1-6.

Purdue received the ball to start the second half. Like Michigan State in the first half, the Boilermakers struck quickly (though not quite as fast), scoring on a Jerrod Void 2-yard scamper to cap a 5 minute, 31 second drive covering 76 yards over 14 plays. 21-21.

As the extra point sailed through the uprights, we received a sign that maybe good things were to come to the Boilermakers today: the cheerleaders ran out the flags in the proper order! As you might remember, the flag running abilities of the Purdue cheerleading squad were...to put it nicely...painful the October night Notre Dame trounced Purdue a month earlier. Not today.

P-U-R-D-U-E...things starting to look G-O-O-D!

If the flag bearers were getting it right, why couldn't we believe that the football players would take a cue and similarly take care of business in the proper manner?

Now Michigan State ball, the Spartans tried again to one-up the Boilermakers, putting together a sustained drive of its own. The normally pathetic Boilermaker defense, however, decided to make a stand. Michigan State drove deep into Boiler territory, and, as it set up for a crucial third and 8 play at Purdue's 29 yard line, Mickey Mouse tried in vain to start The Wave in the Boilermaker student section.

"Excuse me? Mickey Mouse?" you ask. Let me explain. Purdue's students apparently engage in a pre-game tradition called "Breakfast Club" wherein a group of students gathers before the game wearing costumes and, as college students do, party before the game. (Click here for some engaging commentary on the subject.) We saw Mickey and Minnie, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and various other costumed drunks.

Try as he might, Mickey couldn't get The Wave started. Fans were too interested in the game. On third and eight, the Spartans' QB ran for four yards to the Purdue 25. On 4th and 4, Michigan State decided to go for it. Mickey, now on someone's shoulders, continued in vain to get the crowd to start The Wave. With all eyes on the field for the 4th down play, and Mickey duly ignored, the fans got noisy...and the 4th down pass fell short. Purdue ball.

Then, a miracle occurred.

Purdue got the ball back just before the start of the 4th quarter, score tied at 21. Mickey Mouse finally sat back down, having failed to capture the attention of the students (maybe they've just outgrown him). All of a sudden, a couple plays into the drive, just as in biblical times, Jesus, fresh from Breakfast Club, appeared in the student section, shepherd staff in hand. Aloft upon the shoulders of a student, and like Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus took his staff, swept it from right to left, and with the approving roar of the crowd, started The Wave! Upon the power of The Divine Wave, if I might be so bold, Purdue pushed effortlessly down the field, and crushed their opponents. 12 plays and 75 yards later, Purdue scored what would prove to be the game winning TD on a 6-yard run by Jerod Void. Two things were proven by this miracle: 1) regardless of how much money the franchise makes, Jesus is still more popular than Disney, and 2) Jesus really does take sides in football games, so pray on, people!

Michigan State never really threatened again. Purdue CB Bernard Pollard sealed the game at the end of the 4th quarter by intercepting Michigan State's QB on its final drive. Game in hand, Purdue was free to celebrate its first Big Ten victory of the season.

It had been a long time, but the Boilermakers players finally earned the opportunity to sing the alma mater to the students, while gathered around the World's Largest Drum (I'll have to explain this one next season).

That's it for this game's dispatch. Finally, Purdue looked a little bit like that team that was supposed to challenge for the Big Ten title. This offseason, there will be plenty of time to review tape to determine what could make a defense one of the nation's best one year, and one of its worst the next. You'll be the first to know when I post about my first Purdue football game of 2006. Until next time...

The sun sets over one last 2005 Purdue tailgate...see you next year!