Bowl Central
Music City Bowl
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the second straight season, Purdue is going to a bowl game. And that's no small feat when you consider where this program was prior to the arrival of head coach Jeff Brohm before the 2017 season.
The Boilermakers will take on Auburn in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on Dec. 28 with a chance to post a seventh win on the season. It will be Purdue's first trip to the Music City Bowl and its 19th bowl in program history, with the Boilermakers sporting a 10-8 record.
Let's relive Purdue's bowl wins with a ranking of the 10 triumphs.
1967 Rose Bowl
Purdue 14, USC 13
An oldie but a goodie, as thoughts of Purdue's first bowl game still give fans a warm and fuzzy feeling. Why not? Any trip to the iconic Rose Bowl is special. Against the backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, Bob Griese led Purdue to victory in "The Grandaddy of Them All" against USC. The Boilermakers couldn't exhale until defensive back George Catavolos picked off a two-point conversion to secure victory on a day when Perry Williams scored two touchdowns. The Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player for head coach Jack Mollenkopf's squad? Defensive back John Charles, who played a big part in stifling a strong Trojan offense on this sun-splashed day in Southern California.
1998 Alamo Bowl
Purdue 37, Kansas State 34
This is the game when sophomore quarterback Drew Brees broke out as a national star, setting up consecutive seasons in which he was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1999 and 2000. On this day in San Antonio against a Kansas State team that arguably was the best Purdue ever has faced in the postseason, Brees engineered a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive in just 54 seconds to knock off the No. 4 Wildcats. The final dagger was a 30-yard scoring strike from Brees to Isaac Jones with 30 seconds hanging on the clock. Give credit to the Boilermaker defense, too, which notched five sacks and constantly harassed K-State quarterback Michael Bishop. Things were just getting warmed up for a Purdue program on the rise under second-year head coach Joe Tiller.
1979 Bluebonnet Bowl
Purdue 27, Tennessee 22
This victory in the iconic Astrodome is significant for one big reason: It was the 10th of the season for No. 12 Purdue, the first and only time the Boilermakers have record a double-digit victory total. Junior quarterback Mark Herrmann led the way for head coach Jim Young's squad, hitting 21 of 39 passes for 303 yards to give Purdue a seventh win in a row to end the season. The Boilermakers built a 21-6 advantage through three quarters before the unranked Volunteers rallied to close the gap behind coach Johnny Majors. It wasn't enough. The win set up Purdue for a big 1980 season under Herrmann, one of the nation's top Heisman Trophy contenders.
2017 Foster Farms Bowl
Purdue 38, Arizona 35
Nothing like a little drama to end a storybook debut for head coach Jeff Brohm in West Lafayette, as Purdue notched its first postseason victory since 2011 in its first bowl since 2012. This was one the Boilermakers almost let slip away after building a 31-14 halftime lead against Arizona. The Wildcats roared back to take a 35-31 lead with 3:21 left. Game over? Nope. The Boilermakers didn't flinch, as Elijah Sindelar engineered a game-winning eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a 38-35 lead with 1:44 remaining. This win was another brick in the wall of Brohm's rebuilding project, as he confounded pundits by forging a winning record (7-6) and continued to show the potential of this program.
1980 Liberty Bowl
Purdue 28, Missouri 25
This was the cherry on top of a great career for Boilermaker quarterback Mark Herrmann, who tossed four touchdown passes to earn bowl Most Valuable Player honors in leading Purdue to a third bowl triumph in a row. The senior hit 22 of 28 passes for 289 yards. It was the third season in a row Herrmann took home bowl game MVP honors, as No. 16 Purdue finished 9-3. The Boilermakers led 28-15 entering the fourth quarter and hung on. Herrmann left campus as the NCAA's all-time leading passer and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. It was a talented Tiger squad coached by Warren Powers and led by quarterback Phil Bradley, but it was no match for Purdue coach Jim Young, who was at the zenith of his tenure in West Lafayette but would leave after the next season.
1997 Alamo Bowl
Purdue 33, Oklahoma State 20
It seemed impossible, but it was true: Purdue was going bowling for the first in 13 seasons. And it all was because of new head coach Joe Tiller, who arrived from Wyoming with a wide-open spread offense that set the Big Ten on its ear. This was just a peek at what was to come, as the Boilermakers went on to nine more bowls under Tiller during his 12-year run. In this bowl, No. 16 Purdue showed the offensive ferocity that made it so deadly during Tiller's debut season. The No. 24 Cowboys and coach Bob Simmons didn't know what had hit it in San Antonio. Credit senior quarterback Billy Dicken, who threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Purdue blew open the game with 20 third-quarter points to take a 30-13 lead into the final quarter, and Purdue cruised to victory from there.
1978 Peach Bowl
Purdue 41, Georgia Tech 21
The Boilermakers had not been to a bowl since downing USC in the Rose Bowl following the 1966 season. So, this trip to Atlanta for a Christmas Day game was special for head coach Jim Young and his squad. In fact, this was the start of a special run for Purdue, as it was the first of three bowls in a row in what was one of the best periods in program annals. Sophomore quarterback Mark Herrmann showed the nation he would be a player to watch in coming seasons, earning game Most Valuable Player honors. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, as Purdue built a 34-7 halftime lead and never looked back. Credit also must be given to the Boilermakers' "Junk Defense," which rationed head coach Pepper Rodgers' Yellow Jackets to just 180 yards. The unit was coordinated by Leon Burtnett, who would become Purdue's head coach in 1982.
2002 Sun Bowl
Purdue 34, Washington 24
The Boilermakers exacted a modicum of revenge against Washington and coach Rick Neuheisel, which had beaten Purdue and Joe Tiller in the Rose Bowl after the 2000 season. The Boilermakers fell behind 17-0 but then came alive and tallied 34 unanswered points in what was the second of three trips in four years to the Sun Bowl for Purdue. A key play: Linebacker Gilbert Gardner forced a fumble and subsequently returned it 19 yards for a touchdown to give the Boilermakers a 31-17 lead late in the third quarter. But sophomore quarterback Kyle Orton was the star, winning Most Valuable Player honors by hitting 25 of 37 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. It was a preview of things to come for the strong-armed Orton, who would leave West Lafayette as an all-time great.
2007 Motor City Bowl
Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48
This game had a bit of everything, including a pulsating finish that saw Boilermaker kicker Chris Summers nail a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired. This, after Purdue had blown a 34-13 halftime edge. The teams combined for 1,022 yards, with the Boilermakers racking up 587. Quarterback Curtis Painter scorched the Broncos with a Purdue game record of 546 passing yards to go with a school game-record 540 yards of total offense in what was head coach Joe Tiller's 10th and final bowl.
2011 Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl
Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32
If special teams are your thing, this was your game. The Boilermakers ran back a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and recovered two onside kicks to deliver a postseason victory in Detroit for head coach Danny Hope. Purdue trailed 8-7 after the first quarter but tallied 20 second-quarter points to forge a 27-15 halftime lead and never looked back. The defense also deserves a big pat on the back, as Purdue generated seven turnovers (four interceptions and three fumble recoveries). Defensive end Ryan Russell made a strip to seal the game. It was a fitting way to end the game.