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Bowl Central
Music City Bowl
Tickets: From the Bowl / StubHub
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Cue the honky tonk.
On Monday, the Purdue football travel party of 250 players, coaches, support staff, administrators and families arrived here via two chartered airplanes from the Purdue Airport for the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.
Following an early-afternoon team-orientation session, special teams and position meetings, the Boilermakers had the duration of the day to explore the surroundings. They will practice the next three days and partake in a handful of bowl events prior to Friday's showdown against Auburn. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local time), and the game will be televised by ESPN.
Both Purdue and Auburn are staying at the luxurious Gaylord Opryland, one of the largest hotels in the world with 2,882 guest rooms. The indoor gardens feature 50,000 plants representing nearly 500 species. For the holidays, the resort and convention center sparkles with some three million twinkling lights. Many of the Boilermakers spent time Monday at SoundWaves, a mammoth swank waterpark on site that opened earlier this month.
Senior quarterback David Blough is on his second straight bowl trip, but he was forced to play the role of spectator during last season's 38-35 Foster Farms Bowl victory over Arizona while recovering from an ankle injury. Explicably, he is looking forward to playing this postseason.
"I'm thrilled," Blough said. "This what you work for all season, to spend Christmas with your team. It was great winning the bowl game last year, getting to see that from the sideline and the whole experience was a lot of fun, but to be able to take the field is completely different. I'm excited to showcase what we can do against a good opponent in a fun environment."
Senior safety Jacob Thieneman believes last year's overall positive bowl experience will prove beneficial this time around.
"One thing that we will carry away from last year is that while bowl games are really exciting and they are a lot of fun, maintaining focus on the game itself throughout all the events and activities is important," said Thieneman, who cinched last year's victory with an interception.
For the Music City Bowl, Purdue has accounted directly for 11,000 tickets - 3,000 more than the bowl's original allotment - assuring the Boilermakers of their largest bowl game crowd since 20,000 Purdue fans attended the 2004 Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
#BoilerNotes
* Two former Purdue players are members of the Tennessee Titans, offensive linemen Dennis Kelly (2008-11) and Kevin Pamphile (2010-13).
* The fathers of junior tight end Brycen Hopkins and junior defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal were teammates with the Tennessee Titans in 1999 and 2000. Brad Hopkins, an offensive tackle, and Lorenzo Neal Sr., a fullback, played for the 1999 AFC championship squad that lost to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Bowl Central
Music City Bowl
Tickets: From the Bowl / StubHub
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Cue the honky tonk.
On Monday, the Purdue football travel party of 250 players, coaches, support staff, administrators and families arrived here via two chartered airplanes from the Purdue Airport for the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl.
Following an early-afternoon team-orientation session, special teams and position meetings, the Boilermakers had the duration of the day to explore the surroundings. They will practice the next three days and partake in a handful of bowl events prior to Friday's showdown against Auburn. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local time), and the game will be televised by ESPN.
Both Purdue and Auburn are staying at the luxurious Gaylord Opryland, one of the largest hotels in the world with 2,882 guest rooms. The indoor gardens feature 50,000 plants representing nearly 500 species. For the holidays, the resort and convention center sparkles with some three million twinkling lights. Many of the Boilermakers spent time Monday at SoundWaves, a mammoth swank waterpark on site that opened earlier this month.
Travel to Nashville ??
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 24, 2018
Team Meetings ??
Waterpark ??#BoilerUp ???? #LetsPlayFootball pic.twitter.com/sGbcXl1TjE
Senior quarterback David Blough is on his second straight bowl trip, but he was forced to play the role of spectator during last season's 38-35 Foster Farms Bowl victory over Arizona while recovering from an ankle injury. Explicably, he is looking forward to playing this postseason.
"I'm thrilled," Blough said. "This what you work for all season, to spend Christmas with your team. It was great winning the bowl game last year, getting to see that from the sideline and the whole experience was a lot of fun, but to be able to take the field is completely different. I'm excited to showcase what we can do against a good opponent in a fun environment."
Senior safety Jacob Thieneman believes last year's overall positive bowl experience will prove beneficial this time around.
"One thing that we will carry away from last year is that while bowl games are really exciting and they are a lot of fun, maintaining focus on the game itself throughout all the events and activities is important," said Thieneman, who cinched last year's victory with an interception.
For the Music City Bowl, Purdue has accounted directly for 11,000 tickets - 3,000 more than the bowl's original allotment - assuring the Boilermakers of their largest bowl game crowd since 20,000 Purdue fans attended the 2004 Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Who says we can't have a little fun on a business trip? ???? #BoilerUp #BowlSZN #LetsPlayFootball pic.twitter.com/aSnPPBLviV
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 25, 2018
#BoilerNotes
* Two former Purdue players are members of the Tennessee Titans, offensive linemen Dennis Kelly (2008-11) and Kevin Pamphile (2010-13).
* The fathers of junior tight end Brycen Hopkins and junior defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal were teammates with the Tennessee Titans in 1999 and 2000. Brad Hopkins, an offensive tackle, and Lorenzo Neal Sr., a fullback, played for the 1999 AFC championship squad that lost to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.