Boilers Spank Irish, 41-16 Boilers Spank Irish, 41-16

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Continued from page 2 “It seems like that’s the never-ending trend in this rivalry — whoever wins the special teams battle is going to win the game,” Orton said. “I think both teams know that, and I really do believe that. And we definitely won it today.” Later in the quarter, the Boilermakers scored on the first of backto-back 97-yard touchdown scoring drives that served as bookends to the halftime break. Opposite day play No. 2, however, occurred minutes before the first long drive, and served as the game’s second turning point. With the Irish driving down the field, it appeared that Notre Dame was going to answer Brooks’ touchdown return, as Notre Dame ended up in a first-and-goal situation on the Boilermaker 2-yard line. That’s when sophomore defensive end Anthony Spencer shocked the crowd of 80,795 by ripping the football out of the hands of Irish freshman running back Darius Walker, subsequently stripping the Irish of a chance to ensure the South Bend Streak would continue for two more years. “That was a huge swing,” Spack said. “And Anthony Spencer was playing the game of his life. I would have liked to have seen what happened if he would have played the second half. He played very, very well and came up with some huge plays. You talk about creating turnovers all the time, and in that situation, that was a huge play — a 14-point swing in a game like this — it was big.” It was a two-touchdown swing since Purdue’s deflating 97-yard, 11-play drive was capped by a perfectly executed playaction pass from Orton to defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who doubles as a goal line tight end, to give the visitors a comfortable 20-3 lead at the intermission. “I think that 97-yard drive really broke their backs — I really do,” Orton said. “They were playing us real tough there for a while, and then we just took it right down the field and put it right in their face and said, ‘We came to play today.’ So I think that (drive) really set the tempo for the rest of the game. “At halftime I was real confident. We had just gone up by three scores and right there I knew we had a pretty good chance to come away with a win. I just told everyone, ‘Hey, we have to keep pulling our end. No turnovers; that’s the only way they can come back.’ And we did a great job again of not turning the ball over.” But Purdue’s 17-point lead wouldn’t last long. After an Irish three-and-out, the Boilermakers took just 19 seconds to extend their lead to a 24-point margin. And the second 97-yard drive by the Purdue offense to put the Boilers up 27- 3 at the beginning of the third quarter was personal for senior wideout Taylor Stubblefield following some bulletin board material courtesy of Irish cornerback Dwight Ellick. “I guess Ellick said in the paper that he was going to get in Taylor’s face and not let him off the line,” Orton said. “Coach showed us that before the game and I think it kind of motivated Taylor a little bit. And they’ve been trying to do that (to Stubblefield) for three years and it hasn’t worked.” And it didn’t work on Oct. 2 either. On the third play of the drive, Orton called an audible and found Stubblefield streaking down the sideline, swallowing up all 97 yards on the drive in large chunk, as the fifth-year receiver began a fist-pumping celebration at the Purdue 40 and carried it 60 yards into the end zone. “They had commented that they were going to play press coverage and that they were going to play it so tight that I was not going to be able to breathe,” Stubblefield said. “Anytime a team want’s to go manto-man — we’ve seen it the last three games, which was quite surprising — and we saw it again this game. Anytime we see it, we’re going to check to something and make them pay, and that’s what we did.” And the Purdue dynamic duo made them pay all day. Orton, now considered a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, completed 21-of-31 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns, while Stubblefield, Orton’s favorite target and soon-to-be Big Ten all-time reception leader, caught seven passes for 181 yards and two scores. Orton would hook up later on scoring strikes with 6-foot-9 receiver Gold & Black Pride We’re proud to be Illinois’ largest HVAC contractor and also proud to have 22 of Purdue’s outstanding alumni on our HVAC and plumbing team. 111 S. Wacker Drive — Chicago, IL Hill Mechanical Group has total design and build responsibility for this 1,000,000 square foot 52-story office building currently under construction. Tom Campbell Junior defensive end Rob Ninkovich (93) had a big day with two sacks of Irish quarterback Brady Quinn and a touchdown reception. Quinn broke a 24-year old Boilermaker opponent record with 432 passing yards topping the mark set by Illinois’ Dave Wilson of 425 yards in a 45-20 Purdue win in Champaign in 1980. 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Kyle Ingraham (nine yards), and with Stubblefield again from 12-yards out. His play is no longer shocking to Tiller. “Our quarterback continues to do a great job,” Tiller said. “He does an excellent job at the line of scrimmage. I’m not surprised anymore by what No. 18 can do. He’s a heck of a talent.” Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham, who earlier in the week called Orton “bulletproof,” was also singing Orton’s praises after witnessing Purdue’s fourth-straight 500-plus of total offense. “Orton has complete command of their system,” Willingham said. “He made some pretty big plays today. He had a real strong game. He came in not having thrown an interception and he didn’t have one today. There’s a reason for that. He does a great job.” After the contest, a relieved Tiller was tickled when talking to the large gathering of media. BY DOUG ELISH “This is a great win — no question about it,” Tiller said. “To come here to Notre Dame and win in this stadium is huge for us. Winning a game against this team (was great), because in my opinion watching Notre Dame over the course of last week, I was walking on eggshells. I thought this was the best team Coach Willingham has had at Notre Dame, and they were hitting on all eight cylinders. I was worried about their defensive front seven, and I thought our offensive line did a great job containing them today.” And the defense got the job done as well. Although the Irish accumulated 536 yards of total offense, and Notre Dame quarterback set a Notre Dame Stadium record with 432 passing yards, the Boilermakers managed to keep the home team off the scoreboard in excess. After giving up 30 points to Illinois a week earlier, Spack hoped his defense would step up against Notre Dame. “I thought we played better here,” Spack said. “I didn’t think we’d play poorly, but I was hoping that we’d tackle better — that was our main goal to get better. “We kept the ball in front of us. We had some injuries we had to deal with in the second half, so it was critical to keep the ball in front of us.” The most crucial, and potentially costly at the time, was the injury of Anthony Spencer, who suffered a high-ankle sprain before halftime after posting four tackles, two sacks, the key forced fumble and a pass breakup. Spencer didn’t play in the second half, but was still a likely a candidate for the Purdue defensive player of the game. His positionmate, Ray Edwards, was nearly equally impressive, recording five tackles, 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble of his own. Linebacker George Hall again led the team with Orton Shines In Spotlight Against the Irish and in front of a national television audience, Kyle Orton made sure every Heisman voter knows what those close to Purdue have for a long time. He’s the real deal. A lot of pundits claimed Orton and Purdue weren’t as good as their wins over Syracuse, Ball State and Illinois made it seem. But against a Notre Dame team regarded as a true test, Orton had arguably the best performance of his career. After all, he completed 21 of 31 passes for 385 yards. He threw four more touchdowns, bringing his total to 17 without an interception. He led the offense to 41 points against the Irish, the second-highest total by Purdue in the 76-year history of the series. Oh yeah, he did something Bob Griese, Gary Danielson, Mark Herrmann, Jim Everett and Drew Brees never could. He went to Notre Dame Stadium and came home with a win. He was so impressive even the Notre Dame players, who have no love-lost for Purdue, confirmed his legitimacy. “He was unstoppable. He is a great quarterback. A lot of people say he is the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy,” Notre Dame defensive end Justin Tuck said. “He’s got my vote.” Defensive back Dwight Ellick, who was the one burned on Taylor Stubblefield’s 97-yard touchdown reception by a perfectly-thrown Orton ball, said Orton is the best he’s seen. “It’s the quarterback, to be honest with you,” Irish senior cornerback Dwight Ellick said. “He’s checking the defense, making his reads and every- Quarterback Kyle Orton continued his incredible streak of great performances posting a season-high 385 passing yards and four touchdown passes. He became the first Boilermaker in history to toss four or more touchdown passes in four consecutive games. thing like that. You don’t see a quarterback who can make audibles and checks on every single play, week-in and week-out. You don’t see that at the college level.” It will be hard to find a Heisman list anywhere that disagrees with those two after Orton again orchestrated his offense to near perfection and in the process ended 30 years of Purdue frustration in South Bend. Certainly, it won’t be wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield’s list. After his 97-yard touchdown reception and when he knew the NBC cameras were on him, Stubblefield pointed to Orton and struck the Heisman pose, something Orton is about as likely to do as actually admit he cares about the highest honor in college football. Orton simply laughed at Stubblefield’s 13 tackles. But the story was again the arm of Orton, who now leads the nation with 17 touchdown passes and no interceptions. And he continued to spread the wealth, connecting with eight different receivers. Stubblefield, who needs just three more receptions to replace former teammate John Standeford as the Big Ten’s all-time leading pass catcher, said the win, though a non-conference contest, was still pretty special. “It’s good for our team and great for the program,” Stubblefield said. “We just worried about ourselves — we didn’t worry about distractions. Our offense played well and our defense came up big at crucial times and we came out with a victory. It’s definitely big for our team, but it’s even bigger for our program. We’ve got the trophy and added another ‘P’ to it.” j antics and when asked if he had just proved himself in a stadium that’s housed more Heisman winners than anywhere else in college football history, he responded how he has after every other game this season. “I don’t know; I don’t have a vote,” Orton said. He did add that being in the running for the prestigious award means the team is doing well, but all the ever-increasing hype surrounding his personal achievements hasn’t changed a thing about his preparation, attitude or goals. “It feels the same as if I were a nobody,” Orton said. “It’s no added pressure for me. I’m just happy we’ve won four games and we are playing well.” It definitely doesn’t look like the pressure is effecting Orton as his poise and accuracy almost make his performances look easy. He never seems rattled even after a big hit or pressure in his face. Coach Joe Tiller and Orton have been saying all season that Orton’s experience and command of the system have finally allowed him to use his ample physical gifts to the fullest. Now, they just hope it lasts for seven more weeks. “I think (experience) is everything,” he said. “I don’t think I could have came in here as a freshman a few years back and played as well as I am right now. I’m so comfortable with the offense. We’re kind of in a groove right now and I just hope it keeps going.”j Doug Elish is a freelance contributor to Gold & Black Illustrated and GoldandBlack.com. GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 15, ISSUE 5 • 7 GoldandBlack.com
Page 1 and 2: The Authority On Purdue Athletics w
Page 3 and 4: Volume 15, Issue 5 Oct. 8, 2004 A P
Page 5: FROM PUBLISHER ALAN KARPICK NOW THI
Page 10 and 11: effort against the Irish compared t
Page 12 and 13: Q&A WITH OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JIM
Page 14 and 15: O DOUBT Photos by Tom Campbell HE D
Page 16 and 17: Each week the Maniacs are asked to
Page 18 and 19: NO. 15 PURDUE 41, NOTRE DAME 16 Wha
Page 20 and 21: BY DOUG GRIFFITHS DGriffiths@Goldan
Page 22 and 23: BY DOUG GRIFFITHS DGriffiths@Goldan
Page 24 and 25: BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBla
Page 26 and 27: Purdue Freshman Parrissa Eyorokon l

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