April 23, 2005

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - When it comes to the Spring Game, the Purdue football program truly is good as gold.

For the seventh time in nine games under head coach Joe Tiller, the Gold Team prevailed, winning 24-21 at Ross-Ade Stadium in conditions that were anything but springlike.

The temperature at kickoff was 38 degrees, and a 20-mph wind made it feel like 27 degrees. Nevertheless, a crowd of 2,000 braved the elements to attend the first Spring Game at Ross-Ade since 2001. The stadium renovation project forced the game to be played off-campus for the last three years.

"It was great to be at home," Tiller said. "I wish the weather would have been better for the fans, but for our football team, it was good for us to play in those conditions to prepare us for them during the season."

Gold Team quarterback Curtis Painter completed just 9 of 20 passes for 203 yards, but he did throw three touchdown passes, all in the second quarter. He connected with Jake Standeford for 66 yards, Dorien Bryant for 46 yards and Charles Davis for 14 yards, giving the Gold Team a 24-7 advantage at halftime. Painter also rushed six times for 33 yards.

The Black Team made a game of it late, scoring on a 3-yard run by Brandon Jones with 9:41 left in the fourth quarter and on a 1-yard plunge by Brandon Kirsch with 50 seconds remaining.

Kirsch completed 11 of 28 passes for 134 yards with three interceptions, while running for a game-high 56 yards on 12 carries.

Ben Jones kicked a 23-yard field goal with 6:26 to go in the first quarter to give the Gold Team a 3-0 lead before Anthony Spencer recovered a fumble in the end zone to make it 7-3 Black with 11:03 to go in the second quarter.

The Kirsch-to-Standeford scoring strike came on the ensuing first play from scrimmage.

Andre Chattams and Jerry Wasikowski both caught three passes to lead the Black Team, while Bryant, Davis and Byron Williams each had two receptions for the Gold Team. Kory Sheets rushed for 42 yards on 14 carries.

The Gold Team interceptions were by Zach Logan, Lance Melvin and Kyle Smith. Logan also forced a fumble. Kyle Williams topped the team with eight tackles, including 2.5 for loss.

Dan Bick paced the Black Team defense with 10 tackles and two pass breakups. Ryan Baker also broke up two passes.

"As everyone knows, no one moves up or moves down on the depth chart based on the Spring Game," Tiller said. "The game is for the players and fans to have some fun."

Scoring Summary

First Quarter
Gold - Ben Jones 23-yard field goal, 6:26
Second Quarter
Black -Spencer fumble recovery in end zone (Welch kick), 11:03
Gold -Standeford 66-yard pass from Painter (Ben Jones kick), 10:46
Gold -Bryant 46-yard pass from Painter (Ben Jones kick), 6:34
Gold -Davis 14-yard pass from Painter (Ben Jones kick), 0:32
Fourth Quarter
Black - Br. Jones 3-yard rush (Welch kick), 9:41
Black -Kirsch 1-yard rush (Welch kick), 0:50

Team Statistics

                          Gold    Black
First Downs               12      11
Net Yards Rushing         100     81
Net Yards Passing         203     134
Passes (Att.-Comp.-Int.)  20-9-0  28-11-3
Total Net Yards           303     215
Punts                     5-28.2  5-34.6
Penalties                 3-15    4-20
Third Down Conversions    4-13    3-11
Fourth Down Conversions   2-3     2-2
Total Turnovers           1       3

Individual Statistics

Rushing
Gold: Sheets 14-42, Painter 6-33, Void 13-25, Team 1-0.
Black: Kirsch 12-56 (1 TD), Br. Jones 8-17 (1 TD), Heygood 4-8.

Passing
Gold: Painter 20-9-0-203 (3-TD).
Black: Kirsch 28-11-3-134.

Receiving
Gold: Bryant 2-51 (1 TD), B. Williams 2-36, Davis 2-26 (1 TD), Standeford 1-66 (1 TD), Sheets 1-14, Keller 1-10.
Black: Wasikowski 3-16, Chattams 3-14, Gr. Walker 2-16. Hare 1-65, Noel 1-17, Br. Jones 1-6.

Tackle Leaders
Gold: K. Williams 8, Melvin 6, Durrett 4, Logan 4, Martin 4, K. Smith 4.
Black: Bick 10, Keglar 9, Kohtz 7, Ninkovich 6, Pollard 6.

Sacks
Gold: Hall 1.0, McGowen 1.0.
Black: Guynn 1.0.

Interceptions
Gold: Logan 1, Melvin 1, K. Smith 1.
Black: none.

Kickoff Returns
Gold: Void 1-22, Cavallo 1-6.
Black: Abdullah 3-133, Wasikowski 1-12.