Sept. 8, 2008
Purdue Notes 
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SOME GAME THEMES
Purdue and Oregon meet up for the first of two Big Ten-Pac-10 tilts of day on ABC (Ohio State at USC) ... Boilermakers' head coach Joe Tiller looks to become the all-time winningest coach in school history with an 85th career victory at Purdue ... Purdue searches for its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 10 Iowa in 2003 ... The Boilermakers attempt for a seventh straight non-conference win dating back to last season... Oregon heads out on the road for the first time in 2008 ... Purdue QB Curtis Painter continues his assault on the school and Big Ten record books ... Purdue's special teams tries for a second big weekend after blocking two punts, scoring a TD off of a blocked punt and averaging 38.7 yards per kickoff return ... Two quick strike offenses will take the field. Who will lead in TOP? Oregon is averaging a time of possession of just over 26 minutes per game this season and Purdue held the ball for only 22:40 in its opener against Northern Colorado.
A LOOK AT THE BOILERMAKERS
The Purdue football team, under 12th-year head coach Joe Tiller, enters its second week of the 2008 season 1-0 after opening with a 42-10 win over visiting Northern Colorado last Saturday. The season-opening victory improved the Boilers to 71-44-6 all-time and 9-3 under Tiller in the first game of the season.
THIS DATE IN BOILERMAKER HISTORY
The Boilermakers are 4-1 on September 13. Joe Tiller won his first game as Purdue's head coach on this date when he and the Boilers defeated Notre Dame 28-17 in Ross-Ade Stadium in 1997.
QUICK HITS - NORTHERN COLORADO
Purdue won its sixth straight season opener with a 42-10 win over visiting Northern Colorado ... Purdue head coach Joe Tiller tied Jack Mollenkopf for the most career coaching wins in Purdue history at 84 ... Purdue won for the first time on September 6 in the program's history (0-3 on the date entering the game) ... Purdue defeated a non-conference opponent for a sixth straight game (5-0 including the bowl game last year) ... Purdue improved to 60-5 under head coach Joe Tiller when scoring 30 or more points and to 34-0 when scoring 40 or more ... Highlighted by a 68 yard return by Desmond Tardy and a 45-yarder by Kory Sheets, Purdue averaged 38.7 yards per kickoff return in the game ... Aided by Frank Halliburton's two punt blocks (see below), Purdue limited Northern Colorado to a net punting average of 18 yards ... Halliburton became the first Purdue player in 121 years of Boilermaker football to block two punts in one game. He also tied the single-season record shared now with Todd Stelma (1998) and Bernard Pollard (2004) ... Mike Conway's fourth quarter touchdown return of a blocked punt was the first by a Purdue player since Kory Sheets did so against Akron on Sept.. 10, 2005 ... Tackle Sean Sester missed a start for the first time in his Purdue career, snapping a streak of 38 consecutive games ... Quarterback Curtis Painter improved to third in Purdue history and seventh in Big Ten history in completions (775), eighth in Big Ten history in passing yards (9,049) and seventh in total offense (9,386) ... Kory Sheet's nine-yard TD rush in the second quarter was his 38th score at Purdue which moved him into sole possession of the No. 2 slot on the career list in school history (Mike Alstott - 42) ... His two scores in the game marked his third straight contest with multiple TDs dating back to last year (two at Indiana and vs. Central Michigan) ... Keith Smith's 26 yard TD catch in the first quarter was his first career reception ... Desmond Tardy's 60 yard reception in the second quarter was a career-long (previous 26) ... Tardy's 112 receiving yards marked the first time in his career he's eclipsed the century mark ... Backup quarterback Joey Elliott scored his first career rushing TD in the fourth quarter ... Frank Duong made his first career start and tallied a game-high eight tackles, including seven solo stops ... Alex Magee and Ryan Baker both had sacks in the game. Magee now has 3.5 career sacks and Baker 7.5.
FRANK THE TANK
Frank Halliburton was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after setting a Purdue record - and tying a Big Ten mark - with two blocked punts in Purdue's season-opening win over Northern Colorado. The NCAA record is four by Ken Irwin of Memphis vs. Arkansas in 1992 and James King of Central Michigan vs. Michigan State in 2001. No player has had three blocked punts in a game, and 17 had two entering the 2008 season. Two other Big Ten players have had two, Richard Johnson of Wisconsin vs. Missouri in 1984 and Sean Considine of Iowa vs. Iowa State in 2003.
HEY JOE, WHATTA YA KNOW?
Considered the Godfather of the spread offense in the Big Ten, Purdue head coach Joe Tiller knows quite a bit actually. The Boilers' 12th-year head man enters his final season at the helm of the program with an 84-54 overall record at Purdue- tied for the most wins in school history - and a 51-37 mark in Big Ten games - fourth-most wins for any league team during his tenure. He has guided Purdue to 10 bowl games in 11 seasons, including the Boilers' first Rose Bowl berth since 1967 and two other New Year's Day. He has collected at least seven wins in eight of his previous 11 seasons at Purdue and has tallied three nine-win campaigns. Additionally, he has delighted Ross-Ade Stadium fans with a .746 winning percentage (53-18) at home to boot. Not too shabby for a coach that inherited a program that had just one winning season in the 12 years prior to his arrival and had not appeared in a single bowl game since 1984. In January this year Tiller was awarded the Order of the Griffin, one of Purdue's highest honors that is presented to individuals whose commitment to the University goes well beyond on the call of duty, and whose strength and vision have greatly benefited the institution.
SUCCESSFUL SEPTEMBERS
The Boilermakers have come out firing on all cylinders with Joe Tiller. The 12th-year head man at Purdue is a very impressive 36-10 (.783) overall and an outstanding 28-2 (.933) at home in Ross-Ade Stadium in August and September. Including a perfect 5-0 mark last year, Purdue has gone undefeated during August/September four times under Tiller's guide and never posted a losing record.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOES
After Purdue's next victory head coach Joe Tiller will take over the mantle as the winningest coach in school history. When the Boilers' chief achieves his milestone win he will join Penn State's Joe Paterno as the only two Big Ten Conference coaches to lead their respective schools in coaching victories.
PURDUE-OREGON HISTORY
The Boilermakers and Ducks have met up only once previous to this season's clash in Ross-Ade Stadium. Backed by 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns by Wally Jones, Purdue won the game 13-7 on September 29, 1979. That Boilermaker squad, led by College Football Hall of Fame head coach Jim Young, would go on to finish the season 10-2 with a win over Tennessee in the Bluebonnet Bowl. The `79 Oregon team, under the direction of third-year head coach Rich Brooks, finished 6-5.
RUNNING WITH THE PAC
Purdue has faced all 10 schools that call the Pacific-10 Conference home at least once in school history ... The Boilers are 10-18-3 all-time against Pac-10 schools ... The most recent meeting with a school from the Pac came in 2005 when the Boilermakers headed to the Sonoran Desert to face Arizona in Tucson. Purdue prevailed 31-24 over the Wildcats.
TAKING ON THE BIG BOYS
The Boilermakers are 12-34 (.261) when facing a ranked opponent in the 11-plus years with Joe Tiller. Purdue last defeated a top 25 team in 2003 when it knocked off No. 10 Iowa 27-14 in West Lafayette ... Purdue is 2-3-1 all-time against the No. 16-ranked team in the nation - the current AP poll position of Oregon.
POLLING PLACE
Although not ranked to enter this week, Purdue has been among the Associated Press' Top 25 80 weeks (out of 186 possible) in the 11-plus seasons under Joe Tiller. That figure is tied for the most by any Purdue coach. Jack Mollenkopf also was on the sidelines for 80 ranked teams from 1956 to 1969, including five weeks at No. 1 in the 1968 season. The Boilermakers have been ranked 238 weeks in their history.
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
The Boilermakers are 72-20 (.783) in 92 games against unranked opponents under Joe Tiller.
DOING MORE WITH LESS
Due in part to the NCAA timing changes and assisted by short fields after some outstanding special teams work, Purdue used just 54 offensive snaps to score 35 of last Saturday's 42 points against the Bears. The play total was lowest for any Boilermaker game since the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl against Maryland (49 offensive plays) and tied for the second-fewest in a single game for Purdue with Joe Tiller manning the ship.
A BOILERMAKER RARITY
Ordinarily a listing of Purdue players with at least one reception in a game would be anywhere from six to 10 deep, but with just four players hauling in a pass last Saturday against Northern Colorado it became necessary to do a bit of research. In the Joe Tiller Era (1997-2008) the Boilers have had four or fewer players catch a pass in a game just 10 times in 138 contests. The all-time low of three was in Purdue's 31-24 win at Arizona in 2005.
NO NON-SENSE
Joe Tiller and the Boilermakers have taken care of business outside of the Big Ten, compiling a 33-17 (.660) record in 50 games - including bowls - against non-conference foes.
NOT SO OUT OF OUR LEAGUE
The Boilermakers went 4-0 in games outside of the Big Ten Conference last year, defeating Toledo, Eastern Illinois, Central Michigan and Notre Dame in the regular season. The unblemished record out of conference marked the third time under Joe Tiller that Purdue ran the non-conference table during the regular year (1999 and 2004), but the first that included a bowl victory. Last season the Boilers defeated Central Michigan for a second time in the Motor City Bowl, while the 1999 team fell to Georgia in the Outback Bowl and the 2004 club lost to Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.
FRESH FACES
A total of 17 Boilermakers participated in their first game action last weekend against Northern Colorado. Gerald Gooden (DE) and Joe Holland (WLB) both took on starting roles in the Purdue defense, while Nick Mondek (DT), Kris Cooke (DT), DeVarro Greaves (WLB), Chris Carlino (MLB) and Dwight Mclean (SS) all came in as defensive reserves. There were no newcomers in the starting lineup on the offensive side of the ball, but Arsenio Curry (WR), Aaron Valentin (WR), Austen Moret (C), Ken Plue (RT), Jared Crank (FB) and Justin Siller (RB) all logged their first playing time for the Boilers. Jeff Panfil (WR) and Mike Conway (CB) both played on special teams, with Conway coming up with a scoop-and-score on a blocked punt. Kicker Carson Wiggs, Carlino and Plue were the only freshman to see the field on the day.
IRON MEN
Purdue began its stretch of 12 straight Saturdays with a game last weekend against Northern Colorado. After being the only school in the Bowl Subdivision (nee Division I-A) to play 13 and 12 straight regular season games without an open week in 2006 and `07, respectively, New Mexico will join the Boilermakers with such `distinction' this year.
30 SOMETHING
The Boilermakers have scored 30 or more points in a game an impressive 65 times in 138 tries (47%) since 1997 and have posted a dominating 60-5 record (.923) when doing so. To put those numbers in perspective, Purdue scored 30 or more points just 21 times in the 121 games over the 11 seasons from 1986-96 (17%) and went 17-3-1 (.833) when doing so.
NOT ENOUGH?
If 30 points in a game doesn't do it for you, will 40 work? The Boilers have scored 40 or more points in a contest 34 times during Tiller's tenure, including five times last year and once already this season, and have yet to meet defeat when doing so.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For his 12th season at Purdue head coach Joe Tiller took a different route when it came time to name team captains. Previously chosen after fall camp ended, Tiller had the players vote during the summer and the squad picked out four fifth-year seniors - DTs Ryan Baker and Jermaine Guynn, QB Curtis Painter and WR Joe Whitest - to serve for the 2008 season. It is the first time Baker, Guynn and Whitest will take on the role as the team's leaders, while Painter will assume a captain slot in successive seasons to join him with former Boilermakers Rosevelt Colvin, Akin Ayodele, Drew Brees, Gene Mruczkowski and Landon Johnson as two-time team captains under Tiller.
AN ARTFUL CAREER
Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter enters his final season at the helm of the Boilermakers' offense in reach of a number of school and Big Ten passing and offensive production marks. Should he at least duplicate his numbers from last season (356-569-11/3,846 yards/29 TDs/3,826 total offensive yards) Painter will establish new high water marks at both Purdue and the Big Ten in attempts, completions, passing yards and total offense, while breaking into the top 10 in conference history in TD passes.
ELITE COMPANY
Fifth-year senior Curtis Painter is one of six quarterbacks to have started a game for the Boilermakers under Joe Tiller's watch, and he is currently second in career wins. Painter needs to guide the Boilers to five more victories this season to supplant Drew Brees for the most wins by a starting QB in the 12 years under Tiller.
Starting Quarterback Records Under
Drew Brees -24-13
- 20-13
Kyle Orton - 19-16
Billy Dicken - 9-3
Brandon Hance - 6-3
Brandon Kirsch - 6-6Curtis PainterJoe Tiller
Stringing Them Together
Purdue's Curtis Painter is one of seven QBs nationally to enter the year as a potential four-year starter. The Boilermakers' fifth-year signal caller started the final five games his sophomore season of 2005, all 14 games as a junior in 2006, 13 games last season as a senior and one this season to give him 33 consecutive game starts - tops among the seven four-year guys.
Bowl Subdivision Four-Year Starters at QB
Curtis Painter, Purdue - 33 Consecutive Starts
Rudy Carpenter, Arizona State - 33 Consecutive Starts
Mike Teel, Rutgers - 30 Consecutive Starts
Willie Tuitama, Arizona - 18 Consecutive Starts
Pat White, West Virginia - 16 Consecutive Starts
Drew Willy, Buffalo - 14 Consecutive Starts
Drew Weatherford, Florida State - 0 Consecutive Starts
QUARTERBACKS EVERYWHERE
Purdue has quarterbacks - mostly former quarterbacks - all over the field. In addition to starting quarterback Curtis Painter, running back Justin Siller was moved during fall camp from QB to his current position, while safety-turned-wide receiver Keith Smith was recruited to Purdue as a signal caller and has since gone through the position transition. Desmond Tardy, another wide receiver, was a high school quarterback and special teamer/wide receiver Jeff Panfil is yet another QB convert.
SUMMERS NOT OVER
As the fall season rapidly approaches, one Purdue player is making sure that the summertime feeling sticks around. Boilermaker place kicker Chris Summers enters the Oregon game with his school-record streak of 103 consecutive PAT attempts successfully converted intact. The Fishers, Ind., native was good on all six attempts in the 2008 opener last weekend against Northern Colorado, hit all 56 attempts last year, a single-season Purdue record, and converted the final 41 straight attempts his freshman season of 2006. Purdue's leading scorer from last year (110 points), Summers went 18 for 22 on field goal tries last season, placing him second all-time for a single-season at Purdue for field goal percentage (.818) and in a tie for third for makes with Travis Dorsch.
SHEETS' MUSIC
Fifth-year running back Kory Sheets is approaching rarefied territory. The fourth-year starter enters the 2008 season four overall TDs and six rushing scores away from the top spots in Purdue history. The Manchester, Conn., native scored 11 TDs his freshman season (10 rushing/1 special teams on a blocked punt), and 13 in both his sophomore and junior campaigns (11 rushing, 2 receiving each time). He started the 2008 season off with a pair of rushing scores against Northern Colorado to raise his career total to 39 and his rushing tally to 34.
Purdue's Career and Rushing TD Charts
Career
1. Mike Alstott - 1992-95 / 42
2. - 2005- / 39
3. Leory Keyes - 1966-68 / 37
Rushing
1. Mike Alstott - 1992-95 / 39
2. Jerod Void - 2002-05 / 36
3. - 2005- / 34Kory SheetsKory Sheets
A BAD THING FOR A GOOD GUY
Senior Jaycen Taylor, who rushed for 560 yards and four TDs in just nine games played in 2007, was lost for the year when he suffered a season-ending knee injury one week into fall camp. Taylor, a two-year letterwinner after transferring from LA Harbor Community College in 2006, was expected to play a significant role in the Boilermakers' plans this year, but will instead utilize a redshirt season and become one of the main offensive components in Danny Hope's first year as Purdue's head coach in 2009.
TILLER MOVES SILLER
In an effort to get the athletic Justin Siller on the field (not to mention provide some relief after the loss of senior Jaycen Taylor), head coach Joe Tiller asked the talented sophomore to move from quarterback to running back after the first week of fall camp. The position change was met with zero hesitation on Siller's part and was more than welcomed by running backs coach Joel Thomas. Siller, who was ranked as the No. 14 dual threat QB by Rivals.com coming out of high school, did not play running back during his prep career yet still rushed for a combined 625 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and senior at St. Mary's High School in Detroit.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Fifth-year wide receiver Desmond Tardy nearly matched his career receiving yardage total on three catches against Northern Colorado last weekend. Racking up 112 yards against the Bears, Tardy needs just 69 more yards to match his two-year total of 181 on 17 career receptions. His 60 yard reception against Northern Colorado was a career-long catch and his 180 all-purpose yards (112 rec., 68 KR) as established a personal best for a single game.
MR. BOILER-BAKER
One would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated teammate than fifth-year defensive tackle Ryan Baker. Regularly the last player off the practice field every day, Baker spent this past summer traveling almost daily between his internship in Indianapolis and Purdue's off season workouts in West Lafayette. Baker's dedication to his team earned the senior one of four captain positions as voted on by his teammates.
HEY, HE'S GOOD
Fifth-year linebacker Anthony Heygood enters his final season in the Gold and Black as the leading returning tackler from last year. The converted fullback finished the 2007 season with 94 total tackles, including 59 solo stops, and routinely found himself in the opposition's backfield to help him rack up a team-best 15 tackles for loss.
PBU PENDER
Cornerback David Pender tied a career-high with three passes defended last weekend against Northern Colorado, raising his career total to 11. The junior will most likely have ample opportunity to improve that figure a bunch this weekend as the high-flying Oregon offense is averaging 31.5 passes per game this season and is coming off of a 2007 season that saw that same statistic come in at nearly identical 31.8.
BURGEINING BIG TEN POWER
Since 1997, Joe Tiller's first season, only Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin have won more Big Ten games than Purdue. The Wolverines are 71-17, the Buckeyes 66-22 and the Badgers 55-33. Purdue is 51-37.
FILING FOR AN EXTENSION
The Boilermakers are one of just 13 teams nationally to have extended their season with a bowl berth in 10 of the last 11 seasons ... Six schools are 11 for 11 ... The Big Ten Conference leads the way with four schools on the list.
10 or 11 Bowl Games in the Last 11 Years
Florida - 11
Florida State - 11
Georgia - 11
Georgia Tech - 11
Michigan - 11
Ohio State - 10
Oregon - 10
Purdue - 10
Southern Miss - 10
Tennessee - 10
Texas - 10
Virginia Tech - 11
Wisconsin - 10
WATCH THIS
Headlined by fifth-year quarterback Curtis Painter, a number of Boilermakers have made their way on to national watch lists for post season honors.
Curtis Painter - Maxwell Award (Outstanding player)
Curtis Painter - Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Outstanding senior quarterback)
Curtis Painter - Davey O'Brien Award (Outstanding quarterback)
Kory Sheets - Doak Walker Award (Outstanding running back)
Sean Sester - Outland Trophy (Outstanding interior lineman)
Anthony Heygood - Dick Butkus Award (Outstanding linebacker)
