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Friday, December 13, 2002
Batman and the Boilers strike again
By Tim Stratton
Special to BCSfootball.com
On Saturday, Tim Stratton and Purdue moved one step closer to the school's first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1967 with a 31-27 defeat of No. 13 Ohio State. Drew Brees threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales with 1:55 to go for the game-winner. Stratton played a big part in the victory as the junior tight end made a career-high 12 catches for 100 yards. This week, the 13th-ranked Boilermakers are off and have an extra week to prepare for Michigan State.
The new name of our team should be the Cardiac Kids.
|  | | Tim Stratton made a career-high 12 receptions in the win over Ohio State. |
Could that game have been more exciting or what? I thought for sure we had lost the game after that last interception by Ohio State. But our two-minute offense created another miracle. Seth Morales' touchdown grab brought tears to my eyes, as well other teammates. Ross-Ade Stadium was going nuts and the fans once again stormed the field.
To those concerned, I kept my helmet on and still hung from the goalpost after the game.
We knew coming into this game that it meant a lot and that both teams would be psyched for it. Offensively, it took us a little while to get going, but it seems like that is the theme for our offense in the first quarter. We got an early field goal by Travis Dorsch, and then we just seemed to click. Vinny Sutherland had another excellent game, as did Seth. John Standeford was consistent and the other receivers contributed where they could.
Ohio State seemed adamant about stopping the run, as our running backs and Drew Brees only netted 31 yards on the ground. Drew played well despite four interceptions, and everyone knows that the last play was the most important one. I think Seth was his last read on the touchdown grab, and it was just an awesome play.
Defensively, I thought our guys played great. We contained Ohio State's running game pretty well and our pass defense was pretty strong. I think our offense hurt our defense at times with field position, but all in all, they played well. Akin Ayodele had another huge game for us, as did Joe Odom and the rest of the guys.
I'm sure I didn't help many people with my poor snaps on punts, and despite the return for a touchdown, special teams did well. We covered well on kickoffs, our kickoff return was solid and Travis and Scott Kurz came through when we needed them in kicking game.
After the game, I had a Halloween party, which was definitely a lot more fun considering we won the game. My costume: Batman. Everyone had a safe and fun time.
This week is our bye week. Our bodies need a break and the weekend off will definitely help for our last two games. It will be nice to be able to sit at home and watch some college football and enjoy it without having to get ready for our own game.
As for my plans, I am going home to visit my grandmother. It will be the first time I will see her since she was ill. Have a great week and I'm sure we'll all enjoy some great games this weekend. Take care.
Stratton's Purdue Statistics
| Year |
Rec. |
Yards |
Average |
TD |
Long |
| 2000 |
51 |
518 |
10.2 |
1 |
29 |
| 1999 |
49 |
593 |
12.1 |
4 |
34 |
| 1998 |
38 |
381 |
10.0 |
7 |
29 |
| Total |
137 |
1,492 |
10.9 |
12 |
34 |
Click here to go to Purdue's official web site.
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Purdue's Seth Morales catches this 64-yard bomb from Drew Brees for the game-winning TD.(courtesy: ABCSports)
Drew Brees says he atoned for his interception late in the 4th quarter.