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Friday, December 13, 2002
Intensity drives Purdue to exciting win
By Tim Stratton
Special to BCSfootball.com
On Saturday, Tim Stratton and Purdue defeated then-No. 6 Michigan on a last-second field goal by Travis Dorsch, 32-31. The win helped the Boilermakers return to the nation's Top 25 at No. 21. The junior tight end made nine catches for 68 yards in the victory. The Boilermakers have another important Big Ten road game this weekend when they travel to Evanston, Ill. to face surprising No. 18 Northwestern (ESPN, 12 p.m. ET).
Wow, could that have been a more nerve-wracking game or what? That was definitely one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of. My hat's off to Michigan, they're a great team with great players, but we brought our "A" game to the field Saturday.
|  | | Travis Dorsch watches as his 34-yard field goal sails through the uprights to give Purdue the win over Michigan. |
Our special teams played well all day. We got our only punt of the day off, which definitely helps out our team morale.
The Wolverines' offense dominated the first half. Whatever they seemed to do, whether it be run or pass, it worked. Although Michigan's defense played well in the first half, it seemed like we stopped ourselves more than they did.
Coach Joe Tiller talked to us about picking our intensity up in the second half and that's exactly what we did. We got the ball to start the second half and that's when we clicked. Whether it was throwing or running the ball, we wouldn't let ourselves be stopped. The offensive line did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage which allowed Montrell Lowe, Sedrick Brown, Steve Ennis and Drew Brees to gain more than 200 yards on the ground for the game. The defense played with a lot of emotion in the second half and that was evident because Michigan did not score another touchdown.
Then Travis Dorsch redeemed himself with the last-second field goal and that's when the celebrations began.
The student section rushed the field and I got caught right in the middle of them. Since I couldn't get to the end zone to sing the fight song with the rest of team and the band, I just stayed in the student section and celebrated. I've never had so much fun at a game.
But there is one sad moment that came from the postgame celebration -- the loss of my helmet. If any of the Purdue students are reading this or have any knowledge of the whereabouts of my helmet, I would trade a ball signed by the entire team.
Otherwise, I hope you all enjoyed the game and look forward to another tough road game. Northwestern is playing its best ball since its Rose Bowl of 1995-96. The Wildcats are playing with a lot of emotion and confidence and they're on top of the conference. Considering that I live only 20 minutes from Northwestern, this game is like a homecoming for me and a couple of other guys from the Chi-town area.
Take care and have a great week.
Stratton's Purdue Statistics
| Year |
Rec. |
Yards |
Average |
TD |
Long |
| 2000 |
35 |
375 |
10.7 |
1 |
29 |
| 1999 |
49 |
593 |
12.1 |
4 |
34 |
| 1998 |
38 |
381 |
10.0 |
7 |
29 |
| Total |
121 |
1,349 |
11.1 |
12 |
34 |
Click here to go to Purdue's official web site.
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Purdue's Travis Dorsch redeems himself by hitting a 33-yard field goal to beat Michigan.