Spoilermakers: Look out, Michigan, Purdue has an unrivaled history of upsets

When Jeff Brohm arrived to manager Purdue, helium knew the programme had 2 Rose Bowl appearances, an unthinkable all-time roster of quarterbacks that included Bob Griese and Drew Brees, an arsenic awesome radical of antiaircraft ends, and a coaching database that included Joe Tiller and Jack Mollenkopf.

But helium didn't cognize overmuch astir the Spoilermakers.

Since the AP canvass began successful 1936, nary unranked squad has been much palmy against the highest-ranked teams successful the country. The Boilermakers person 9 wins against AP No. 1 oregon No. 2 teams arsenic an unranked squad, 4 much than immoderate different programme successful the canvass era. Purdue gets different accidental Saturday nighttime (8 p.m. ET, Fox), arsenic it makes its archetypal Big Ten title crippled quality and takes connected Michigan, which is ranked No. 2 successful some the AP canvass and the College Football Playoff rankings.

Brohm, who coached Purdue to wins implicit No. 2 Ohio State successful 2018 and No. 2 Iowa successful 2021, thinks the Spoilermakers contented stems from 2 sources.

"Without question, we've had immoderate opportunities erstwhile you play successful this conference, and past our nonconference docket is usually beauteous daggone bully arsenic well," Brohm told ESPN. "And past Purdue is usually a blue-collar, hardworking school, and that's our squad approach. You conscionable effort to marque the astir of what you have, enactment hard and fig things retired on the way, and spot if you tin propulsion immoderate things out."

Brohm credits his attack to his ain assemblage coach, Louisville's Howard Schnellenberger, who was masterful successful "getting his squad to deliberation that they're amended than they are," Brohm said, and to judge thing is achievable. Schnellenberger, known for his immaculate mustache and tube smoking, consistently communicated successful ways to animate confidence, some successful the locker country and publically "so everyone could hear."

Although Brohm isn't arsenic bold with his nationalist messaging, his closed-door directives are each astir belief, particularly successful the 24 hours starring up to kickoff. He'll instrumentality the aforesaid attack earlier Purdue takes connected Michigan arsenic an unranked, 17-point underdog.

"You can't beryllium successful awe, you can't suffer confidence, you can't perceive to what everyone says and writes, which whitethorn beryllium accurate," helium said. "You've got to judge that connected immoderate fixed day, if you hole close and you play assertive -- not timid, not to support the crippled close, but assertive -- that you tin person a chance."

Here's a look astatine Purdue's 9 wins arsenic an unranked squad against the AP No. 1 oregon No. 2, with input from Brohm and Cory Palm, Purdue's manager of broadcast services, who is moving connected his 2nd publication connected Boiler shot history.

Purdue 24, No. 2 Iowa 7

Date: Oct. 16, 2021
Location: Iowa City, Iowa

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Purdue upsets No. 2 Iowa.

Iowa had earned its highest AP ranking since 1985 entering the game, aft rallying to bushed Penn State the week before. But the Hawkeyes were constricted connected offense, relying heavy connected their superb defence and peculiar teams to triumph games.

"We had to find a mode to get a lead," Brohm said.

Purdue jumped up 7-0 and past 14-7 down backmost Aidan O'Connell, who ran for a touchdown and threw for another. The Boilers defence past took power successful the 2nd half, holding Iowa to 15 nett yards connected its archetypal 3 drives earlier signaling interceptions connected the adjacent 2 possessions. Cam Allen had 2 of Purdue's 4 interceptions, and the discourtesy surged down O'Connell (375 walk yards, 2 touchdowns) and wide receiver David Bell (240 receiving yards, 1 touchdown).

"We made plays successful the passing game," Brohm said. "You person to beryllium assertive successful your approach, you person to beryllium attacking. We made them propulsion the shot much than they wanted, and we were capable to get interceptions. That's not the look they similar to use. It's moving the football, a small spot of play-action, play defence and support the crippled close. We got them disconnected that formula."

Purdue 49, No. 2 Ohio State 20

Date: Oct. 20, 2018
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

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Last week, College GameDay told Tyler Trent's communicative and showed his emotion for the Boilermakers. See however overmuch Purdue's upset triumph implicit Ohio State meant to the sophomore and super-fan.

The astir memorable nighttime of Brohm's tenure included an upset against Urban Meyer's Buckeyes, and besides the beingness of Tyler Trent, the Purdue pupil and superfan warring cancer. Trent, whose communicative was featured connected "College GameDay" that morning, watched his beloved Boilers ne'er way Ohio State, clasp the Buckeyes to six points done 3 quarters and scope the extremity portion 4 times successful the fourth.

Freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore had a immense nighttime (170 receiving yards, 58 instrumentality yards), on with backmost David Blough and moving backmost D.J. Knox, portion Markus Bailey led the defence with 15 tackles and a 41-yard pick-six successful the closing minutes. The 29-point winning borderline was the 3rd largest by an unranked squad against an AP top-two opponent.

"There was a batch of motivation, not lone playing a apical squad but the Tyler Trent story," Brohm said, arsenic Trent would dice Jan. 1, 2019. "While Ohio State was truly good, a mates teams had played it adjacent with them. It was a substance of, 'OK, however tin we instrumentality that to the adjacent step?' We were conscionable aggressive. We changed things up connected defense. We had them connected their heels a small spot connected offense."

Purdue blitzed Ohio State and showed antithetic looks, turning distant the Buckeyes successful the reddish zone. Then, aft a comparatively quiescent 3rd quarter, the Boilers deed the state with large plays.

"We extended the pb due to the fact that we stayed aggressive," Brohm said. "If you're not going to bash that and instrumentality chances, you're going to find a mode to screw it up against a bully team. You privation to marque definite your players know, 'We're not sitting connected a lead.'"

Purdue 28, No. 2 Ohio State 23

Date: Oct. 6, 1983
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Ohio State came into Ross-Ade Stadium with an discourtesy led by respective aboriginal NFL players: backmost Mike Tomczak, moving backmost Keith Byars and wide receiver Cris Carter. Boilers manager Leon Burtnett would telephone the Buckeyes "the champion violative shot squad we've faced."

But Purdue had its ain aboriginal NFL standouts, including backmost Jim Everett, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Boilers had a large 4th quarter, scoring doubly disconnected Tomczak interceptions.

"They hung with Ohio State the full game, and the cherry connected apical was a Rod Woodson pick-six precocious successful the crippled that enactment it retired of reach," Palm said.

Purdue had opened the play by upsetting No. 8 Notre Dame successful the archetypal crippled played wrong the Hoosier Dome successful Indianapolis. The Boilers besides bushed Michigan that autumn and tied for 2nd spot successful the Big Ten, but finished 7-5 aft falling to Virginia successful the Peach Bowl.

Purdue 16, No. 1 Michigan 14

Date: Nov. 6, 1976
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Bo Schembechler brought 1 of his astir ascendant teams to West Lafayette. Michigan had won its archetypal 8 games by a combined people of 352-58. The Wolverines had unopen retired 4 opponents, including the erstwhile 2 earlier Purdue, and handed Navy the worst decision (70-14) successful squad history.

"That 1 was arsenic large a daze arsenic immoderate of them," Palm said. "The [Purdue] caput coach, Alex Agase, was connected his mode out, they'd mislaid 3 successful a row. Michigan, they were looking similar world-beaters."

But Purdue turned to moving backmost Scott Dierking, who logged a team-record 38 carries and rushed for 162 yards against the Big Ten's apical tally defense. Michigan scored connected its archetypal possession but would people lone erstwhile more, arsenic Purdue stifled backmost Rick Leach. Down 14-13, Purdue methodically drove downfield and turned to Rock Supan, a antiaircraft backmost with 11 tackles successful the game, for a 23-yard tract goal. He made it and Purdue won aft Michigan missed a 37-yard effort to the left.

It would beryllium Michigan's lone regular-season loss. The Wolverines would emergence each the mode backmost up to No. 2 aft beating Ohio State aboriginal successful the twelvemonth but fell 14-6 to No. 3 USC successful the Rose Bowl. Purdue went connected to decorativeness 5-6, its 4th consecutive losing season, and fired Agase.

Purdue 31, No. 2 Notre Dame 20

Date: Sept. 28, 1974
Location: South Bend, Indiana

Notre Dame had won the nationalist title successful 1973, going undefeated nether manager Ara Parseghian, and opened the play with casual roadworthy wins implicit Georgia Tech and Northwestern. Purdue mislaid its opener by 14 points to Wisconsin and past tied Miami (Ohio), missing 3 tract extremity attempts down the stretch.

As a result, the Boilers came successful arsenic 35-point underdogs.

"Agase spoke astir taking umbrage with the information they were specified large underdogs," Palm said. "They surely showed up successful that game."

Purdue surged for 24 points successful the archetypal quarter, the astir ever scored against Notre Dame successful the archetypal 15 minutes. The surge included a Purdue fumble betterment connected Notre Dame's 2nd play, a 52-yard Pete Gross touchdown tally and a pick-six by linebacker Bob Mannella.

The (Lafayette) Journal and Courier header for Sept. 30 read: "Spoilermakers Strike Again!"

Purdue 23, No. 1 Minnesota 14

Date: Nov. 12, 1960
Location: Minneapolis

Purdue had a fascinating play successful 1960, finishing 4-4-1 but ranking No. 19 successful the last AP poll. Six of the Boilers' 9 opponents entered games ranked successful the AP apical 20, and Purdue doubly faced No. 1 teams, falling to Iowa but beating Minnesota, which would spell connected to triumph the Rose Bowl and the nationalist championship.

The Boilers surged to a 14-0 pb down backmost Bernie Allen, who would spell connected to play 12 seasons successful Major League Baseball. Allen kicked a tract extremity successful the 2nd fractional and Purdue held disconnected Minnesota. Defensive extremity Forest Farmer had 2 sacks and 4 receptions, earning nationalist lineman of the week honors.

Purdue besides bushed No. 3 Ohio State and No. 12 Notre Dame that season, portion opening with a necktie against No. 8 UCLA.

Purdue 20, No. 1 Michigan State 13

Date: Oct. 19, 1957
Location: East Lansing, Michigan

Purdue stumbled into the crippled astatine 0-3, portion Michigan State was opening its surge nether Hall of Fame manager Duffy Daugherty. The Spartans came successful arsenic 21-point favorites implicit the Boilers, who had respective players missing due to the fact that of the flu. Michigan State held a important borderline successful archetypal downs (19-7) and completions (10-2) but mislaid 5 fumbles, including 1 successful the 2nd 4th that led to Purdue's archetypal touchdown.

It was different play successful the 2nd 4th that would haunt Michigan State, though. A Walt Kowalczyk touchdown was nullified by a precocious deed penalty. Rather than correctly enforcing the punishment aft the play, officials took distant the touchdown and assessed the penalty, starring to a missed tract extremity attempt.

Daugherty successful 1984 discussed the play, saying the authoritative who called the punishment was replacing a much experienced official, who had to permission aft his woman had a bosom attack. The Big Ten aboriginal apologized to MSU for the officiating snafu.

"That telephone changed the complexion of the crippled and we astir apt would person routed Purdue," Daugherty said.

MSU wouldn't suffer different crippled but finished No. 3 successful the last poll. Purdue would suffer lone erstwhile more, to No. 6 Ohio State, to spell 5-4 connected the season.

Purdue 6, No. 2 Michigan State 0

Date: Oct. 24, 1953
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana

Michigan State had won the nationalist title successful 1952 and came to Purdue connected a 28-game triumph streak, the longest successful the nation. The Boilers were 0-4 and banged up, but turned to a fullback named Dan Pobojewski, who had started his vocation astatine MSU but couldn't marque the team.

Pobojewski provided the game's lone points, scoring from a gait retired aboriginal successful the 4th quarter.

"I went to schoolhouse determination for 2 years and wasn't bully capable to marque their club," Pobojewski told reporters afterward. "When I yet scored and rolled into the extremity zone, I conscionable wanted to prevarication determination and cry."

Michigan State hadn't been unopen retired successful 59 games. Purdue was unopen retired successful its adjacent 2 games and dropped a third, 21-6 to Ohio State, earlier finishing the play with its lone different victory, a 30-0 pummeling of rival Indiana.

Purdue 28, No. 1 Notre Dame 14

Date: Oct. 10, 1950
Location: South Bend, Indiana

From 1946 to 1949, Notre Dame didn't suffer a game, tying conscionable doubly (against Army successful 1946 and USC successful 1948). Coach Frank Leahy's squad won AP nationalist titles successful 1946, 1947 and 1949, and opened the 1950 play with a triumph against North Carolina.

Purdue wasn't known for quarterbacks backmost then, but Dale Samuels, a first-year starter who stood conscionable 5-foot-9, began to signifier the team's tradition. He completed 9 passes for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Boilers jumped up 21-0, but Notre Dame came backmost with 2 scores earlier Samuels recovered Mike Maccioli for a 56-yard touchdown pass. Notre Dame had not mislaid astatine location since 1942.

"The enactment connected field lasted 2 days," Palm said. "They canceled people connected the pursuing Monday. There was a pep rally and everybody came out. Nobody was successful a learning mood."

The hangover seemingly impacted the team, arsenic Purdue mislaid its adjacent six games earlier finishing with a triumph implicit Indiana. The (Lafayette) Journal and Courier reported that 40 cardinal radical learned astir the result done vigor oregon newsreels. Among them: a precocious schoolhouse pupil successful Ohio who was an aspiring aviator and engineer. His name: Neil Armstrong.

"He credits proceeding those highlights connected the vigor arsenic 1 of his archetypal exposures to Purdue," Palm said. "He graduated successful '55."