[NU Sports] FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day 11

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Time for the next countdown already! We head from the list that was the easiest (the 10 coaches just stood out miles ahead of the rest) to the toughest - best games.

I tried to help narrow the list with a few ground rules ...

- Only Big Ten league games (we had some out of conference dandies, but conference games mean so much more!)
- No bowl games (I did a separate list of those before the bowl game last year - though again, some great games are missing from the Drew Tate Hawkeye heave to beat LSU to OSU's 2OT win over Miami to that Texas-Michigan Rose Bowl classic)
- I limited it to games I saw all or most of either on TV or live, and then limited NU games as best I could (can I help it if we were involved in some great games? You could do a top 10 NU games of the 2000s and have all "instant classics"!)

But it still didn't help! So we're left with a list that's sure to leave out some classic contests - so the "just missed" list will come at the end. As always, feel free to comment, debate or suggest other games!

So on to the countdown ...

A few years stood out with a host of great games - especially 2000, 2002 and 2005, so we'll get kicked off with one of the highlights of the 2000 season (but certainly not the last) ...

FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL
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> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin
06) Randy Walker, Northwestern
05) Lloyd Carr, Michigan
04) Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
03) Joe Tiller, Purdue
02) Joe Paterno, Penn State
01) Jim Tressel, Ohio State

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade
> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

TOP GAMES
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10) 2000 season: Purdue 32, Michigan 31

I remember watching the first half of this game while getting ready for my cousin's wedding in Michigan and thinking "here we go again." Joe Tiller's Boilers had been fun to watch and racked up big yardage in his first few years in the Big Ten ... but they just couldn't beat the big boys like Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. 

They still couldn't topple the Lions during their Rose Bowl run in 2000, and also blew an early game at Notre Dame to begin the year 3-2. But October would be where Pasadena was won for Purdue that year, with games at their closest challenger Northwestern and Wisconsin sandwiched in between huge home games against Michigan and Ohio State. The dream season for gold and black fans began in earnest with that Oct. 7, 2000, game at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Big Blue's version of the triplets, Drew Henson, Anthony Thomas and David Terrell dominated the first half as the Wolverines went into the locker room up 28-10. I turned off the TV to head to the church thinking it was over. Thankfully, the game has been replayed several times since so I could catch what I missed.

The No. 6 Wolverines were a different team after the break. Whether it was overconfidence, Boiler D or good ole' Lloyd Carr conservatism, Henson and company just couldn't move the ball as well. In contrast, Drew Brees and Purdue came out of the locker room on fire after the break, marching 75 and 80 yards on their first two drives to cut the deficit to 28-23.

But the extra kicker in this game was ... well ... the kicker. Purdue missed two 2-point conversions in the second half and the game came down to a kick with about 2 minutes left. The drive stalled at the 8 yard line and a penalty moved it to the 15 yard line for a 32-yard chip shot that sailed ... wide left. However, the "birdman" Travis Dorsch would get one more chance when Michigan failed to run out the clock (hold on to that for later in this countdown) and Brees got another chance to drive the Boilers downfield.

With four seconds remaining, Dorsch's 33-yard field goal struck gold and that blasted world's largest drum and train whistle took care of the rest. This wasn't just an 18-point comeback or a great story of cashing in on a second chance or a fantastic performance by a future NFL hall of fame quarterback ... it was Purdue finally overcoming the Michigan mental block and changing what could have been, and should have been, a disappointing 3-3 start to the season into a magical journey that would end in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. That's special.

Coming Friday: Tick tock goes the clock in a controversial finish.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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