This is another one of those iconic Purdue games where I was a bit too young to experience this game live, or even anywhere close to that since I was about 4 years old when it was played. That being said, this is another one that I heard about early and often when I started to become a Purdue fan. And after having the ability to go back and watch it for me, it’s pretty clear as to why. Joe Tiller had come in and completely turned this program around. He had pulled the Boilers to back-to-back Alamo Bowls where they would have the chance to upset “better” teams who thought they deserved more. They had done it the year before to Oklahoma State, would they be able to do it again?

The Scene: The year is 1998 and Purdue has finished fourth in the Big Ten and has earned themselves a trip back to the Alamo City to participate in the Alamo Bowl (again)! Their opponent, Kansas State, a team that had just lost in the Big 12 championship in double overtime to Texas A&M. K-State was battling for a national championship before losing to the Aggies which put them just on the outside looking in. Purdue, on the other hand, had to listen to all the talk about how they weren’t worthy of playing a team like Kansas State and how they were going to be unable to stop the mighty Wildcats.

The Questions: This section usually has a lot of the same questions in it, at least when it comes to the memorable football games. An unconventional Purdue team playing a team that had a fairly significant talent advantage who was thought to be one of if not the best team in the country. Would Purdue be able to keep up with the talent that Kansas State was bringing? Would Kansas State be focused on the Boilermakers after they just miss the BCS National Championship because of a 3-point double-overtime loss? Only time would tell.

The Video:

The First Half: Now that I live in San Antonio, anytime that I see either the ‘97 or the ‘98 Alamo Bowl, it makes me laugh that I live about a 20-minute walk from the Alamodome. If I lived on the other side of my apartment building I’m pretty sure I could see it from my balcony. Another quick thought as we see the opening kickoff, can we take a moment and acknowledge the Big Ten Network for airing these {School}-Classics? I have my DVR set to record all games and it’s a great way to re-watch games I would otherwise never think about.

Anyway! The opening kickoff is away and the ‘98 Alamo Bowl is underway and we begin the game with an in-completion from a Sophomore Drew Brees. Followed up quickly by a drop and it’s not the start that Purdue wanted. But fortunately, K-State brings pressure on 3rd-down and Brees can buy time and convert the first down. The Wildcats hold from this first down and force a punt, which they block and potentially have amazing field position, but fortunately for the Boilers, there is a flag on K-State and it gives the ball and the first down to Purdue.

After the flag on the punt, Purdue tries a WR screen and you can see how good this Wildcat defense is as on the next 2 plays they get into the backfield and break up the plays. Purdue has to punt again, this time getting away giving the ball to K-State on the 25. Purdue forces a 3-and-out behind the defensive line and it’s a good sign that the DL will cause some issues for Kansas State as the Boilers take over again. Purdue would cross mid-field for the first time in the game but a 3rd-down sack of Brees stops the drive in its tracks and they have to punt again.

K-State takes over with 6 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. This drive is the second instance of Purdue and their defense line causing issues for K-State as they can’t seem to establish the run because of it. This is a good sign for Purdue because Kansas State doesn’t seem to want to throw the ball and would rather lean on their offensive line to open holes for the RB/FB.

Both teams traded punts as we near 2-minutes to play in the first quarter where the first major momentum shift takes place, a big punt return had set up the Wildcats with great field position in Purdue territory. Then on the second play of the drive Purdue gets their first takeaway as Billy Gustin gets in the passing lane to deny the Wildcats after their big punt-return! Purdue flips the field and takes over at the Kansas State 30 yard line! Unfortunately, once again Purdue has trouble handling the Wildcat defense and they can’t take advantage of the interception, and after a horrible bounce on the ensuing punt, resulted in the punt only netting 7-yards.

Hope springs eternal though, because after the Wildcats rip-off their longest run of the day on the following first down, Purdue gets their second turnover! This time it’s a fumble recovery picked up and returned to the Wildcat 35, and Purdue finds some momentum again, but can they finally take advantage? The first quarter ends with a designed quarterback run from Drew Brees where he takes a shot that would have social media screaming today in 2020. After 1 quarter the score remains 0-0 as neither offense can find any footing. Purdue still has the momentum as we start the second quarter with Brees finding Stratton inside the 10 and the Boilers have the ball on 1st-and-goal! The next play WR Chris Daniels finds himself wide open in the end-zone and the Boilers strike first!

As I was about to type the words, “Let’s see if the Kansas State offense can finally get anything going.”, Purdue’s Rosevelt Colvin was already strip-sacking the KS quarterback for another quick takeaway for Purdue! If he hadn’t picked the ball up while on the ground, he would have walked in the end-zone easily! Purdue gets the ball back immediately and it’s all Boilers right now! It’s unlucky because even though Purdue starts the drive at the K-State 11, drops by normally sure-handed receivers mean Purdue has to settle for a field goal and Purdue goes up 10-0 with just over 12 minutes to play in the half.

Both teams trade defensive stops before disaster for Purdue. The 10-minute mark goes by before a poor snap on the punt sends the ball over the punters head and is downed inside the 1-yard line for Kansas State. Absolute disaster after Purdue had built so much momentum the last few minutes. Kansas State finally gets on the board on a nicely thrown fade to the corner of the end-zone and it’s 10-7 Purdue. But after a great return, the offense finally wakes up as Brees finds Isaac Jones for a 30-yard touchdown pass and the Boilers respond immediately! 17-7 Purdue with 8:30 left in the half!

Purdue’s defense now has more energy than ever as the defensive ends continue to get into the backfield and give the Wildcats no breathing room on their way to another 3-and-out! This is where we see a Brees interception on a tipped pass that you really hate to see and the ball goes back to K-State. Then, after an impressive run, Kansas State has a field goal blocked with 5 minutes remaining in the half and it’s almost like nothing happened! Both defenses have come to play and nothing will be given in this one. Unless it’s turnovers as on the next play from scrimmage, Brees is intercepted again trying to fit the ball into tight coverage and the Wildcats take over again.

Thankfully for Purdue, they have Rosevelt Colvin and Chile Okeafor and Kansas State doesn’t, because they are causing problems from the defensive end spot. After a big hit and sack by Okeafor, they force the QB to make plays on the run, and with just over 1 minute remaining in the half, he throws a very ill-advised pass towards the end-zone and it is intercepted again! The Boilers hold and as Brees kneels it to send us to the half, Purdue leads 17-7 and the Boiler fans are cheering!

Halftime Thoughts: It’s always so fascinating to watch football from pre-2000, and you could even extend that out to the mid-2000’s football being played by the Big Ten specifically. Most of the Big Ten was still within the boundaries of run the ball, then run it some more. Enter Drew Brees and Joe Tiller on the scene and suddenly, you have a QB who is setting records for the number of passes attempted in a game. No one knew it yet, but it was the future of the game and they were seeing it before their eyes. Being able to look back and see what Joe Tiller did for the game of football is incredible. I couldn’t be happier that a man like him found success.

The Second Half: As the second half gets started with the Wildcats getting the ball first. After just the first play from scrimmage of the second half, you can tell that the Wildcats are playing with a lot more focus and energy as the running game finally shows up with the Wildcats getting yards in chunks. Purdue manages to get a stop thanks to some poorly timed penalties that kill the drive for K-State. After Purdue gets the ball and not being able to generate anything on their first offensive possession they line up to punt when lightning strikes for the second time. A high snap over the punters head and Kansas State gets an absolute gift as they recover the fumble in the end-zone for a touchdown (missed XP). 13-17 Purdue.

5:50 remaining 3Q and we get to see one of the worst decisions by Brees in this game. on 3rd-and-short he steps up into the pocket where he is tripped up about to take a sack. Instead of just eating the ball he decides to try and throw it as he is falling backward, and the Kansas State defense gets the easiest interception they have all year. All the momentum is fully in the Wildcats’ favor and Purdue needs to settle down if they are going to have any chance in this game.

Thankfully, Purdue still has Rosevelt Colvin and this defense comes up huge to turn the Wildcats away and the interception seems to have only killed some clock; but that said, Purdue’s offense needs to wake up a bit as there is still plenty of time left in this game for Kansas State to complete the comeback and bury the Boilers. Thankfully, as he always seems to do after making a mistake, Brees drops a beautiful pass into the hands of Vinny Sutherland to push Purdue into Wildcat territory. While the drive ends up stalling here, Purdue should be happy that the offense held the ball and didn’t turn it over. After a perfect punt that is downed on the 1, Purdue’s defense gets a chance to make something happen!

1:34 remaining 3Q, Kansas State has the ball on the 1, and if you’re Rosevelt Colvin or Chile Okeafor, you’re salivating at the chance to knock them back into the end-zone for a safety! After a first down run, the result is something even better! A fumble on second down bounds back into the end-zone where it’s recovered by David Nugent! Purdue touchdown and the lead grows to 11 as we near the end of the third! The Purdue defense immediately returns to the field and you can tell they have all the confidence in the world as they are flying all over the field to make plays. Then with 31 seconds left in the quarter on third-and-10, the Boilers strike again by intercepting K-States Bishop again and it’s first-and-goal Purdue! The Boilermakers have a chance to put this game away but must settle for a field goal to push the score to 27-13.

The fourth quarter begins and Purdue fans are feeling it as Okeafor gets the Boilers’ 5th sack of the game! An unlucky break in coverage leads to a long pass completion by Kansas State puts them in the red-zone. A few plays later, the Wildcats find the end-zone, and Purdue’s lead shrinks to just 7. The Wildcats offense seems to be finding some rhythm and Purdue needs to find an answer, either with another score, or a drive that somehow burns some clock to limit the amount of game time left for Kansas State.

Unfortunately, the opposite seems to happen. On the next possession, more drops that have plagued Purdue all night rear their ugly heads, and this time they are pretty bad. A drop on first down by Sutherland which would have gone for 20 yards and on second a pass is off the hands of a receiver and should have been Brees’ 4th INT but falls to the turf. Then on third down, you see the worst of the night. Brees throws a beautiful ball to Isaac Jones over the top of the defense where he would have strolled in to score. But, Jones gets a bit ahead of himself and doesn’t secure the catch. Instead of a potential TD, it’s a punt and the Wildcat offense that seems to have woken up gets the ball back again with just over 11-minutes remaining.

The defense has shown up all night and they would need to do so again here. They get the job done again and force a punt where the Purdue offense gets the ball back in decent field position. For the first time all game, Purdue finds some success on the ground with J. Crabtree finally getting some open space to run some clock. The Boilermakers work their way down to the Kansas State 20 where they are finally stopped on third down and they extend the lead to two possessions with a Travis Dorsch field goal. Purdue leads 30-27.

6:36 remaining in the game. Purdue seems to have regained the momentum before Kansas State’s offense gets the play it needed. Starting on their eleven-yard line, Bishop finds a receiver on top of the DB and goes for 89 yards to the house. 13 seconds go off the clock and suddenly KSU finds themselves down only 3. Purdue would need to find some success on the ground that they haven’t had all night. It doesn’t happen as they go three-and-out burning less than 2-minutes off the clock. Another great return by the Wildcats and they are starting to show why they are one of the best teams in the country.

With 4:02 left in the game, Kansas State has the ball on the Purdue 34. At this point, it feels like Purdue needs to get a stop here or that may do it. With how much the offense has struggled, at least at this point, it would be hard to imagine them being able to put together a drive against this aggressive K-State defense. It seems even grimmer when Kansas State gets yards in chunks as they march towards the end-zone. As we cross the 2-minute remaining mark, they find themselves on the Purdue 2 on 2nd-and-goal to go. Purdue stuffs the run forcing 3rd down. If they can get the stop on third KSU may decide to play for overtime and only kick the field goal, so this is a big third-down coming up with 1:28 left. The Wildcats go with play-action that makes Purdue bite before finding the TE over the top and with 1:24 left in the game Kansas State has their first lead of the game.

Purdue will have a minute and twenty-four seconds to drive the length of the field, and only a touchdown will do. Here’s how this drive goes:

• 1:24 PUR 20 - 1st and 10: Brees incomplete pass

• 1:18 PUR 20 - 2nd and 10: Brees incomplete pass

• 1:14 PUR 20 - 3rd and 10: Brees pass complete for 11 yards

• 1:02 PUR 31 - 1st and 10: Brees pass complete for 19 yards

• :49 PUR 49 - 1st and 10: Brees pass dropped

  • (Penalty: Pass Interference on KSU)

• :43 KSU 35 - 1st and 10: Brees rush for 11 yards

• :36 KSU 24 - 1st and 10: Brees pass complete for 24 yards. Touchdown Isaac Jones!

In less than 60 seconds of game time, Purdue drives 80 yards and takes the lead 37-34! This shouldn’t be surprising to see this out of Brees knowing the games he is yet to play in the Old Gold and Black!

After a scramble by KSU on the ensuing kick-off. Purdue’s defense has to last just 22 seconds of game clock and they will have done it! Here is how the last drive for KSU goes:

• :22 KSU 11 - 1st and 10: Bishop rush for 10

  • (Penalty: Holding on KSU)

• :16 KSU 2 - 1st and 19: Bishop pass incomplete

  • (Should have been intercepted)

• :07 KSU 2 - 2nd and 19: Bishop pass intercepted

Game. Purdue upsets #3 Kansas State in the 1998 Alamo Bowl behind some amazing performances by Rosevelt Colvin and Chile Okeafor, and an amazing final drive by QB Drew Brees. One for the ages.

Team Stats:

Purdue Boilermakers:

• Rushing (Atmps/Yds/TD’s): 24/5/0

• Passing (Completions/Att/Yds/TD/INT): 25/53/230/3/3

• Receiving (Receptions/Yds/TD): 25/230/3

• First Downs: 19

• Turnovers: 4

Kansas State Wildcats:

• Rushing (Atmps/Yds/TD’s): 43/126/1

• Passing (Completions/Att/Yds/TD/INT): 9/24/182/3/4

• Receiving (Receptions/Yds/TD): 9/182/3

• First Downs: 12

• Turnovers: 7

The Results: The result of this game is another memorable bowl game in Purdue’s history. Purdue goes back to the Alamo Bowl and wins classically with a last-minute touchdown to pull the Boilers ahead. This seems to be a theme when it comes to Purdue football. Purdue holds on to win the game against then #3 Kansas State, who just missed out on a chance at the National Championship, to once again reiterate to the college football world that the Boilers aren’t to be taken lightly. Purdue built an early lead and made just enough plays down the stretch to hold on to win over a K-State team with more talent that seemed like they didn’t want to be there.

This is also, another sign that Joe Tiller was the right man, and the right coach to help Purdue in their quest for Big Ten clout. In his first 2 seasons in West Lafayette, he took the Boilers to 2 bowl games and 2 bowl game wins over teams many pundits considered too good for the Boilers to beat. This win helped Purdue return once again to the AP Rankings to end the season. This also is a precursor for the next few years as Purdue finds the most success we had seen in a long time.

Another interesting result of this game was what some dub “The Kansas State Rule” because after K-State lost in the Big 12 championship game they dropped to #3 in the rankings but was still left out of a BCS bowl game. This is how Purdue found themselves playing the #3 team in the Alamo Bowl. The new rule was simply, “The number 3 ranked team would always have an automatic bid to a BCS Bowl Game”. I choose to believe this rule was adopted purely because Purdue beat Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl.

Why this Game? This is another game where it fits perfectly into my criteria for favorite games. It checks all the boxes; underdog Purdue team (check), overconfident opponent/fans (check), unbelievable moments (check), and Purdue comes out on top to stun the college football world. Seeing the Boilermakers play with a chip on their shoulders will always be fun. Joe Tiller, in just two years, showing what is possible by being innovative and different at a school like Purdue, and as we know he was just getting started!

How do you feel? Leave a comment below or tweet at me your thoughts @BoilerInTexas on how you felt watching this game! As well as if you enjoy re-watching old games to re-live them!

What’s Next? Let’s get back to Mackey Arena and experience a basketball game many fans might consider one of the best games played in West Lafayette.

New Years Day and West Virginia was visiting to ring in the New Year.

As always, Boiler Up, Hammer Down, Hail Purdue!