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Sporting News, The, Sept 20, 1999 by Tom Dienhart

Some people in West Lafayette, Ind., call it Bloody October--and with good reason.

No team faces a tougher stretch of games than Purdue, which has emerged as a team to be reckoned with after its 28-23 victory over Notre Dame last weekend.

October begins with a game at Michigan, where the Boilermakers haven't won since 1966. Next is a trip to Ohio State, where Purdue has won once (in 1988) since 1967. Then come home games with darkhorse Michigan State and TSN No. 1 Penn State before the Boilermakers dose the month with a trip to Minnesota, which is off to a 2-0 start

That's why it was so important for Purdue to beat Notre Dame and poise itself for a 4-0 start with home games against Central Michigan and Northwestern on the horizon. Now, it appears anything is possible, especially with quarterback Drew Brees--who hit 24-of-40 passes for 317 yards with a touchdown pass and run against the Irish--at the controls.

It didn't look that way late last Saturday. Clinging to a five-point lead and backed against its goal line with time running out, Purdue responded with two key stops--aided by Notre Dame's confusion--to win, 28-23, and improve to 2-0.

"It's an emotional builder," says Purdue linebacker Mike Rose, who dropped Notre Dame quarterback Jarious Jackson for a 9-yard loss on the game's final play as Ross-Ade Stadium exploded into screams. "For so long, since coach (Joe) Tiller and the staff got in here, everybody has focused on the offense. We're not ashamed of that or embarrassed about that as a defense, but it makes us want to go out there and get some attention, too."

More important, Purdue's defensive stand in its second win over Notre Dame in its last 14 tries was the kind of moment that can alter a season.

"Those are building blocks," says Tiller, who is 20-7 at Purdue and 11-1 at home. "Those are things you can point to and you can say, `Hey guys, here is where we came from and here's where we want to get, and this is what's going to take us there, so let's get our shoulder to the grindstone and get to work."

Purdue's final stand didn't start so well. With less than three minutes left, Jackson began driving the Irish downfield from the Boilermakers' 41. On second-and-17, Purdue safety Adrian Beasley was called for pass interference, putting the Irish on the 2 6. Two plays later, Jackson hit Raki Nelson for 11 yards to move the ball to the 9 and followed with a 7-yard pass to fullback Joey Goodspeed, who seemed to fumble the ball. After the Irish recovered in the end zone, two officials signaled touchdown, but a third ruled the ball was down. On second-and-goal, Tony Driver ran up the middle for 1 yard, and Notre Dame called timeout with 16 seconds left.

Irish coach Bob Davie says he called for two running plays out of a wishbone formation, but Goodspeed was confused by a fake check call at the line and relayed the incorrect play to the running backs. They went one way, Jackson went another and the Irish went down in Rose's grasp.

"I take responsibility for that," Davie says. "I shouldn't have allowed that to happen. There shouldn't have been potential for any kind of a check in that end zone."

So while the Irish regroup, Tiller reminds his players that this game won't mean much in October. His team must run better and improve its pass defense. "If we're on a roller coaster and we take a dip down next week, then this doesn't mean anything," he says.