Bowl appearance provides more than just reward for Purdue's season
More: How'd this work? | Brohm's three things ($) | Hunte's speech helped change course of season ($)
The benefits would seem obvious.
When Purdue accepted an invitation to the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday — it’ll play Arizona at 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 27 — it got the tangible reward for a resurgent season.
It got the chance to finish the season as a “champion,” something senior cornerback Da’Wan Hunte said last week mattered quite a bit to this group.
It got the additional NCAA-allowed practices, of which first-year coach Jeff Brohm said he’ll probably use 13 of the 15.
But, at least for senior Gelen Robinson, Purdue got much more than the obvious.
It got payoff, yes, for a strong finish that required victories in three of the final four games to hit 6-6.
It got respect, in a way, too.
And reward for more than those inside football's shiny new performance complex.
“We say a lot that it’s for the seniors and for the team, but it is a little bit more than that because we haven’t been in this situation in so many years,” said Robinson, referencing Purdue’s last bowl trip in 2012. “It’s more for the Purdue family in general. Not only for our team, our family, but we have our fans. In the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve never seen our fans, our students as excited for this program as they are now. I’ve never had so many people come up to me and congratulate us. It’s an amazing feeling.
“We do it for ourselves, but we mostly do it for the Purdue family in general because they’re the reason that we’re out there and have such great support. After the game, seeing them rush the field, that’s when you really get to see who’s really there for you and see how much they really do love watching us play at a high level like we’ve played this year.”
Of course that’s the heartfelt piece of the Boilermakers’ season, one that followed a four-year slate of nine total victories under Darrell Hazell.
But there’s certainly sheer joy, too.
Especially considering the destination.
Though Purdue figured it’d be in the mix for the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and, perhaps, have an outside shot at the best-proximity option with the Music City Bowl in Nashville, at least a trip to Santa Clara will grant one wish: Warmer temps.
Though the Bay Area highs in December are “cool” — high 50s, low 60s — they’re certainly not Midwest winter weather.
And the San Francisco 49ers are hosting the game at Levi’s Stadium, so the location will offer an NFL feel, too.
“I’m excited. I’m never been to California before,” fifth-year senior Danny Ezechukwu said, “so going out there will be real cool. I’m looking forward to playing a quality opponent. They have a top-tier offense. I know Coach Holt probably will be (chomping) at the bit to go out there and show what we can do. We’re excited.”
There's the competitive piece, too.
Junior captain Kirk Barron was especially emotional after Purdue logged its fourth victory this season — because it was more than he'd had in a single year — so, naturally, he's one of the fellas out front in viewing more than just one more game.
He's viewing it as one more potential victory.
"I think we’re all pretty happy," Barron said of the matchup. "Arizona is a quality opponent. They play in the Pac-12, good offense. It’s going to be a fun game. I think for us, we’re really just trying to get over that hump of 6-6 and still have a winning season."
For the Boilermakers to do it, they'll have to find a way to contain the Wildcats' explosive quarterback — Brohm compared him to a younger Lamar Jackson, the former Heisman winner who guided Louisville over Purdue in Week 1 — and keep pace with Rich Rodriguez's spread offense.
And there will be plenty of film to pore over in the next three weeks, plenty of matchups to dissect and plenty of hype to follow.
For now, though, for one Sunday at least, Purdue can just be happy it’s back here, be happy it finishes the season with a reward, for themselves, for the fanbase, for their coach.
“It's a goal we set at the beginning of the year. I know our guys, it meant a lot to them. It meant a lot to our fan base. It's something that we worked extremely hard for and we set out to try to achieve, regardless of what other people may have thought and to just barely get there is a great accomplishment,” Brohm said. “This is a chance for our guys to have some extra fun, but it's a bowl game and you want to win it. I think our guys understand that. It's one thing we'll try to do around here — is we will compete to be the best. When we go out there, we're going to expect to win the game, and I want to make sure our guys, while we have a good time and enjoy the experience, when it's time to do football, we're definitely doing that and we're definitely preparing to find a way to win.”
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