Old National Presents: Phipps, Woodson knew how to beat Notre Dame
Take it from those who know, right?
When you are talking Purdue football history, two of the program's all-time greats, Mike Phipps and Rod Woodson, had one thing in common: They played on teams that beat Notre Dame.
Phipps holds a place in college football history for being the first quarterback to defeat the Irish all three years he was eligible, posting victories over the Irish from 1967-69. Only USC's Matt Leinert (2003-05) and Stanford's Andrew Luck (2009-11) have done it since. But it was never easy for Phipps and crew, even though the ND teams that Phipps faced were far superior to what Leinert and Luck traversed. After all, the Irish were ranked No. 1 in the '67 and '68 games, and No. 9 in '69.
"We didn't go into any game thinking we weren't going to win," said Phipps, whose teams were consistently ranked among the nation's elite during his tenure in West Lafayette. "You have to earn that and maybe the 2021 team can do that too."
It was never easy against Notre Dame, and Phipps is always quick to share the praise that goes with beating the Irish.
"The keys to those wins was really our defense," said Phipps earlier this week from his Florida home. "The games were offensive battles, but it was big plays by our defense that seemed to carry the day."
Phipps' memory is correct when dissecting the offensive prowess on display in those game. And the big numbers were way ahead of their time.
The Irish surpassed the 400-yard mark in total offense in the '67 and '68 games, while Purdue was over 400 yards in the '68 and '69 contests. Phipps counterpart at Notre Dame, Terry Hanratty, set a long-standing Boilermaker opponent record with an unheard of 63 attempts in the 1967 contest.
"That was a lot of yards and pass attempts for those days," Phipps said. "I know a key for us was our ability to convert on third down. It didn't seem to matter how many yards we needed, we were just able to get it done."
And it didn't hurt that the Boilermaker had big-time talent at the time, none better than Leroy Keyes. The two-time All-American passed away in April of this year, leaving Phipps and his teammates melancholy when sizing up Saturday's matchup.
"It's looking back at games when you really miss Leroy," Phipps said. "He could do it all, and when we needed him on defense to stop (Notre Dame star receiver Jim) Seymour, he did that. He didn't play a lot of defense in the 1967 and '68 games. But when he did, he sure made a difference."
Phipps only trip to South Bend will be forever remembered in Purdue annals. In 2021 terms, it's hard to wrap one's brain around the fact the '68 contest was a battle between two No. 1 ranked teams; the Irish in the AP poll (media) and Purdue in the UPI poll (coaches).
"I just remember it was really loud at the student end of their stadium, and the fans were right on top of you," Phipps said. "We did what you have to do up there, and that is get ahead of them to quiet the crowd.
"We built a 23-7 lead in the first half and that really helped," Phipps said. "I remember being ahead by enough on the fourth quarter that (quarterbacks coach Bob) Demo (DeMoss) told me I could take my pads off.
"But I still vividly recall Notre Dame scoring a fourth quarter TD, DeMo telling me to get my pads back on, and that wasn't an easy task with a sweaty uniform. It's funny what you take away from a game 53 years ago."
Purdue still won comfortably, 37-22.
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Like Phipps, Woodson, a 1986 All-American defensive back, cherished the opportunity to play Notre Dame. He was part of teams coached by Leon Burtnett, who won two of four battles against the Blue and Gold. In today's world, Woodson would have been a 4-star, if not 5-star, talent coming out of Snider High in Fort Wayne and was recruited hard by the Notre Dame coach at the time, Gerry Faust.
"Playing Notre Dame was different for me because I lived so close growing up in Fort Wayne, about an hour from campus ," said Woodson on Wednesday . "Yes, they did recruit me, but they wanted me to take two AP courses my senior year of high school. And I'm like, 'Hey, I don't like school that much.' And I don't want to go to Notre Dame that bad."
Woodson says playing the Irish should bring out the best in Purdue
"You want to play your best football against teams like Notre Dame, that is for sure, " said Woodson, who now lives in Las Vegas and serves as an NFL analyst for Westwood One radio. "Notre Dame is vulnerable, and if we can go in there and play well, there is no reason we can't win.
"For me and my teammates, we always wanted to beat those teams with the big name on their jerseys. They are always signature wins, like our sophomore year (1984) when we beat Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State all in the same year."
Woodson's and the Boilermakers' victory triple crown has not happened in school annals before or since.
Notre Dame Stadium, with a capacity of 59,075 in those days, wasn't as intimidating for Woodson as Michigan's Big House, where 100,000-plus fans were the norm.
"But those gold helmets at Notre Dame ... that was what you wanted to beat." Woodson said.
Like Woodson, Phipps also likes Purdue's chances on Saturday, And like it was in the 1960s, he believes big plays on defense are key.
"They looked to have really improved in that (defense) area," Phipps said. "You have to be able to stop them enough and not turn the ball over. That's the winning formula up there."
Woodson agrees, but adds another key ingredient that No. 26 was never short on.
"Play with confidence and keep your focus," Woodson said. "If we do that Saturday, anything can happen."
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