Time Warp--Sept. 19, 1998: Purdue stymies UCF and Culpepper, 35-7

MORE TIME WARPS: Sept. 5, 2004: Purdue pummels Syracuse, 51-0 | Sept. 12, 1992: Purdue stuns Cal, 41-14

Purdue was slated to play its third game of 2020 today, welcoming Air Force and its triple-option offense to West Lafayette. No doubt, it would have been a unique challenge.

But like the Boilermakers, the Falcons also have seen their Mountain West season postponed. The lack of Big Ten football thus far in 2020 hasn't stopped us from enjoying past Boilermaker triumphs.

And this time we look back on Purdue's best win on Sept. 19, the date of what would have been today's Air Force game.

September 19 hasn't been an especially fruitful day for the Boilermakers. Purdue opened the 1970 season on Sept. 19, taking down TCU, 15-0, in what was Bob DeMoss' debut following Jack Mollenkopf. And Purdue tied Louisville and Howard Schnellenberger 22-22 in 1987 on Sept. 19 in what was Fred Akers' second game as Boilermaker coach.

The most memorable September 19 occurred in 1998, when Purdue smothered UCF and its star quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Let's look back on a hot day in Ross-Ade Stadium in what was an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN.

The setup: Optimism was percolating in West Lafayette for a program coming off a smashing debut the year before under Joe Tiller. Fans got treated to their first bowl since 1984 and wanted more. But could a sophomore quarterback named Drew Brees in his first year as a starter deliver?

The early returns in 1998 were positive. Brees and the Boilermakers showed promised in a season-opening 27-17 loss at USC in the Pigskin Classic. That was followed by a methodical 21-19 victory vs. Rice in Ross-Ade Stadium. Next up was a visit from Central Florida in what was a matchup between future NFL quarterbacks in Brees and UCF star senior signal-caller Daunte Culpepper, a 6-4, 240-pound freak who was hailed as a Heisman contender. He had an ESPN national TV audience to strut his stuff and make his case.

What happened: Purdue played its best game of the young season on a humid day, cruising to a 35-7 triumph vs. UCF, which was in just its third season as a Division I program.

“This was a bit of a surprise,” said free safety Billy Gustin of almost shutting out UCF.

The key to victory? A physical rushing attack that battered the Golden Knights for 206 yards. The 1-2 running back punch of J Crabtree (118 yards rushing) and Dondre Johnson (75) led the way.

After a scoreless first quarterback, Purdue took a 14-0 lead into the halftime locker room. It was 21-0 when the fourth quarter began. The Boilermakers ended any faint UCF hopes with 14 points in the final 15 minutes to give Tiller the 50th win of his career.

The highlight play came in the second quarter. With Purdue leading, 7-0, UCF was threatening to tie the game. That is when Golden Knights QB Daunte Culpepper dropped to pass … and was intercepted by Boilermaker cornerback Mike Hawthorne four yards deep in the corner of the end zone. Hawthorne never considered taking a knee. Instead, the rangy Florida native raced 65 yards and subsequently lateraled—some say it may have been an illegal forward lateral—to Gustin, who ran the final 35 yards to pay dirt to give Purdue a 14-0 lead.

“The 100-yard interception return broke our back,” said UCF coach Mike Kruczek. “It should have been 7-7, not 14-0.”

Credit the defense, which saw players like Lee Johnson, Hawthorne, Chike Okeafor, Rosevelt Colvin and Adrian Beasley excel to help propel the Boilermakers to a second victory in succession. Big props to Colvin, who notched his second blocked field goal of the season and third in his career.

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Why it mattered: The win in front of 53,469 fans gave Purdue some mojo as it headed to Notre Dame the next week. It also was a confidence builder for Brees, who hit 14-of-24 passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. This was a big sophomore season for the Austin, Texas, native to establish himself as one of the Big Ten’s best players and to show that Purdue’s nine-win 1997 wasn’t a fluke. Culpepper completed 30-of-47 passes for 368 yards with a TD toss and an interception.

The aftermath: The Boilers suffered a crushing 31-30 loss at No. 23 Notre Dame the next week. In fact, Purdue was just 3-4 through seven games. But Tiller’s squad finished with a flurry, winning its final six games to finish 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten.

The Boilermakers capped the season with a heart-stopping 37-34 win vs. No. 4 Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl that saw Brees engineer a late game-winning drive. The monster victory--one of the greatest in school annals--set the table for Brees to become a national name his final two seasons in West Lafayette. He was a Heisman finalist in 1999 and 2000 and lead the program to the Rose Bowl his final season.

UCF ended up finishing 9-2 as an independent. Its only other loss was at Auburn. Culpepper would be the 11th overall pick by the Vikings in the 1999 NFL draft. He enjoyed an 11-year NFL career.

The fast finish to this 1998 season was a preview of what was to come the next two seasons with Brees leading the charge.

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