Analysis: Purdue from 2000 to 2010, Part Two

Part One: Purdue vs. Indiana, IOWA (their new most hated rival), Illinois, and Ohio State
Part Two: Purdue vs. Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Michigan
Part Three: Purdue vs. Minnesota, Penn State, and Notre Dame
Part Four: Purdue vs. nonconference opponents other than Notre Dame

vs. Michigan State

2000 L 30-10
2001 W 24-14
2002 W 45-42
2003-2004 Hiatus
2005 W 28-21
2006 W 17-15
2007 L 48-31
2008 L 21-7
2009 L 40-37
2010 L 35-31

With the exception of 2000 and 2007, Purdue has managed to stay fairly even with Michigan State, matching the Spartans punch for punch. Still, that eerily close game against a really bad MSU team in 2006 doesn't help any, nor does the 17 point beatdown the Boilermakers received the next year. Purdue still shouldn't have lost the 2010 game, but they managed to do so anyway.

vs. Wisconsin, 2-5, 2-2 against Barry Alvarez and 0-3 against Bret Bielema

2000 W 30-24
2001-2002 Hiatus
2003 W 26-23
2004 L 20-17 (The Fumble)
2005 L 31-20
2006 L 24-3
2007-2008 Hiatus
2009 L 37-0
2010 L 34-13

The Defining Mark of recent Purdue football history of the last decade is most probably The Fumble. Kyle Orton scrambles, loses the football and Scott Starks returns it for a touchdown. #5 Purdue goes from Big Ten contender to also-ran in two weeks, losing by two to Michigan the very next game. And after that, Purdue loses to Northwestern, and Iowa, continuing a slide that only ends when Joe Tiller's men knock off Ohio State. From then until 2009, Purdue lost every single game against a ranked opponent. Every. Single. One. Until they upset Ohio State.

The 2005 game was very possibly revenge for Purdue, as they took a 13-10 lead...and then the floodgates opened and Wisconsin scored 21 unanswered points in the 2nd half, 14 coming off of INT returns by Wisconsin DBs Roderic Rogers and Jack Ikegwuonu. Curtis Painter's 3 INTs sent Purdue careening to yet another loss. Wisconsin missed the 4-8 Boilermakers in 2008 (which, given that utterly atrocious Big Ten schedule, was a bad bad thing) but then squashed the 2009 team, which was coming off the aforementioned upset of Ohio State. Wisconsin 37, Purdue 0. Ouchies.

This past year, Wisconsin once again failed to take advantage of early opportunities and was actually on Upset Alert until they got their act together in the second half. Montee Ball's 100 yards rushing paced a powerful 2nd half effort by the Badgers, as they handed Purdue a 5th straight loss in the series.

vs. Northwestern, 7-4, 5-2 against Randy Walker and 2-2 against Pat Fitzgerald.

2000 W 41-28
2001 W 32-27
2002 W 42-13
2003 W 34-14
2004 L 13-10
2005 L 34-29
2006 W 31-10
2007 W 35-17
2008 L 48-26
2009 L 27-21
2010 W 20-17

Purdue and Northwestern: Usually this makes for a pretty tough contest between similar spread offenses, but then you get games like 2004 (which is best explained by Kyle Orton being injured) and 2008 (best explained by Northwestern being THAT much better than Purdue). 2005 was a wild game (the 2005 Wildcats were chock-full of crazy)

vs. Michigan, 3-6, 1-5 against Lloyd Carr and 2-1 against Rich Rodriguz

2000 W 32-31
2001 L 24-10
2002 L 23-21
2003 L 31-3
2004 L 16-14
2005-2006 Hiatus
2007 L 48-21
2008 W 48-42
2009 W 38-36
2010 L 27-16

Annoyingly close games against Lloyd Carr? Where have I seen that before? Purdue got a crack at the worst Michigan teams of all time and made the most of it, winning consecutive games against Michigan...for the first time since Bob Griese. Had they fielded an offense the next year, they might very well have won three in a row, but...no such luck there.

The 2000 game with the last minute field goal and failed Michigan laterals is still epic, and one of the best games of Drew Brees's career. But after Brees left, Kyle Orton went 0-4 against Michigan (but it was really Dorien Bryant's fault for the 2004 game, as his fumble basically cost Purdue the game). Curtis Painter sure as hell didn't have a good game against the Wolverines, missing the 2008 game (which Justin Siller started) and losing his lone start against the 07 Wolverines (who were on an epic run to 6-0 in conference play). Joey Elliott knocked off the Wolverines in Michigan Stadium in 2009, deepening Michigan's desperate plight to make the postseason. And then neither team elected to play offense in 2010, resulting in an utterly hideous 2010 game. Only Michigan could play defense against an offense as suffering as Purdue's was...