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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- Purdue hadn't witnessed such a rosy
scene in 34 years.
Players putting flowers in their mouths, fans carrying Heisman
Trophy signs across the field and a Big Ten trophy presentation in
the end zone.
|  | | Purdue coach Joe Tiller, left, and quarterback Drew Brees celebrate their Big Ten title and trip to Pasadena. |
But on Saturday, the Boilermakers earned it.
Drew Brees threw for one touchdown and rushed for another, while
Montrell Lowe ran for 208 yards and four touchdowns as the
Boilermakers beat Indiana 41-13 and booked their first trip to
Pasadena since 1966. Purdue will meet Washington, which made it to
the Rose Bowl by beating Washington State 51-3.
"Boilermaker fans, had you ever thought we could go to the Rose
Bowl?" Brees shouted to the fans as he accepted the Big Ten
trophy. "This is, by far, the greatest moment of my life so far."
And why not?
All Brees did was complete 20-of-29 passes for 216 yards and run
10 times for 85 yards, while becoming the first quarterback to lead
the Boilermakers (8-3, 6-2) to Pasadena since Bob Griese.
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Sat, November 18
More than anything that actually happened within this game, what was important was that Purdue got a second chance after a horrible loss to Michigan State to redeem their Rose Bowl chances.
In an all but guaranteed matchup with Washington in Pasadena, you have the ironic situation of a Big Ten team with a high-octane passing offense facing a Pac-10 team that lives and dies by the run.
Both teams bring quarterbacks with exceptional leadership and opportunistic defenses that show up for the big games. This should be a great Rose Bowl matchup.
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"It's been a long time coming," Brees shouted. "But you can
smell it, we're going to the Rose Bowl."
The victory set off a wild celebration in which fans stormed the
field and scaled the goal posts. Some carried banners, with one
reading "We Smell Roses."
But the unofficial celebration began long before that.
With about 6:30 left in the game, a group of Purdue players
unveiled roses and when Brees finally left with about two minutes
left, he waved to the crowd, imploring it to cheer even louder. He
received a standing ovation.
"I want to thank the fans and my teammates," defensive end
Akin Ayodele screamed. "This is, by far, the greatest site I have
ever, ever, ever seen."
But Brees was far from a one-man show.
While Ayodele helped the Boilermakers limit the Hoosiers
high-powered offense to just 13 points and 328 yards, Purdue also
threw a surprise at Indiana -- Lowe, who dominated the second half.
"They just pounded us," Hoosiers coach Cam Cameron said.
"They ran three plays at us in the second half, that was it. In my
mind, that's been one of the better offensive lines in this league
the last two or three years."
The Boilermakers proved it Saturday when they outrushed Indiana
(3-8, 2-6) 294-205.
Lowe's first score came on a 12-yard run with 5:52 left in the
first quarter, and even though kicker Travis Dorsch missed the
extra point wide left, it hardly mattered.
On the Boilermakers next series, Brees connected with Tim
Stratton on a 13-yard touchdown pass to make it 13-0.
And after Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El threw 10 yards
to Versie Gaddis to make it 13-7, Brees responded with a 2-yard
touchdown run just 1:55 before the half.
"We turned the ball over, we had penalties," said Randle El,
who ran for 112 yards and became the second player in Division I-A
history to rush for 200 points and pass for 200 points. "We always
stop ourselves and we can't do that."
Especially not on coronation day.
Purdue took advantage quickly in the second half, with Lowe
running 6 yards for one touchdown and 8 yards for another in the
third quarter to make it 34-7.
"There was no game plan," Lowe said. "But when you look on the
field and see five defensive backs drop back 15 yards, you just run
it up the gut."
By then, the fans were ready to party, and with each ensuing
first down, the Boilermakers crowd became louder as it became
increasingly clear the Big Ten's second-longest Rose Bowl drought
was about to end.
Lowe's final touchdown, a 1-yard run with 9:52 left, brought a
huge roar from the crowd and a little more than five minutes later,
when Stuart Schweigert intercepted Randle El's pass in the end
zone, it was time to celebrate.
"To be a part of this is something special, this is at a
different level than we have been in the past," Purdue coach Joe
Tiller said. "This is special because the Big Ten is such a
high-profile conference.
"Here's a kid who grew up on a dead-end street in Toledo, Ohio.
Who ever thought he would be on the field at the Rose Bowl?"
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Indiana Clubhouse
Purdue Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Purdue's Drew Brees breaks down Indiana's defense on this 2-yard TD run.(courtesy: ABCSports)
avi: 1117 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Indiana's Versie Gaddis catches a 10-yard pass from Antwaan Randle El.(courtesy: ABCSports)
avi: 1019 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Purdue's Montrell Lowe trucks 8 yards for the touchdown against Indiana.(courtesy: ABCSports)
avi: 1117 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Purdue's Drew Brees throws 14 yards to Tim Stratton for the TD.(courtesy: ABCSports)
avi: 1318 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Purdue's Montrell Lowe blazes his way 12 yards into the end zone against Indiana.(courtesy: ABCSports)
avi: 974 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Everything's coming up roses for Drew Brees and the Boilermakers.
wav: 155 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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