Joe Tiller's farewell tour never materialized as planned this season -- after beating Central Michigan to go to 2-1, the Boilermaker lost seven of eight games, quarterback Curtis Painter found his way to the bench, and the Purdue offense sputtered mightily.In four games during that 1-7 stretch, Purdue scored one touchdown or less. Pretty much the exact opposite of what we've come to expect from Tiller's teams (except for the occasional bomb-out against ranked teams).
Today marked Purdue's last chance to send Tiller into retirement -- which will include fishing in Wyoming, according to the broadcast -- with an offensive show befitting the long-time Purdue coach. And, boy, did Purdue ever deliver. With Painter back in the starting role, the Boilermakers' offense clicked on all cylinders. Tiller's bunch had 11 possessions against arch-rival Indiana, and scored on the first 10 en route to a 62-10 win.
Going 10-of-11 is not mathematical perfection, but that's about as close as you can get in a football game. And when you're a 3-8 Purdue team in a rivalry game, well, that's almost beyond perfection -- like going to the ATM to take out $20 and having gold bars spit out.
Tiller has always worked against a stacked deck in West Lafayette. When he arrived in 1997, the Boilers hadn't been to a bowl game since the 1984 Peach Bowl, and were constantly battling for the Big Ten basement. Then Tiller, after a 39-30-1 run at Wyoming, took over and turned things around.
Purdue finished 9-3 in 1997 and traveled to the Alamo Bowl, setting off a string of eight consecutive bowl trips. The Boilers missed out in 2005, but bounced back for two more postseason berths in 2006-07.
More than reviving Purdue's dormant program, though, Tiller was a key cog in altering the way the Big Ten plays football. Thanks in large part to Tiller's spread offense, and its air-it-out mentality, the conference slowly changed -- from the Bo vs. Woody days of "Three yards and a cloud of dust" to the 2008 version where every team not named Wisconsin or Iowa runs some version of the spread.
The Tiller era crested in the 2000 season, when Purdue tied for first in the Big Ten and headed to the Rose Bowl. On the arm of Drew Brees, the Boilermakers gave No. 4 Washington a good battle before losing 34-24.
Purdue's offensive firepower under Tiller helped continue the school's reputation as the "Cradle of quarterbacks." The spread attack turned Kyle Orton and Drew Brees into college football cult heroes. It nearly did the same for Painter, but his career never launched in the same fashion.
Outside of being a likable and recognizable coach, Tiller will never have the same legacy around the nation that he does inside the conference. Purdue never challenged for a national title -- the team never reached to 10 wins under Tiller, getting to nine three times. And while Tiller's 4-6 bowl record with Purdue is decent, it's certainly nothing special.
That said, it's hard to argue the footprint he will leave in the Big Ten.
And it's impossible to downplay Tiller's importance to Purdue.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joe not only will be know for bringing back winning to Purdue, but also for how he did it. No program, including Miami, has had as many players in jail as the Boliers have over the last decade. When they were not prowling the campus they were fighting among themselves. West Lafayette will have a lot more room in the local jail once this group is gone.
Purdue isn't even tops in their own conference for player arrests. Penn State and Iowa have set the bar pretty high on that stat. Even IU had one day this year where 5 players were arrested.