Lucas at 50: A crossroads for Badgers and Boilermakers
November 22, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas
Digging into the history books reveals the significance of a memorable matchup in 2004
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer Mike Lucas is celebrating 50 years of covering the Badgers in 2019. Join us throughout the season as we take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from his career in Madison. This week's lookback also celebrates Ron Dayne's role in the Badgers' dream season of 1999-2000.
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
John Jardine was a no-nonsense, straight-shooter; a product of the rugged Chicago Catholic League and the head coach of the Badgers during a fan renaissance in the '70s. Much of Jardine's tenacity stemmed from his playing days at Purdue.
As an undersized, 186-pound nose guard, Jardine learned survival instincts while captaining the 1954 freshman team and starting as a junior and senior for the Boilermakers. In 1956, Jardine came under the influence of a Purdue volunteer assistant coach by the name of Steinbrenner — George Steinbrenner — who left after one season to help his father run the family business, the American Shipbuilding Company in Cleveland. He would later become the cantankerous "Boss" of the New York Yankees, winners of seven World Series titles under his rule.
As for Jardine, his first coaching job was in Lafayette, Indiana, at Central Catholic. He later returned as a Boilermakers assistant for his mentor and former head coach, Jack Mollenkopf. Can't help but think of Jardine whenever the Badgers are matched against the Boilers.
Something else comes to mind, too …
MADISON, Wis. — It was the starting point of Wisconsin's current 13-game win streak over Purdue; a marquee made-for-TV matchup between Big Ten unbeatens at Ross-Ade Stadium and a sizzling hot ticket in West Lafayette, Indiana, where ESPN's College GameDay crew was making its first appearance on the Wabash.
Oct. 16, 2004
It had already been a season of firsts for the No. 5 Boilermakers.
Two weeks earlier, they had won at Notre Dame for the first time in 30 years. One week earlier, they had won at Penn State for the first time in five appearances. Moreover, they had opened the 2004 season with five straight wins for the first time since 1945.
Meanwhile, the Badgers were playing in West Lafayette for the first time since 1999, when tailback Ron Dayne rushed 32 times for 222 yards, including a defining 41-yard touchdown burst, while outdueling Purdue's Drew Brees in a Heisman Trophy showdown of the Big Ten's leading candidates.
The year before, Brees set an NCAA record under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium by airing it out 83 times in a 31-24 loss to the Badgers. During the 3-hour, 37-minute marathon, Brees completed 59 passes — 55 to his guys (tying another NCAA mark), 4 to the guys wearing red.
One of the latter was a 52-yard pick-six for UW cornerback Jamar Fletcher.
"There comes a time during a game when you have to do something," Fletcher explained afterwards. "So, I decided that I was going to sit on one of those quick outs that they had been throwing all night to Randall Lane (who finished with 18 catches). I just waited for him to make a mistake."
Fletcher had another pick-six off a Brees mistake in the '99 game.
As fate would have it, Brees and Fletcher would later become teammates on the San Diego Chargers. While they were in San Diego getting ready for a 2004 home game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Badgers and the Boilermakers staged their first-place battle in West Lafayette.
As fate would have it, cornerback Scott Starks was wearing Fletcher's No. 2 Wisconsin jersey; a haunting number for Brees, and now for Kyle Orton. In this case, it was Starks who turned Orton and the Boilermakers' dream season upside down with a dramatic scoop-and-score for the ages.
At least from the Badgers' perspective.
When time was called with 2 minutes and 49 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Purdue was one first down away from sealing a 17-14 victory that might catapult them to a Rose Bowl.
When play resumed, it didn't appear the Badgers had a prayer of a chance of rallying.
Until … Orton called his own number on a third-and-2 from the Boilermakers' 37-yard line. "We yelled 'bootleg' from the sidelines," UW defensive coordinator Bret Bielema said.
But to no avail since the outside linebacker on the play side busted.
Starks reacted instinctively as Orton turned the corner and began to head upfield.
"My man (receiver) went inside and I saw the quarterback going," said Starks, a 5-foot-9 dynamo. "And with the motions of his body, I knew he couldn't throw it.
"So, I came off my man and tried to hit him low and the ball at the same time."
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But what was Orton thinking? Why didn't he slide? It looked like he had enough yardage for the first down. "I thought I'd be close," he said hesitantly, "so I tried to make a play."
Instead, he got helicoptered and sandwiched between Starks and UW safety Robert Brooks.
"At first, I didn't know what happened and then I heard Orton go, 'Oh shoot,'" said Brooks. "Then I looked up and I went 'Oh, oh' and I saw the ball, and somebody pick it up."
That someone was Starks. Instead of falling on the ball, something many would have done, Starks scooped it up and scored untouched on a 40-yard fumble return.
"Couldn't have happened to a better guy," said Wisconsin's other starting safety, Jim Leonhard. "It was a huge rush to see him score."
But there were still some anxious moments after Purdue blocked the extra point and drove into field goal position for its normally reliable placekicker, Ben Jones.
A year earlier, Jones had broken the Badgers' spirit by kicking the game-winning field goal in the final three seconds at Camp Randall Stadium.
"A lot of us on the sidelines were praying for something to bounce our way," said offensive tackle Morgan Davis. "And something did."
Jones pushed his kick wide right from 42 yards.
"I've been in this racket a long time," Alvarez said. "But I don't know if I've ever been in a game like that. I was very proud of how my players showed resolve."
That was especially true of a shorthanded defensive line. Jonathan Welsh injured his right ankle in the second quarter and Erasmus James went to the sideline in the third quarter.
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Purdue tight end Charles Davis drove his helmet and shoulder into James' lower left leg, "cutting" the UW's senior edge rusher on the backside of a running play. It was an illegal block.
And maybe the only way the Boilermakers could slow down James (pictured above), who had a sack, a forced fumble and drew three holding penalties on offensive tackle David Owen in the first half.
But the defense held together and Starks and Brooks came up with the big play. More than anything this team had a unique resiliency, spawning some memorable fourth-quarter comebacks.
"There are a lot of things that are special about this group," said Leonhard, one of the senior leaders. "There's the character and physical abilities of the guys in this locker room.
"And there's something else that I can't put my finger on."
Starks had the answer … literally and figuratively.
"We believe in each other," he said, "and we play for each other."
Postscript: After losing to the Badgers, the Boilermakers dropped three consecutive gut-wrenching games to Michigan (16-14), Northwestern (13-10) and Iowa (23-21). They ended up 7-5.
The Badgers wound up with three straight losses and finished 9-3.
Since that crossroads game in 2004, the programs have taken different paths.
The Boilers are 65-115; the Badgers 150-52.
