Walk-ons pave way for Purdue to capture Big Ten West title
Associated PressThe AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Purdue’s last Big Ten title came in 2000, courtesy of a senior class recruiting experts considered the league’s worst in 1997. Among those who decided to join the late Joe Tiller’s first recruiting class were future NFL players Drew Brees and receiver Vinny Sutherland, who somehow helped Purdue avoid a potentially devastating second league loss with a late field goal to beat Michigan in Week 6 of 2000. 8 on the depth chart and wound up becoming the first walk-on to start at the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.” He’s steadily climbed the school’s career passing charts, earned all-conference honors and after an inspirational performance following the death of his oldest brother, Sean, last week, he’s now one win away from joining Brees and Mike Phipps as the only Purdue quarterbacks to win a Big Ten crown since 1953. “Obviously, he’s gotten better at football but in the role of being a leader and how he’s become respected and viewed by guys on the team, it’s really been a transformation,” linebacker Kieren Douglas said.