Purdue Is Prepared to Take Lowe Road

It’s no secret Purdue’s offense is built around its passing game. And when the passing game is established, Boilermaker quarterback Drew Brees will pass again, aiming for any of the 16 receivers who caught at least one pass this season.

The aerial show is exciting, but it’s not the Boilermakers’ only trick. Sophomore running back Montrell Lowe gained 919 yards in 206 carries and scored six touchdowns, including four touchdowns in the season-ending victory over Indiana that clinched Purdue’s first Rose Bowl berth since 1967. Impressive achievements, certainly, no matter the style of the offense.

Factor in a shoulder injury that prevented him from starting until the fourth game, and it’s clear Lowe is a valuable if under-recognized weapon for the 14th-ranked Boilermakers.

“I can’t say that I’m overlooked. Drew Brees has done a great job with this offense,” Lowe said Sunday, after the team’s first practice at the Coliseum.

“I just want to be a sparkplug. Our offensive line has done a great job opening lanes and hopefully, they’ll keep doing that and we can get something done in the Rose Bowl.”

Lowe, from LaPorte, Texas, is a relatively slight 5 feet 8 and 193 pounds. The shoulder sprain he suffered last spring held him back this fall because he couldn’t lower his shoulder and barge past defenders. However, a talk with the coaches persuaded him he couldn’t use that as an excuse, and he started the Boilermakers’ last six games.

In Purdue’s 32-31 victory over then-No. 6 Michigan, Lowe outgained the Wolverines’ Anthony Thomas, 126-120. The following week, in a 41-28 victory over Northwestern, Lowe outgained another premier back, Damien Anderson, 174-55.

Victories like those helped Lowe believe the Boilermakers’ Rose Bowl dreams could become reality.

“The first day you walk on the Purdue campus, you hear about history and about Leroy Keyes and Bob Griese,” Lowe said. “Every day at practice, we’d look up at the Jumbotron and see them.

“It’s nice for us to make our own claim.”

But the Washington Huskies stand in the way of the Boilermakers’ hopes of making history. “They’re very athletic, very physical, which is surprising for a Pac-10 team,” Lowe said. “We know we’re going to have to play 60 minutes.”

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Purdue Coach Joe Tiller, walking the field in shorts and his customary Panama hat, was low on Christmas cheer Sunday after watching his team’s first Coliseum practice.

“Rusty. Sloppy. Not very impressive,” he said of the two-hour workout. “It’s something you have to get through.”

The Huskies began practicing in Southern California three days before the Boilermakers, but Tiller believes his opponents won’t have an advantage.

“We’re here long enough,” he said. “I don’t know about Washington, but 10 days on the road is long enough for me.”

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The Boilermakers won’t practice today. Instead, they will gather for a team dinner that will include a visit from Santa Claus. The coaches’ families will be invited.

“We’ll make a family affair out of it,” Tiller said. “We’ve got some bowl gifts that we’ll wrap up and give out.”

Brees said some players might go off on their own and try to do some sightseeing. “We’ll probably go down to Hollywood and walk around,” he said.

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Purdue began its workouts without any injured players, but offensive coordinator Jim Chaney--a former Cal State Fullerton assistant--was on the disabled list after practice because of a stomach virus.

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Purdue (8-3) vs. Washington (10-1)

Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m.

Channel 7