Boilermakers Ambush Buckeyes; Wolverines Lie in Wait

One of college football's best-known legends involves Knut Rockne's win one for the Gipper speech.

It was the ultimate halftime motivation speech, and it got the job done back in 1928. That's when Notre Dame players stormed outta the locker room and took it to Army's Black Knights of the Hudson.

Virtually the only truth to the story was the fact that George Gipp died, but that was secondary.

 

Fake news isn't as much fun as it used to be, and coming face-to-face with death never has been.

To most college students, death to someone their age is often an abstract concept until it isn't.

And being real, any story of Purdue's inspired upset of Ohio State isn't complete without knowing Tyler Trent:

 

Trent's been moved to a hospice. There's no sugar-coating it. He's going to die, probably fairly soon.

It's a testament to the human condition that others would want to do anything possible to make his final moments count. The inspiration his cold, hard struggle against cancer can provide to others often defies description.

Boilermaker coach Jeff Brohm gave it a shot:

It really goes to show you what you can do if you put your mind to it, if you have a great attitude, you have a lot of positive energy in you, and you want to do something special.

And then the team, knowing Trent was in attendance, took the field and took it to the vaunted Buckeyes, 49-20:

 

What a night, indeed.

The guest of honor was truly thrilled.

 

Seems like Tyler did.

 

Purdue could have a rematch with Ohio State, too, if certain dominoes fall:

Of course, the Buckeyes have to get that far.

Michigan's been steadily moving up the ranks since their Week 1 loss at South Bend. Dudes have looked much more focused and refined since then.

But suave and debonair can only go so far when an in-state rivalry's involved.

This started when a couple of Wolverines were doing their pre-game thing when the Spartan team started their pre-game ritual of locking arms across the field's width and striding its length side-by-side:

 

Anyway, the field's look got patched up, but feelings didn't while the Wolverines carried the day, 21-7:

 

Suffice to say Purdue's source of motivation was mega-levels higher than Michigan's.

And Tyler Trent's presence will always be part of Boilermaker lore.