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2000 Big Ten football

2000 Northwestern Football: A Championship Year In Evanston

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It was 1995 when Northwestern shocked the college football world by winning an outright Big Ten title and going to the Rose Bowl for the first since 1948. Almost as improbably was the Wildcats following that up in 1996 with a share of the conference championship. But after two losing seasons, and the departure of head coach Gary Barnett, it looked like things might be returning to normal in Evanston. A three-win season under first-year head coach Randy Walker in 1999 seemed to validate the pessimism. But the 2000 Northwestern football team not only turned their fortunes around, they again did the improbable and snagged a piece of the league championship.

Walker used an innovative spread attack, but his biggest weapon was still an old-fashioned Big Ten running back. Damien Anderson had a monster season, rolling up over 2,000 yards and averaging better than six yards a pop. Anderson trailed only TCU’s LaDanian Tomlinson for the national rushing title.

Anderson almost singlehandedly carried the Wildcats to a #10 national ranking for points scored. Zak Kustok’s 57 percent completion rate was above average for Big Ten quarterbacks, but his 6.6 yards-per-attempt was subpar. Where Kustok did excel was spreading the ball around—five different receivers had between 26 and 38 catches on the year. And his 19-7 TD/INT ratio underscored his efficiency. But even so, this offense was Damien Anderson’s baby.

And that offense needed to be great, because the defense—in spite of an all-conference performer in Dwayne Missouri up front—ranked 100th nationally. There were no expectations in the preseason for these ’00 Wildcats, and they were unranked in the initial polls.

The three non-conference games didn’t stand out in either direction. As expected, Northwestern beat Northern Illinois and Duke, although the 38-5 waxing of the Blue Devils was impressive. But a trip to TCU for a Anderson-Tomlinson showdown turned into a 41-14 loss. It was when Big Ten play opened that the magic began for the Wildcats.

It started with a trip north to Wisconsin where the Badgers were the two-time defending conference champs. Anderson ran for 174 yards. Wisconsin’s Michael Bennett rolled up 293 yards. But Anderson did his damage on 21 carries, while Bennett got the rock 48 times. Northwestern had more balance. Kustok led a late drive for a game-tying field goal. At 34-34, we were going to overtime in Camp Randall.

Both teams scored touchdowns on their first possession. The Badgers got a field goal on their second possession. The Wildcats faced 3rd-and-6 on the 12-yard line. Anderson got the ball and went left. He went into the end zone and Northwestern had a 47-44 upset.

Michigan State wasn’t as good as Wisconsin, but the Spartans were coached by Nick Saban and the trip to East Lansing might have been an easy letdown spot. Except Northwestern again won on the road, this time 37-17. The first conference home game was against lowly Indiana, and the Wildcats won 52-33. Northwestern was 3-0 in the Big Ten and now ranked #17 in the polls.

Purdue came to Evanston. The Boilermakers had a pretty good offense themselves, with a quarterback named Drew Brees. Purdue handed the Wildcats their first league loss, 41-28. Then Northwestern went to Minnesota and dug themselves a three-touchdown deficit.

This could have been the point where a promising season goes awry. But the Wildcats rallied and pulled this one out, 41-35. With three games to play, they were squarely in a packed race for the Rose Bowl, with Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State all in the hunt. And the Wolverines were coming to Evanston on the first weekend of November.

This would turn into one of the most electric offensive displays in the history of the Big Ten. And for most of it, Northwestern was doing the chasing. They trailed 14-7 after the first quarter, 28-23 at half and were still down 45-36 when the fourth quarter began.

Kustok ran 12 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to two. Northwestern added a field goal and moved ahead 46-45. But the Wolverines answered, scoring a touchdown. Defensive stops weren’t exactly in vogue today, but the Wildcats’ stopping of the two-point play was big. The deficit was 51-46 and a touchdown could now win it.

Northwestern marched the field one more time. Kustok tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Sam Simmons with 0:26 left. The Wildcats made their two-point conversion to make it 54-51 and that did prove significant when Michigan got a chance at a desperation 57-yard field goal on the final play. But it missed. An epic offensive showdown was over.

A road trip to face a bad Iowa team turned into a big letdown and a 27-17 loss. It was also a big missed opportunity—Purdue lost at Michigan State, and Northwestern missed the chance to get into the driver’s seat for the Rose Bowl.

As it was, we were coming down to the final game with a four-way tie for first place. Purdue, Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State were all 5-2 in the league. The Boilermakers held the tiebreaker, but in this era prior to the Big Ten splitting into divisions, co-championships were not only awarded, they were a big deal to the fan bases. The Wildcats could control their destiny for the latter, and they still had hope of the Rose Bowl.

Purdue took care of Indiana and locked up the bid to Pasadena. But Northwestern put on their own impressive display. They dropped 60-plus on Illinois in a 61-23 win. The Wildcats were tri-champs of the Big Ten, including Michigan, who won their season-ending rivalry game with Ohio State.

Northwestern was also #18 in the polls and aiming for the first bowl victory in school history. They got a ticket to the Alamo Bowl. It was an attractive opportunity to play ninth-ranked Nebraska, still a Big 12 team back then. The Cornhuskers had been ranked #1 through the end of October.

The bowl game…well, it was a disaster. Northwestern got blown out 66-17 and fell out of the final rankings. But the ugly ending couldn’t overshadow what a special season it had been in Evanston. They had turned their program back around. They would stay at or above .500 for three more seasons under Walker, whose offensive creativity continued to juice up the Big Ten.

Walker’s tragic death from a heart attack led to the hiring of Pat Fitzgerald, who has kept Northwestern in the mix for bowl bids in the ensuing years. If we look at the modern historical arc of Northwestern football, the 1995-96 run will always be the most special. But 2000 can be seen as a point when the Wildcats truly turned the corner from perennial doormat to the feisty dark horse they often are today.

2000 Michigan Football: Another Good Bowl Win

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The Michigan football program was in a good place in 2000. They were just four years removed from having won the national championship in 1997. They were coming off a 1999 season that was capped by an Orange Bowl victory over Alabama and led by a quarterback named Tom Brady. With Brady now gone, the 2000 Michigan football team wasn’t quite as good and they had some adversity. But in a wide-open year in the Big Ten, these ’00 Wolverines still got a piece of the conference championship and racked up another bowl victory over an SEC opponent.

Drew Henson was behind center. And while a broken right foot cost him the season’s first three games, Henson played well when he returned. His completion percentage of 60.5 percent was tied with the conference’s best QB—a guy named Drew Brees, who was honing his craft at Purdue. Henson’s 8.5 yards-per-attempt was the best among conference starters. And his TD/INT ratio was a sterling 16-4.

Henson’s prime receivers were David Terrell and Marquise Walker. Terrell, soon to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft, averaged nearly 16 yards a catch and was All-Big Ten. Walker caught 45 balls at better than 13 yards a pop. The running game was anchored by another all-conference performer. Anthony Thomas rolled up over 1,500 yards. Thomas was backed up by freshman Chris Perry, soon to be one of the league’s top backs. Perry chipped in over 400 yards.

Thomas and Perry ran behind an offensive line that was led by All-American guard Steve Hutchison, who would also become a first-round NFL draft choice and a regular Pro Bowl player at the next level. Jeff Backus was all-conference at tackle. And the Michigan offense ranked 17th nationally in points scored.

The defense didn’t have the same names or all-Big Ten players. On an individual level, Larry Foote was the only all-conference player, and would eventually become a regular with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the end result defensively was close to what the offense was doing—the Michigan D ranked 19th nationally in points allowed.

Expectations were appropriately high and Michigan was ranked #6 in the preseason polls. With Henson still recovering from his foot injury, freshman John Navarre was running the offense in the early going. The Wolverines coasted through tune-up games against Bowling Green and Rice, moved up to #3 in the polls and traveled west to play 14th-ranked UCLA.

A 23-20 loss to the Bruins knocked Michigan down to #10 as Big Ten play began. The first conference game would be at Illinois. The Illini were ranked #19 and just a year later, in 2001, would win this league. The game did not start well. Navarre struggled and Henson was called on to make his season debut in tough spot. Michigan was trailing 21-7 in the third quarter. Henson rallied the troops. Down 31-28, the Wolverines began a final drive. They got a break when Thomas appeared to fumble near the goal line, but was ruled down. Michigan got the touchdown and escaped, 35-31.

Wisconsin was next up, in Ann Arbor. The Badgers were fresh off becoming the first Big Ten team to win consecutive Rose Bowls. They were #17 in this game after an early loss, but it was a game Michigan needed if they were to re-establish pre-eminence in the league.

In a tough defensive game, the Wolverines trailed 10-6 early in the fourth quarter. Henson led a drive that was marked by a couple clutch third-down conversions to Terrell. Henson and Terrell hooked up one more time for the go-ahead TD. Wisconsin missed a late field goal. Michigan had a 13-10 win.

Henson played an excellent game in West Lafayette, going toe-to-toe statistically with Brees. But the close games went against Michigan this time and they dropped a 32-31 heartbreaker. They returned home and the defense spun consecutive shutouts in wins over 58-0 over lowly Indiana and 14-0 over mediocre Michigan State (albeit a Spartan team coached by Nick Saban).

That set up one of the wildest games the Big Ten has ever seen, in Northwestern on the first weekend of November 4. The Wildcats were one of several teams in the hunt for the Rose Bowl, along with Purdue and the time-honored duo of Michigan and Ohio State. Northwestern running back Damien Anderson was on his way to a 2,000-yard season, and at a time when there were just 11 games per year.

After two straight shutouts, the defense went to the other extreme. The Wildcat spread offense rolled up over 650 yards of offense. Henson and the Michigan attack kept pace and managed to lead 51-47, until a touchdown pass with 26 seconds left beat them 54-51.

Penn State was having a rough year and the Wolverines came home to recover with a 33-11 victory. It was time for the season finale with Ohio State and four teams still had a shot at the Rose Bowl.

Michigan was tied for first at 5-2 in the league. Ohio State was also 5-2. But so were Purdue and Northwestern, whom Michigan had lost to. So, the Wolverines needed the Boilermakers to lose to Indiana and the Wildcats to lose to the Illini. If that happened, the winner of Michigan-Ohio State would go to the Rose Bowl.

Predictably, that didn’t happen—the Boilers won easily and went to Pasadena. The Wildcats also won. But there was still a share of the conference championship to play for. And this was still Michigan and Ohio State.

The Wolverines played a sound overall game. They outrushed the Buckeyes 149-88. Henson was 14/25 and those fourteen completions went for over 300 yards. Terrell caught five balls for 99 yards, while Walker kicked in five more catches for 70 yards. Michigan’s 38-26 win ensured a Big Ten tri-championship trophy would make its way to Ann Arbor.

There was also a good bowl invite forthcoming. The Wolverines got the Citrus Bowl bid, which went to the top available Big Ten team after the major bowls set their lineup. They were ranked #17 and facing #20 Auburn. The Tigers had the SEC Player of the Year in running back Rudi Johnson and his showdown with Thomas was an anticipated part of this game.

Michigan would own the ground game. Thomas rolled up 182 yards on 32 carries, while Johnson was limited to 85 yards on 25 attempts. Terrell and Henson made more big-play magic together, connecting four times for 136 yards, including a flea-flicker touchdown pass in the first quarter. Henson went 15/20 for 294 yards.

It was an impressive display against the SEC’s top-rated defense and it had the Wolverines leading 31-21 in the fourth quarter. A touchdown by Auburn with just over two minutes to play made it interesting. But Michigan covered the onside kick, ran out the clock and sealed the deal. For the first time in school history, a fourth straight bowl win was in the books.

What’s more, these were bowl wins against good teams. The Auburn win came on top of beating Alabama last year, and the streak had started with a Rose Bowl win that secured a national championship.

In our own era, now in 2022, when Michigan and most of the Big Ten struggles against notable non-conference competition, especially the best of the SEC, this string of postseason success that ended in 2000 really stands out.

The Rose Bowl Run Of 2000 Purdue Football

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When Joe Tiller arrived in West Lafayette to take over the Purdue Boilermakers in 1997, the football program was on hard times. They hadn’t enjoyed a winning season since 1984. No consecutive bowl appearances since 1978-80. The last piece of a Big Ten title had been in 1967 and the last Rose Bowl trip was 1966. Tiller immediately turned the team around and went to three consecutive bowls. The 2000 Purdue football team was the pinnacle of his rebuilding—the Boilermakers made the long-awaited return to the Rose Bowl.

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Purdue has produced some good quarterbacks in its history—Bob Griese and Len Dawson were great in college and won Super Bowls in the NFL. The man at the helm in 2000 might still be the best of all. Drew Brees was behind center for the Boilermakers.

Tiller put his wide-open offense into Brees’ hands. Purdue passed 40 percent more often than anyone else in the Big Ten. Brees would blow away the conference in passing yardage (3,668) and touchdown passes (26), but it’s important to note that he also performed well in two stats that don’t necessarily benefit from high volume—his 60% completion rate was tied for the league’s best and getting 7.2 yards-per-attempt was fourth in the conference.

Brees didn’t have a single big-play option, but he could spread the ball among a balanced group of receivers. Vinny Sutherland and John Standeford combined to catch 145 passes and were second and third in the league respectively, for receptions. Seth Morales caught 35 balls and tight end Tim Stratton was the best in the conference, catching 58 passes for 605 yards.

The offensive line was anchored by future New England Patriots’ mainstay Matt Light and the running game would still be critical in the most important Big Ten games. Light’s line paved the way for Montrell Lowe to rush for nearly 1,000 yards.

Purdue wasn’t known or remembered for defense, but this unit wasn’t bad. They finished 41st in the country in points allowed, not far behind the #23-ranked offense. Freshman defensive back Stuart Schweigert picked off five passes. Up front, the Boilermakers relied on defensive tackle Matt Mitrione and edge rusher Akin Ayodele. Both were voted second-team All-Big Ten at the end of the year.

The schedule opened with the two worst teams in the MAC, Central Michigan and Kent State. Brees threw for a combined 723 yards and Purdue won 48-0 and 45-10 respectively. They were ranked #13 in the country and headed to South Bend for the season’s first real test.

For much of the game, it went well. Brees went 13/22 for 221 yards, connecting with Sutherland four times for 112 of those yards. Purdue led 21-20 late in the game. Then Brees made a critical mistake and threw an interception that set up the game-winning field goal for Notre Dame. This would prove to be a pretty good Irish team, one that reached the Fiesta Bowl, but that wasn’t apparent at the time and the loss was a discouraging one.

Purdue went into Big Ten play and beat a bowl-bound Minnesota team 38-24 at home. Brees opened up with 409 yards passing and the defense clamped down and allowed the Gophers just 55 yards rushing. But that same rush defense failed a week later at mediocre Penn State, allowing 221 yards on the ground. Brees was erratic and another tough road loss was the result. The 22-20 defeat sent Purdue out of the national rankings.

October would be the month that defined the season. It was bookended by home games with Michigan and Ohio State. Sandwiched in between were road trips to contending Northwestern and to Wisconsin, which had won the two previous Rose Bowls. What followed would be arguably the most memorable four-week run in the history of Purdue football.

It didn’t start off very memorable. Purdue dug a 28-10 halftime deficit against Michigan and it looked like another year where a rebellion against the league powers would be doomed. But Tiller didn’t abandon the run, and Lowe rushed for 126 yards, keying a Boilermaker edge on the ground. Brees went 32-for-44 for 286 yards and hooked up with Sutherland eleven times. Brees brought his team all the way back and with four seconds left they got a 33-yard field goal from Travis Dorsch to pull out a 32-31 win.

Lowe didn’t stop running the next week in Evanston, rolling up 174 yards and Purdue outrushed Northwestern 222-83 in a solid 41-28 win. The Boilermakers went up to Madison and held even with the potent Badger rushing attack. Lowe had 77 yards and he got help from Brees, who also made plays with his legs, running for 74 yards. The Purdue defense controlled the line of scrimmage and got seven sacks. The game went to overtime and the Boilermakers ultimately won 30-24 on a blocked field goal return.

There was one more game left in October and Purdue had a chance to take control of the Big Ten as Ohio State arrived. Both offenses started slowly. It was scoreless after the first quarter and the Boilermakers led 7-3 at the half. The Buckeyes took over the third quarter and moved out to a 24-10 lead .

Lowe wasn’t running well in this game, so it all fell on Brees. He put the ball up 65 times and completed 39. Sutherland and Stratton were each in double-digits for catches and went over 100 yards receiving. But the throw of the season wasn’t to either one of them.

With 1:55 left, Purdue trailed 27-24. They had the ball on their own 36-yard line with the raucous crowd imploring Brees to at least get to field goal range. Morales ran down the seam and was left completely uncovered. Brees threw a perfect strike that hit him in stride. Touchdown. “Holy Toledo!” was what ABC’s Brent Musberger said. Purdue had a 31-27 and they had control of the Big Ten race. When the polls came out, Purdue was in the Top 10 at #9.

The Boilermakers had a 5-1 conference record. Michigan and Northwestern were both 4-1, but Purdue had the head-to-head tiebreaker. Ohio State was now a game back in the loss column at 3-2. The Boilers took a deserved week off on November 4. Northwestern beat Michigan in a wild overtime game. Purdue returned on November 11 in East Lansing with a chance to lock up the trip to Pasadena.

It couldn’t have gone worse. The Spartans, in their first year post-Nick Saban, needed this game to keep bowl hopes alive. Brees threw three interceptions. There were was no running game. And the result was a 30-10 rout. With a single bad performance, the dream season looked in jeopardy.

But Northwestern lost that same day to a woeful Iowa team in their first year under Kirk Ferentz. The four Big Ten contenders were all tied again at 5-2—and Purdue was the one who had swept them all head-to-head.

There was no chance at the program’s first outright Big Ten championship since 1929, as Michigan and Ohio State would play each other and the winner would finish in a tie with someone. Michigan won, and Northwestern also beat Illinois. Purdue’s season-ending rivalry game with Indiana would be for a third of the conference crown, but more importantly, for a Rose Bowl bid.

Indiana had the versatile Antwaan Randle-El at quarterback and he eventually became a good NFL receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But that was all the Hoosiers had. Lowe pounded them on the ground for 208 yards. Brees was efficient, 20-for-29 and 216 passing yards. Purdue rolled up an easy 41-13 win and was finally going to Pasadena.

The Boilermakers put up a good fight against Washington in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies were ranked 4th in the nation and when they jumped out to a 14-0 lead it looked like another long afternoon for a Big Ten team out west. But Brees rallied Purdue into a 17-17 tie in the third quarter before Washington finally pulled away one more time and won 34-24. The Boilermakers finished the season #13 in the final polls .

It had been an amazing ride for the 2000 Purdue football team. The aggravating losses in East Lansing and State College are a bit of a what-might-have-been. There was the heartbreak in South Bend. But that was more than made up for by an amazing four-week run through October, as they beat every conference contender and earned a Rose Bowl trip.