Purdue Headed to Champs Sports Bowl

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue football team today accepted an invitation to play in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 29.

"We appreciate the opportunity to go the Champs Sports Bowl and play an outstanding team from the ACC," said head coach Joe Tiller, who will take his ninth Purdue team to postseason play in 10 seasons. "I am pleased for our players that they get this reward. We have a young team that has worked hard, gotten better over the course of the season and put itself in position to play in this game."

Purdue will play in its 14th bowl game in school history. The Boilermakers played in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1, 2004.

"We're very excited about going to the Champs Sports Bowl," junior linebacker Dan Bick said. "Orlando is a beautiful place. I know the team went down there for the Capital One Bowl the year before I got to Purdue, and I have heard great things about that trip."

Said sophomore wide receiver Greg Orton: "Florida will be a great place to go to celebrate our bowl game. As a team, we have worked hard all season, and this is a great opportunity for us."

"Purdue boasts one of the most exciting offenses in all of college football," Florida Citrus Sports executive director Steve Hogan said. "The Boilermakers have one of the more passionate fan bases and will follow their team to Orlando to see what should be a top bowl matchup against a very good ACC opponent."

1967 Rose Bowl USC W 14-13
1978 Peach Bowl Georgia Tech W 41-21
1979 Bluebonnet Bowl Tennessee W 27-22
1980 Liberty Bowl Missouri W 28-25
1984 Peach Bowl Virginia L 24-27

ENTER JOE TILLER
1997 Alamo Bowl #24 Oklahoma State W 33-20
1998 Alamo Bowl #4 Kansas State W 37-34
2000 Outback Bowl #21 Georgia L 25-28 (OT)
2001 Rose Bowl #4 Washington L 24-34
2001 Sun Bowl #13 Washington State L 27-33
2002 Sun Bowl Washington W 34-24
2004 Capital One Bowl #11 Georgia L 27-34 (OT)
2004 Sun Bowl #21 Arizona State L 23-27