Expectations were high for Purdue as the 1980 season dawned.
The program was coming off a 10-win season capped by an Astro-Blue Bonnet Bowl win vs. Tennessee. To this day, the 1979 season is the lone time Purdue has recorded a double-digit win total.
Further fueling excitement for 1980 was the fact the No. 9 ranked Boilermakers were welcoming back senior quarterback Mark Herrmann, already the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer. There was talk of a Rose Bowl bid after just missing out in 1979, with Herrmann throwing to Bart Burrell, Steve Bryant and Dave Young. The Boilermakers were loaded on both sides of the ball.
Yes, 1980 would be the year. And it would begin under the Golden Dome and in front of a national TV audience on ABC, which had convinced the schools to move the game from Sept. 27 to the opener.
But then it happened: Herrmann suffered a thumb injury in the preseason. The thumb on Herrmann’s throwing hand was sprained on the Tuesday before Purdue trekked to play at No. 11 Notre Dame in the season opener. If Herrmann was unable to play, the Boilermakers would be forced to insert freshman Scott Campbell since No. 2 signal-caller Larry Gates was out nursing injuries suffered in a July traffic accident.
Sure enough, when Purdue and ND kicked off, Herrmann was on the bench … and Campbell got the start. While Campbell acquitted himself, the Boilermakers still lost in convincing fashion, 31-10.
“On Thursday, we told the team Mark might not play, and on Friday, we told the team to assume he wouldn’t, but it was still a little bit of a shock when he couldn’t play today,” said Jim Young.
“I can’t really say if Mark’s absence had an effect on our team — we seemed a little down in the first quarter. In my own mind, I knew he wouldn’t be able to play.”
Herrmann returned the next week, as the Boilermakers rebounded with a 12-6 win at Wisconsin. But Purdue lost the following game at home, 23-14, to No. 16 UCLA, to fall to 1-2, tumbling from the polls.
Purdue went on to win eight of its last nine games, including a victory vs. Missouri in the Liberty Bowl. The lone loss in that span was a 26-0 defeat at No. 11 Michigan on Nov. 15 that sunk Purdue’s Rose Bowl hopes.
The Boilers finished 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, ranking No. 16 in the final coach’s poll. A very good season … but one that fell short of the Rose Bowl.
Hermann closed his Purdue career as the NCAA’s all-time leading passer. In 1980, he was a consensus All-American and Big Ten MVP, finishing fourth in Heisman voting. The Carmel, Ind., native threw for 3,212 yards with 23 TDs as a senior.
But what if … Herrmann had not hurt his right thumb the week of the opener at Notre Dame? Would Purdue have won in South Bend? How would that have impacted the squad’s psyche moving forward? Could a big game vs. ND have made Herrmann more of a Heisman contender?
Share your thoughts.
The program was coming off a 10-win season capped by an Astro-Blue Bonnet Bowl win vs. Tennessee. To this day, the 1979 season is the lone time Purdue has recorded a double-digit win total.
Further fueling excitement for 1980 was the fact the No. 9 ranked Boilermakers were welcoming back senior quarterback Mark Herrmann, already the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer. There was talk of a Rose Bowl bid after just missing out in 1979, with Herrmann throwing to Bart Burrell, Steve Bryant and Dave Young. The Boilermakers were loaded on both sides of the ball.
Yes, 1980 would be the year. And it would begin under the Golden Dome and in front of a national TV audience on ABC, which had convinced the schools to move the game from Sept. 27 to the opener.
But then it happened: Herrmann suffered a thumb injury in the preseason. The thumb on Herrmann’s throwing hand was sprained on the Tuesday before Purdue trekked to play at No. 11 Notre Dame in the season opener. If Herrmann was unable to play, the Boilermakers would be forced to insert freshman Scott Campbell since No. 2 signal-caller Larry Gates was out nursing injuries suffered in a July traffic accident.
Sure enough, when Purdue and ND kicked off, Herrmann was on the bench … and Campbell got the start. While Campbell acquitted himself, the Boilermakers still lost in convincing fashion, 31-10.
“On Thursday, we told the team Mark might not play, and on Friday, we told the team to assume he wouldn’t, but it was still a little bit of a shock when he couldn’t play today,” said Jim Young.
“I can’t really say if Mark’s absence had an effect on our team — we seemed a little down in the first quarter. In my own mind, I knew he wouldn’t be able to play.”
Herrmann returned the next week, as the Boilermakers rebounded with a 12-6 win at Wisconsin. But Purdue lost the following game at home, 23-14, to No. 16 UCLA, to fall to 1-2, tumbling from the polls.
Purdue went on to win eight of its last nine games, including a victory vs. Missouri in the Liberty Bowl. The lone loss in that span was a 26-0 defeat at No. 11 Michigan on Nov. 15 that sunk Purdue’s Rose Bowl hopes.
The Boilers finished 9-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten, ranking No. 16 in the final coach’s poll. A very good season … but one that fell short of the Rose Bowl.
Hermann closed his Purdue career as the NCAA’s all-time leading passer. In 1980, he was a consensus All-American and Big Ten MVP, finishing fourth in Heisman voting. The Carmel, Ind., native threw for 3,212 yards with 23 TDs as a senior.
But what if … Herrmann had not hurt his right thumb the week of the opener at Notre Dame? Would Purdue have won in South Bend? How would that have impacted the squad’s psyche moving forward? Could a big game vs. ND have made Herrmann more of a Heisman contender?
Share your thoughts.
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