The University of Minnesota started playing football in what's now the Big Ten in 1896. When it comes to conference rivalries, you will not find much in the way of zaniness to compare with the eight games played between the Gophers and the Purdue Boilermakers leading to this century.
The Gophers scored 278 points in those eight games from 1993 to 2000, an average of 34.8, and went 2-6. Jim Wacker was 8-32 in the Big Ten from 1992 through 1996 as Gophers coach, and two of the victories were in the Metrodome against Purdue: 59-56 in 1993 and 39-38 in 1995. In between, the 1994 Gophers lost 49-37 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Those three games resulted in a total of 278 points and 3,356 total yards. Wacker and Purdue's Jim Colletto were fired after the 1996 season. Glen Mason came to Minnesota, and Joe Tiller brought the Big Ten's first spread offense to Purdue.
The Boilermakers described Tiller's offense as "basketball on grass." The first time Tyrone Carter encountered it was on the Metrodome's turf, as a Gophers sophomore safety in 1997.
"That spread … we had no real experience against it," Carter said. "It was wild to face it, and that was before [Drew] Brees started playing."
This was Mason's first Big Ten home game. The final was Purdue 59, Gophers 43. Billy Dicken completed 10 passes as Purdue's quarterback — five for touchdowns, three of which covered 65, 89 and 93 yards.
"Dicken is really good," Mason said. "I don't know how tall he is or how much he weighs, but he's the kid on the playground who is going to beat you."
Mason hadn't seen anything yet. Brees was a true freshman and a little-used backup to Dicken in 1997. Tiller had recruited Brees out of Austin, Texas, with the promise of an offense that would turn a 5-foot-11 quarterback into a star.
The first start Brees made in the Big Ten was as a sophomore vs. the Gophers on Oct. 3, 1998, at Purdue. Final: Boilermakers, 56-21.
