22A - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - September 7, 2004 Orton leads Purdue over Orangemen Croom breaks SEC coaching color barrier 4 WEST LAFAYETTE (AP) - No. 25 Purdue came up with big plays and long touchdowns on offense, which was no sur- prise. The dominating defense even caught the Boilermakers off guard. Kyle Orton passed for 287 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to lead the Boilermakers to a 51-0 victory over Syra- cuse on Sunday, their first shutout in four years. 'The defense obviously played great. Nobody expected this,"Orton said. "I knew they were going to be a good defense, but I didn't think they would be this good this early. We've got a lot of great athletes." Orton, a senior, and the experienced Pur- due offense produced 571 yards and seven touchdowns. The defense has eight new starters and was expected to take a while to develop. Instead, it held Syracuse to 197 yards, forced four fumbles and added three sacks and two interceptions. "We did a good job flying to the ball and keeping up our pursuit," Purdue line- backer Stanford Keglar said. "We were very successful with our penetration. We also stayed in our alignment and tried not to over-pursue." The last Purdue shutout came in the 2000 season opener against Central Michi- gan. Orton hit Brian Hare for a 75-yard score in the first quarter, Taylor Stubblefield for TDs of 33 yards in the second quarter and 67 yards in the third period, and Brandon Jones for 32 yards late in the third. Ben Jones' 34-yard field goal gave Purdue a 37-0 lead going into the final period, when Brandon Kirsch replaced Orton in the opener for both teams. The Boilermakers got their final touch- downs on a 44-yard run by Jerome Brooks and a 47-yard pass from Kirsch to fresh- man Dustin Keller with just over two min- utes to go. STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Mis- sissippi State's players held their helmets skyward as they did a victory dance around Sylvester Croom. Flashbulbs popped, cow- bells clanged and Croom tipped his cap to the thankful fans before jogging off the field. The Bulldogs made the first black head football coach in the Southeastern Confer- ence a winner in his debut, beating Tulane 28-7 Saturday night. "This victory is not just for us in the foot- ball program; it is for the Bulldog fans and the entire university," Croom said. Mississippi State scored on four of its seven possessions in the second half to set off a wild party in a town with little to cel- ebrate in recent seasons. The downtrodden Bulldogs entered with just eight wins in the past three years. They have a winning record for the first time since winning the 2001 opener - when this year's seniors were freshmen. As the players whooped it up on the side- lines, Croom received a traditional victory dousing. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack,"he said. The Bulldogs did it with a disciplined defense and a rushing game that found its groove in the second half. "It was just a very good win for (Croom), being the first black coach in the SEC,"quar- terback Omarr Conner said. "It's just a new beginning, and it just feels good to win." Mississippi State intercepted Lester Ricard twice, allowed just 26 rushing yards in the second half and committed just three penalties. The Bulldogs also would have scored on a 70-yard fumble return had an official not blown the play dead and given the ball back to Tulane. "That's part of coach Croom's discipline rubbing oft," safety Darren Williams said. "He always stresses, no pre-snap penal- ties, we don't need penalties, we can't give away yards. we're not that good to give away yards. And we didn't give away yards, and we came out on top. Jerious Norwood rushed for 112 yards, and the Bulldogs' West Coast offense pro- duced three rushing touchdowns. "Croom changed a lot of attitudes around here," Norwood said. "We pull together as one unit, not individuals on the team." Croom, a longtime NFL assistant, was passed over by his alma mater, Alabama, when its coaching job came open last year. The Tuscaloosa native played and coached under Bear Bryant and was crushed when the Crimson Tide choose Mike Shula over him. So, Croom took his years of experience to Starkville when the Bulldogs were looking for someone to rebuild a program in disar- ray. He preached discipline and conditioning, and those virtues paid off in Game 1. "We are extremely proud to have a start like this," Croom said. "They did things from a character standpoint that I wanted, to not beat ourselves and be a physical football team. I S5% OP item when you use this ad as a coupon * (must be presented at time of purchase) Value up to $5. Expires 10-31-04 I Get - - your dishes 1 I I I I I I I I I I x' utensils glasses <' , bans 'mod" ch m~ore! AP PHOTO Purdue senior quarterback Kyle Orton threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns in Purdue's season-opening 51-0 bludgeoning of the Orangemen. 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