WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Seasons: 12. Games: 149. Victories: 87. Still, as he watches Saturday night's Purdue-Notre Dame football game from the luxury of a fan's perspective at Ross-Ade Stadium, one game still haunts former Boilermaker coach Joe Tiller.

Homecoming. Oct. 16, 2004. His fifth-ranked Boilermakers (5-0) were playing No. 10 Wisconsin. Purdue owned the Badgers for all but the last few minutes.

Late in the game, with the Boilers up, 17-7, Wisconsin was driving. Badger quarterback John Stocco dodged a bullet when Boiler safety Kyle Smith dropped a sure interception. A few plays later, Wisconsin scored to make it 17-14.

OK, no problem. All Tiller needed was quarterback Kyle Orton to do his thing, get a couple first downs, and run out the clock.

That's what Orton did - sort of. With less than three minutes to play, Orton ran for a critical first down. However, instead of sliding, Orton stayed up, was hit by two Badgers and fumbled the ball. Wisconsin's Scott Starks scooped up the ball and ran 40 yards to a TD that accounted for the 20-17 stunning loss.

Purdue football hasn't been the same since.

From the time Tiller arrived in 1997 until that game, Purdue was 60-32. Since that game, and taking into consideration new head coach Danny Hope's 1-2 start this year, the Boilers have been 28-32.

Is there a curse?

"I think about the game, not about the (Orton fumble)," Tiller said earlier this week as he packed the Winnebago for the trip east from his Buffalo, Wyo., retreat. "Actually, I think more about the dropped interception that hit (Smith, now a graduate assistant on Hope's staff) in the bellybutton. That would have ended the game.

"That game changed our whole season."

And the next four seasons to come?

It's been a steady decline with only brief hints of progress. Champs Sports Bowl in 2006. The esteemed Motor City Bowl in '07. Sandwiched between losing seasons.

Earlier this week on sports talk radio in Chicago, former Notre Dame player and LSU and Indiana head coach Gerry DiNardo, now with the Big Ten Network, said that Tiller "quit recruiting his last three years on the job."

That, allegedly, resulted in a talent level decline and the malaise still impacting the program.

When told of the shot from a thousand miles away, Tiller bristled.

"Recruiting a quarterback is always tough because most of the good ones want to play as a freshman," Tiller said. "We had (Drew) Brees, Orton, (Curtis) Painter, who were starters for a long time. It's hard to recruit quarterbacks when (those three were) sophomores or juniors."

Tiller called last year's freshman class "outstanding," pointing to guys like running back Ralph Bolden and defensive tackle Kawann Short as being impact players already.

"Maybe 'Gary' (hard 'G' for emphasis and sarcasm) did that at IU," Tiller fired back. "But I didn't change my approach."

Gotta love Joe Tiller. College football misses that wit and wisdom. Retirement allows him to operate on his schedule, not beholdin' to anyone but his wife and those fish in the stream next to his house.

He's still in demand. Before he left for Lafayette, he just got back into town from a speaking gig in Jacksonville, Fla.

"I told (Purdue sports information director) Tom Schott I've done more interviews now than I did when I was coaching," Tiller said.

He's probably smarter now, too. He's been to two games so far - one at the University of Wyoming and one at the University of Texas. Last week, he watched Notre Dame-Michigan State on TV.

"I talked to (Texas coach) Mack Brown after his game," Tiller said. "I told him, 'An hour before the game, I saw you walk off the field; your stomach was churning. How's my team gonna do? How are they gonna respond? Me, I had a Bud Light in my hand.' That felt real good."

Watching from the stands, though, wasn't easy for a guy who's spent more than 30 years on the sidelines.

"I wish I had a headset," Tiller said. "I see the teams break the huddle. They line up. Is there a blitz called? What play are they gonna run? I don't want to talk to anyone, but I do want to listen. I want to know what everyone's thinking."

He'll watch Saturday night's game as a coach. He knows Irish coach Charlie Weis doesn't play "that sissy ball that we used to play." Quarterback Jimmy Clausen will be surrounded by maximum protection, giving him an opportunity to make a big play downfield.

"Purdue's coverage will have to try to do some things in the secondary," Tiller evaluated.

Tiller, the coach, won't have a hand in the strategy. Tiller, the fan, must be content with watching and cheering.

And trying to get over that Wisconsin game.

Staff writer Al Lesar:
alesar@sbtinfo.com
(574) 235-6318