1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team

1989 Purdue Boilermakers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	3–8 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Fred Akers (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bob Stanley (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Phil Bennett (3rd season)
MVP	Calvin Williams
Captain	Dennis Dotson, Bill Hitchcock, Calvin Williams
Home stadium	Ross–Ade Stadium

1989 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Michigan $	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Illinois	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Michigan State	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 24 Ohio State	6	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Indiana	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Iowa	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	2	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by third-year head coach Fred Akers, the Boilermakers compiled an overall record of 3–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing eighth in the Big Ten. It was Purdue's fifth straight losing season. The team played home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 9		Miami (OH)*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		W 27–10	38,840
September 16		at No. 15 Washington*	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA		L 9–38	66,392
September 30	12:00 p.m.	No. 1 Notre Dame*	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ABC	L 7–40	67,861
October 7		at Minnesota	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		L 15–35	36,621
October 14		No. 16 Illinois	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)		L 2–14	41,101
October 21		at Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH		L 3–21	89,091
October 28		Michigan State	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 21–28	41,402
November 4	1:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		L 27–42	105,128
November 11		Northwestern	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		W 46–15	31,470
November 18		Iowa	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN		L 0–24	31,863
November 25		at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)		W 15–14	51,502
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[1][2]

Personnel

1989 Purdue Boilermakers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class FB 38 Mike Doctor So OL Bruce Brinerman OL Jason Cegielski FB 34 Earl Coleman Fr OL Scott Conover RB Don Delvy WR Rodney Dennis Fr OL Bob Dressel RB Adoaf Harris OL Bill Hitchcock WR Abe Hoskins Fr QB 9 Eric Hunter Fr WR Kipp Koonce QB Jeff Lesniewicz RFr QB 14 Steve Letnich WR Danny Lounsbury TE Dwayne O'Connor WR Robert Oglesby TE Andy Ozlowski OL Derick Schmidt RB Jerome Sparkman OL Larry Taylor TE Kelly Turner RB Tony Vinson Fr WR Jim Wallace WR Calvin Williams Sr OL Jeff Wormsley	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Eric Beatty DL Kris Burns OL Dennis Dotson CB Steve Jackson Jr DB Terry Johnson CB Derrick Kelson Sr DL Frank Kmet DL Ken Kushner DL Donzel Leggett DB Nat Martin DL Peyton Minter S Jarrett Scales OLB Jim Schwantz So ILB Darren Trieb Jr DB Sean Washington Fr DL Jeff Zgonina	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P, QB Shawn McCarthy Sr K Larry Sullivan	Head coach Fred Akers Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Preseason

Brian Fox transferred after spring practice to Florida, citing a desire to be closer to home and head coach Fred Akers' adjustment of the offensive scheme.^[3]

Game summaries

Miami (OH)

At Washington

Notre Dame

#1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3–0) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Notre Dame	14	20	0	6	40
Purdue	0	0	0	7	7

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 67,861
• TV: ABC
• Recap/Box Score

Game information

First quarter ND – Anthony Johnson 6-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:38. Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 55 yards. ND – Tony Rice 4-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 2:04. Notre Dame 14–0. Drive: 57 yards. Second quarter ND – Jeff Alm 16-yard interception return (Craig Hentrich kick), 14:44. Notre Dame 21–0. ND – Anthony Johnson 1-yard run (Craig Hentrich kick), 6:35. Notre Dame 28–0. ND – Ricky Watters 1-yard run (kick failed), 0:14. Notre Dame 34–0. Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter ND – Craig Hentrich 19-yard field goal, 9:47. Notre Dame 37–0. ND – Craig Hentrich 22-yard field goal, 6:18. Notre Dame 40–0. PUR – Rodney Dennis 3-yard pass from Steve Letnich (Larry Sullivan kick), 0:33. Notre Dame 40–7. Top passers ND – Tony Rice – 12/15, 270 yards PUR – Steve Letnich – 11/28, 89 yards, INT Top rushers ND – Tony Rice – 12 rushes, 67 yards, TD PUR – Steve Letnich – 13 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers ND – Derek Brown – 4 receptions, 101 yards PUR – Earl Coleman – 2 receptions, 32 yards

At Minnesota

Purdue Boilermakers (1–2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (2–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	3	0	12	15
Minnesota	7	7	14	7	35

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: October 7, 1989
• Game weather: Indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 36,621
• ^[4]

• Larry Sullivan tied a school record with 51-yard field goal
• Darren Trieb was suspended for the game for violation of team rules^[5]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Jeff Lesniewicz	13/19, 191 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing
	Receiving
Minnesota	Passing	Scott Schaffner	9/19, 144 Yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Marcus Evans	102 Yds, TD
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PUR MINN 1 Minnesota Darrell Thompson 7-yard touchdown run, kick good 0 7 2 Purdue 51-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan 3 7 2 4:16 84 Minnesota Marcus Evans 2-yard touchdown run, kick good 3 14 3 2 Minnesota James King 34-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good 3 21 3 Minnesota Shane Strain 32-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good 3 28 4 Minnesota Marquel Fleetwood 3-yard touchdown run, kick good 3 35 4 5:17 Purdue Jerome Sparkman 20-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion failed 9 35 4 0:00 Purdue Rod Dennis 37-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Lesniewicz, 2-point conversion failed 15 35 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 15 35

Illinois

See also: Purdue Cannon

#16 Illinois Fighting Illini (3–1) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	7	0	0	7	14
Purdue	0	0	0	2	2

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: October 14, 1989
• Game attendance: 41,101

Jeff Lesniewicz made his first career start for Purdue^[6][7][8]

We feel real good about ourselves. All we did was read in the paper all week was that we were going to lose by 32 points, and Jeff George was going to come in and do his thing.

Darrin Trieb

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois	Passing	Jeff George	24/42, 254 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Howard Griffith	24 Rush, 94 Yds, TD
	Receiving
Purdue	Passing	Jeff Lesniewicz	9/22, 82 Yds
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ILL PUR 1 9:49 16 80 Illinois Frank Hartley 3-yard touchdown reception from Jeff George, kick good 7 0 4 12:13 Purdue Safety, Craig Davisson blocked punt by Brian Menkhausen out of end zone 7 2 4 0:36 80 Illinois Howard Griffith 1-yard touchdown run, kick good 14 2 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 2

At Ohio State

Purdue Boilermakers (1–4) at Ohio State Buckeyes (3–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	0	3	0	3
Ohio St	14	0	7	0	21

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

• Date: October 21
• Game time: 1:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 89,091
• Referee: Jim Kemerling
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter OSU – Greg Frey 4-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 11:40. Ohio St 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 26 yards, 0:53. OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 3:59. Ohio St 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:43. Second quarter No scoring Third quarter OSU – Carlos Snow 3-yard run (Pat O'Morrow kick), 9:50. Ohio St 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 0:59. PUR – Larry Sullivan 25-yard field goal, 5:35. Ohio St 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 4:15. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers PUR – Eric Hunter – 6/16, 147 yards OSU – Greg Frey – 3/9, 47 yards Top rushers PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 18 rushes, 85 yards OSU – Carlos Snow – 18 rushes, 149 yards, 2 TD Top receivers PUR – Jerome Sparkman – 6 receptions, 86 yards OSU – Jeff Graham – 2 receptions, 37 yards

Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans (2–4) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–5)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Michigan St	0	28	28
Purdue	0	21	21

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: October 28, 1989
• Game attendance: 41,402
• ^[9]

Homecoming
Jeff Lesniewicz knocked out of game with concussion^[10]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan St	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving	Courtney Hawkins	7 Rec, 193 Yds, TD
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	18/26, 253 Yds, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MSU PUR 3 Michigan St Courtney Hawkins 80-yard touchdown reception from Dan Enos, kick good 14 0 4 Purdue Calvin Williams -yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 28 7 4 5 69 Purdue Rod Dennis 20-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 28 14 4 2 41 Purdue Abe Hoskins 34-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 28 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 28 21

At Michigan

Purdue Boilermakers (1–6) at #4 Michigan Wolverines (6–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	7	0	20	27
Michigan	7	21	7	7	42

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: November 4, 1989
• Game time: 1:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Overcast, 44 °F (7 °C)
• Game attendance: 105, 126
• Box Score

^[11]

External videos
Game highlights

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	27/42, 344 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jerome Sparkman	11 Rush, 50 Yds
	Receiving	Calvin Williams	13 Rec, 156 Yds, 3 TD
Michigan	Passing	Michael Taylor	8/13, 124 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Tony Boles	13 Rush, 80 Yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chris Calloway	3 Rec, 68 Yds, TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PU UM 1 9:16 4 77 1:23 Michigan Tony Boles 39-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good 0 7 2 12:50 3 9 1:17 Michigan Desmond Howard 8-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good 0 14 2 5:46 8 77 3:25 Purdue Calvin Williams 44-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 7 14 2 2:31 8 80 3:15 Michigan Tony Boles 1-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good 7 21 2 0:09 5 79 0:55 Michigan Chris Calloway 29-yard touchdown reception from Elvis Grbac, J.D. Carlson kick good 7 28 3 1:10 3 16 0:57 Michigan Leroy Hoard 2-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good 7 35 4 13:03 1 11 0:06 Purdue Robert Oglesby 11-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 14 35 4 12:52 Michigan Kickoff returned 85 yards for touchdown by Tony Boles, J.D. Carlson kick good 14 42 4 6:48 3 34 1:19 Purdue Calvin Williams 3-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 21 42 4 2:33 4 61 1:14 Purdue Calvin Williams 15-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick no good (wide right) 27 42 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 42

Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats (0–8) at Purdue Boilermakers (1–7)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northwestern	0	7	8	0	15
Purdue	32	0	0	14	46

at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

• Date: November 11, 1989
• Game attendance: 31,470
• ^[12]

Purdue snapped a streak of 10 straight games without a first quarter point.^[13]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northwestern	Passing	Tim O'Brien	15/40, 213 Yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Bob Christian	21 Rush, 59 Yds
	Receiving
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	11/24, 263 Yds, 3 TD
	Rushing	Eric Hunter	9 Rush, 55 Yds
	Receiving	Rod Dennis	4 Rec, 146 Yds, 3 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NW PUR 1 13:25 Purdue Blocked punt returned 35 yards for touchdown by Rick Smith, Larry Sullivan kick good 0 7 1 2:02 Purdue 37-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan 0 10 1 Purdue Rod Dennis 39-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 0 17 1 2 Purdue Larry Coleman 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good 0 25 1 1:02 Purdue Rod Dennis 46-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 0 32 2 7:38 Northwestern Richard Buchanan 13-yard touchdown reception from Tim O'Brien, kick good 7 32 3 6:32 Northwestern Greg Fischer 6-yard touchdown reception from Tim O'Brien, 2-point pass good 15 32 4 11:23 Purdue Calvin Williams 44-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, Larry Sullivan kick good 15 39 4 1:51 Purdue Rod Dennis 57-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Lesniewicz, Larry Sullivan kick good 15 46 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 15 46

Iowa

At Indiana

See also: Old Oaken Bucket

Purdue Boilermakers (2–8) at Indiana Hoosiers (5–5)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Purdue	3	12	15
Indiana	11	3	14

at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

• Date: November 25, 1989
• Game attendance: 51,502
• ^[14]

Larry Sullivan kicked a 32-yard field goal with 2:51 left and Scott Bonnell missed a 26-yard field goal for Indiana with 1:29 remaining. ^[15] Fred Akers was carried off the field by his players.^[16]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Eric Hunter	15/24, 184 Yds, TD
	Rushing	Tony Vinson	9 Rush, 28 Yds
	Receiving	Rod Dennis	4 Rec, 81 Yds
Indiana	Passing	Dave Schnell	11/21, 99 Yds
	Rushing	Anthony Thompson	28 Rush, 97 Yds
	Receiving	Anthony Thompson	4 Rec, 28 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PUR IU 2 Indiana Dave Schnell 3-yard touchdown run, Scott Bonnell kick no good Indiana 26-yard field goal by Scott Bonnell Indiana Safety, Jeff Zgonina snapped ball out of end zone Purdue 24-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan 3 1:11 Indiana 27-yard field goal by Scott Bonnell 3 14 4 14:42 8 79 Purdue Calvin Williams 20-yard touchdown reception from Eric Hunter, 2-point pass failed 9 14 4 11:23 3 Purdue 29-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan 12 14 4 2:51 Purdue 32-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan 15 14 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 15 14

Awards

Eric Hunter

• Big Ten Freshman of the Year^[17]

References

1. 1989 Purdue Football Schedule
2. "2022 Purdue Football Record Book" (PDF). Purdue University Athletics. p. 91. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
3. "QB Fox Leaving Purdue for Florida". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. June 14, 1989. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
4. "Minnesota 35, Purdue 15". UPI Archives. October 7, 1989. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
5. Matt Youmans (October 11, 1989). "Loss to Minnesota sidelines key PU starters". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
6. Slater, Jim (October 14, 1989). "Illinois 14, Purdue 2". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
7. Tatlock, David (October 16, 1989). "Purdue Defense Shines in Loss". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
8. Youmans, Matt (October 16, 1989). "Boiler Defense Goes to Waste as Illinois Wins". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
9. Bedics, Mark (October 30, 1989). "Rally Leaves Spartans Grateful". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
10. Bedics, Mark (October 30, 1989). "Rally Leaves Spartans Grateful". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
11. Gainesville Sun. 1989 Nov 5.
12. Tatlock, David (November 13, 1989). "Purdue Collects First Big Ten Win, 46-15". Purdue University Archives & Special Editions. The Purdue Exponent. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
13. Cook, Bob (November 11, 1989). "Purdue 46, Northwestern 15". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
14. Slater, Jim (November 25, 1989). "Purdue 15, Indiana 14". UPI Archives. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
15. "Upset of IU in 1989 Bucket game shows anything is possible". Rivals.com. December 8, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
16. Youmans, Matt (November 27, 1989). "PU Plays 'Spoilermaker' in 15-14 Win Over IU". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
17. Daily Press. 1990 Oct 24. Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.