The Beavers traveled to the Midwest to face the Purdue Boilermakers in Lafayette, Indiana, for the sixth game of the

1967 Oregon State Football Season. OSU was coming off a two-game losing streak, the last being a humiliating home

opener against BYU. The Beavers were hungry for redemption, and eager to prove themselves against one of the best

teams in the nation.

Walking off the field following the loss to BYU, the players were doing their best to come to

grips with their shock and embarrassment. As they returned to the locker room, the shock was rapidly being replaced by anger. Quarterback Steve Preece was the first to speak up. Preece, a natural

leader, stood and faced his teammates, putting into words what many of them were already feeling. His exact words

have been lost to time, the delivery and intonation a hazy memory, but the effect of his speech is unlikely to

ever be forgotten by those who heard it. In the end, the team promised the coaches that they wouldn't be

embarrassed again, and more importantly, that they wouldn't lose again. As Coach Dee Andros recently recalled,

"I could see it in their eyes: it wasn't just talk. They meant it."

Defensive Tackle Jess Lewis: "They (BYU) just nailed us. I remember that feeling. Nobody played well. Sometimes it seems like your playing hard, but it just doesn't all come together."… "I remember Steve Preece standing up and giving a speech right after the game and saying how embarrassed he

Despite Preece's inspirational words and the promise the team had made to the coaches, practice the following week

was no picnic. The coaches were angry and embarrassed too, and they were not about to let the players off easy.

Defensive Line Coach Rich Brooks had his linemen take countless trips through the obstacle course - Coach Brooks'

favorite form of punishment.

60,147 screaming Boilermaker fans packed into Ross-Ade Stadium to celebrate Homecoming and watch what they thought

would be another Purdue victory. Purdue was entering the game undefeated, with a 10-game winning streak and ranked by the AP as the second best team in the country. They hadn't lost at home since 1965, another 10-game stretch. No one outside

of Corvallis gave the Beavers a chance of pulling out a victory, but Coach Andros saw something while scouting

the opposition that led him to believe differently.

Purdue was the reigning Rose Bowl champion, and legendary Coach Jack "The Ripper" Mollenkopf had his

crew ready to make another run at the big game. The Boilermakers had beaten Texas A&M, Notre Dame,

Northwestern, and Ohio State in their first four games of the season, so they weren't overly concerned about the

struggling Beavers. Purdue didn't exactly roll out the red carpet for the visiting Beavers either, something the

OSU coaches made sure did not go unnoticed.

The star of the Purdue offense was running back Leroy

Keyes. Keyes was a threat as a runner, a receiver, and as a kick-returner, and to this day is listed in all

three categories in the Purdue record book. Later in the year, Keyes would finish third on the Heisman Ballot,

and in '68 he finished second behind O.J. Simpson. Joining Keyes in the backfield was quarterback Mike Phipps.

Phipps would go on to finish a close second in the Heisman vote of '70. He was drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, and retired after 11 years in the NFL.

The game opened with an offensive flourish, as both teams scored within the first five minutes of play. The Beavers

struck first with an eight play, 82-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession. Quarterback Steve Preece was

the star of the series, with runs of six and 17 yards, as well as a keeper-and-pitch to the trailing halfback Bill

Main for a 26-yard gain. Preece capped the drive by selling a fake to sprint left, only to stop short and drop a

18-yard gimme to receiver Roger Cantlon who was wide open in the endzone. Mike Haggard's PAT was good, and with

less than four minutes off the clock, the Beavers were up 7-0.

The Boilermakers wasted no time and immediately got on the board with a seven-play, 62-yard scoring drive of their

own. Most of the yards came on the ground, as the Beaver defense was unable to find their footing against the

Boilermakers' offensive front. The PAT was good, and Purdue had tied the game in just a little more than two minutes

of play.

The offensive fireworks quickly lost their luster, as the defensive units from both teams tightened down. The Beaver

offense went almost 18 minutes without registering a first down, and the Boilermakers were unable to score another

point for the rest of the half.

The first half stalemate finally broke with nine minutes left until intermission. The Beavers had forced Purdue

to punt from their own 49, but whether by design or defensive pressure, the punter couldn't get the kick off and

tried to scramble for a first down. The Beaver defenders stopped the feeble attempt well short of the first down

marker, giving the OSU offense good field position. The Beavers were unable to capitalize, however, as the Boilermakers

intercepted a Preece pass at the Purdue four-yard line.

The Beaver defense maintained its pressure and quickly regained possession of the football. Unfortunately, the

offense once again failed to convert and gave up another interception, this time at the Boilermaker seven-yard

line. Still the Beaver defense refused to relent, and only moments later, tackle Jess Lewis and nose guard Jon

Sandstrom combined to recover a fumble on the Boilermaker 26. With 46 seconds left in the half, Haggard came in

and banged a 26-yard field goal to give the Beavers a 10-7 lead as they headed into the locker room.

Purdue came out strong in the second half, covering 65 yards in six plays. The drive was capped with a seven-yard

scoring run by Keyes and gave the Boilermakers the lead at 14-7. It would prove to be the last offensive success

the Boilermakers would enjoy, as the Beaver defense didn't allow their opponents past the OSU 40-yard line for

the rest of the game.

It wasn't until late in the third quarter that the Beaver offense once again came alive, this time with a ten-play,

43-yard drive that set up another Haggard field goal. The key play of the drive was a new wrinkle to the Beaver

offense. Preece, off an option start, reversed the ball to halfback Bill Main who scampered for a 24-yard gainer.

In the fourth quarter, the Beavers were again deep within Boilermaker territory, but an interception on the Purdue

eight-yard line put an end to the drive. However, the Beaver defense once again showed its mettle. Lewis recovered

his second fumble of the day, returning possession to the Beaver offense on the Purdue 30-yard line with 6:35 remaining

to be played.

Coach Andros could see that the Boilermaker defense was losing steam after spending the day trying to stave off

the Beavers' unrelenting rushing attack. Bill "Earthquake" Enyart was called upon to deliver the final

blow, and carried the ball on six of the next seven plays. The drive was capped from the four-yard line when Enyart bulled his way in for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, but with only three minutes left to play and

the impenetrable Beaver defense returning to the field, the 19-14 lead appeared to be enough - barring a miracle.

Coach Andros: "Mike Haggard was on the sideline with me, getting ready to kick off, and I said to Mike,

A Purdue player attempted to receive the kickoff off of the first bounce, but was blasted out of the play by a

Beaver cover man. OSU cornerback Mel Easley recovered the ball on the Purdue 28, setting up a 38-yard field goal

for Haggard, his third successful attempt of the day.

Any hopes the Boilermaker fans may have had for a miracle comeback were crushed when linebacker Mike Groff picked

off a desperation pass from Phipps on the first play of Purdue's final drive. At this point the Beaver sideline was going

crazy, as they knew they had just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 1967 college football

season.

as any we've run into. They came ready to play football." - Purdue Head Coach Jack Mollenkopf

We beat a great team." - Coach Dee Andros

Fullback Bill Enyart was too much for the Purdue defense to handle, especially in the latter portion of the game

when the Beaver offensive line was beginning to dominate in the trenches. Most of Enyart's 91 yards came in second half, and were a major contributor to Purdue's defensive fatigue.

Left defensive tackle Jess Lewis terrorized the Boilermakers, refusing to allow any running success up the middle

and rattling the Purdue quarterback at every opportunity. He finished the day with two fumble recoveries and three

solo tackles for a loss. Lewis was awarded a 'Hard Rock' for his outstanding play.

Each week, after reviewing the game film, the Beaver coaches would present the best defensive player (and occasionally

an offensive player) with a Hard Rock. Hard Rocks were a river rock, painted orange and black with the game score,

date, and the player's name. They didn't look like much more than a pet rock, but they were a great source of

pride for those who received them. Hard Rocks are still a cherished possession for many of the Beavers who were fortunate

enough to earn one.

The players were not allowed to drink water during practice. This wasn't punishment. They never were allowed water during practice, but they were given salt pills to help prevent cramping. Salt pills?... mmm, refreshing.

Next up: Week 7 - The Washington State Cougars