Posted: Monday, January 9, 2012 10:00 am | Updated: 12:12 am, Mon Jan 9, 2012.
Purdue finished out the 2011 football season as the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl champions with a 37-32 win over Western Michigan on Dec. 27, giving the Boilers a 7-6 season.
During the game, the Boilers forced seven turnovers resulting in 13 points. The special teams unit also had big plays as they successfully performed onside kicks and had a 99-yard kickoff return from Raheem Mostert.
Head coach Danny Hope said he decided prior to the game that the team would start with an onside kick but since Purdue got the ball first, the team would onside kick once it scored the first time.
With Ralph Bolden out with an injury, the Boilers turned to junior Akeem Shavers who finished the game with 22 rushes for 149 yards. Shavers was named Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Most Valuable Player and broke a Purdue bowl record with his 149 rushing yards.
Shavers received a concussion in the Iowa game and didn't participate in full contact drills in bowl preparation. The junior said he didn't lose anything because he took a lot of mental reps in practice and he also spent hours in the film room trying to figure out what Western Michigan liked to do.
"I knew that once I got my chance, I'd be good," Shavers said. "Everyone was behind me, from running backs to offensive line, and we made it a team effort."
The Boilers also tied a school record and broke a Little Caesars Bowl record with four interceptions, two by Gerald Gooden.
"Even though its only one game, it's a huge difference," Hope said. "We were very proud in participating in post season play. It carries great momentum into the offseason. It will be a shot in the arm for our recruiting and I think we energized our fan base in a lot of ways."
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl Game records
* The Boilermakers made their 16th all-time bowl appearance and their second in Detroit (also the 2007 Motor City Bowl).
* Raheem Mostert's 99-yard kickoff return in the second quarter was the fifth-longest in school history in any game (100 yards four times) and the longest in Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and Purdue bowl history.
* It was also the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Purdue's bowl history.
* Purdue's yards rushing in the game were a school bowl record (180 yards in the 1980 Bluebonnet Bowl).
* Purdue's four interceptions in the game tied the school bowl record.
Team
* The Boilermakers converted a turnover (Evans INT) into a touchdown (Pegram 1-yard reception) for the seventh time this season.
* The Boilermakers recovered two onside kicks in a game for the first time since Nov. 7, 2009 (at Michigan).
* Purdue's 27 points in the first half were third-most scored in the first 30 minutes by a Boilermaker bowl team in school history (34 points in the 1978 Peach Bowl and the 2007 Motor City Bowl).
* Purdue rushed for over 200 yards for the fifth time this season. Including tonight, the Boilermakers are 11-1 all-time under Danny Hope when rushing for 200 or more yards.
Individual
* Akeem Shaver's 44-yard rush in the first quarter was the longest of his Boilermaker career and tied for the second-longest in a bowl game in school history (also Vinny Sutherland, 2000 Outback Bowl vs. Georgia).
* Shavers' final rushing yardage total was a Purdue bowl record.
* Albert Evans picked off his second pass of the season and the third of his Purdue career in the first quarter.
* Antavian Edison's in-traffic 23-yard reception in the first quarter improved his streak to 21 consecutive games with a catch.
* Reggie Pegram's 1-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter was the first aerial score of his collegiate career.
* Gerald Gooden picked off the first two passes of his career.
* Wiggs' 49-yard field goal in the second quarter was the second-longest in Little Caesars Pizza Bowl history and in a bowl game by any Boilermaker kicker.
* Carson Wiggs recovered his own onside kick in the second quarter.
* Taylor Richards intercepted his first career pass in the fourth quarter.
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