ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Four years later, Purdue gets a chance to avenge a painful loss when the 13th-ranked Boilermakers take on No. 11 Georgia in the Capital One Bowl.
In the Outback Bowl following the 1999 season, Georgia pulled off the biggest comeback in school history, rallying from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Boilermakers, 28-25, in overtime. Hap Hines kicked a game-winning 21-yard field goal after Purdue's Travis Dorsch missed a 43-yarder on the first overtime possession.
Drew Brees completed 36-of-60 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns for the Boilermakers in the only meeting between the schools.
Georgia (10-3) overcame a slew of injuries to win its second straight Southeastern Conference East Division title under third-year coach Mark Richt but suffered a 34-13 loss to Louisiana State in the SEC title game.
Despite losing four members of its defensive unit to the NFL draft, Georgia ranked second in the SEC behind LSU in total defense (275.9 ypg) and scoring defense (15.9 ppg). The leader of Georgia's defense is end David Pollack, a finalist for the Lombardi Award.
The Bulldogs will be without receiver Michael Johnson and cornerback Kenny Bailey, who were declared academically ineligible by the SEC. Johnson caught 27 passes for 361 yards and two TDs this season.
Purdue also will be without three players who were declared academically ineligible - starting cornerback Jacques Reeves and defensive tackle Dontrey Phillips and offensive lineman Nick Pilipauskis. Reeves ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 64 and also had two interceptions. Billy Bennett kicked 29 field goals this season, tying the NCAA record set by UCLA's John Lee in 1983. He has 399 career points, second on the all-time list among kickers.
David Greene, who completed 237-of-401 passes for 2,980 yards with 10 TDs and 11 interceptions, brings a 31-8 career record as a starter into the game.
Always known for its potent offense under Joe Tiller, Purdue also got plenty of mileage out of its usually suspect defense to finish tied with Ohio State for second in the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers ranked 10th nationally against the run, allowing 95.6 yards per game.
Jerod Void helped the Boilermakers overcome the absence of Joey Harris, who was declared academically ineligible before the season, by rushing for 889 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Kyle Orton passed for 2,655 yards with 14 TDS and has just six interceptions in his last 450 attempts. His favorite targets were Taylor Stubblefield (78 receptions for 736 yards) and John Standeford (70 catches for 1,048 yards. Standeford became the Big Ten's career receiving yards leader against Northwestern on November 1. Stubblefield twice caught 16 passes in a game this year, matching an NCAA season-high.
Both teams are making their seventh straight bowl appearance. Georgia has won five of its last six bowl games while Purdue snapped a three-game bowl losing streak with a 34-24 victory over Washington in last season's Sun Bowl. The Boilermakers are trying to tie a school record for wins set in 1979.
