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There are several different historic angles to look at for Tuesday���s game in Dallas. After all, Purdue is playing on New Year���s Day for just the third time and facing Oklahoma State in a bowl game in the State of Texas for the second time. As we mentioned on Page 1, this is the third time the Boilermakers have played in the Cotton Bowl, and the first time in the postseason. Under Coach Jack Mollenkopf, the Boilermakers made their first appearance in the Big D���s famous facility when they faced SMU in 1965. The Boilermakers entered the game fresh off an upset victory the week before over No. 1 Notre Dame and found themselves at the top of the UPI coaches��� poll. It marked the first time Purdue was at No. 1, but it didn���t last long. In the game against Coach Hayden Fry���s Mustangs, Purdue jumped to a 14-0 lead at halftime, as quarterback Bob Griese remained on fire. The week before against the Irish, he set a school record for accuracy and yardage, completing 19-of-22 passes for 283 yards. Against the Mustangs he hit just 18-of-24 passes for 222 yards, but most came in the first half. The Boilermaker offense couldn���t get untracked in the second half, and SMU rallied with a couple of long drives. After a late Griese fumble, it looked like the Mustangs would win, but sophomore linebacker Bob Yunaska blocked the host���s potential game-winning 38-yard field goal in the closing minute. The game ended in a tie. The ���65 squad finished 7-2-1. Two years later, Purdue opened the season at the Cotton Bowl and defeated Texas A&M 24-20. The 1967 Boilermakers were led by sophomore starter Mike Phipps, who was making his debut as freshmen were not eligible in those days. He overcame a slow start to throw for 259 yards. That squad went on to win a share of the Big Ten title with Indiana and Minnesota and post an 8-2 record. One thing that Purdue will likely experience again in 2012 as it did in 1965 and ���67 in the Cotton Bowl is a small crowd. Only 17,000 saw the ���65 game against SMU while 27,500 were in attendance for Texas A&M. The crowd that was expected to be closer to 40,000, but a hurricane caused some to have second thoughts. ��� Alan Karpick five points to ponder 1 Purdue seemed to be particularly loose during pre-bowl practices. Will it play that way in a game in which it, truth be told, has nothing to lose? How will coaching changes affect this game? Purdue���s staff is down two coaches, with its one-time receivers coach now also coaching the entire team and coordinating the offense. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State lost its OC, Todd Monken. Can Purdue���s offense keep up? If this game becomes a high-scoring one, the Boilermaker offense must be able to keep pace. Robert Marve ended the season on a high note, so that���s cause for optimism. Who cares more? Oklahoma State doesn���t want to be in this bowl game; it had its sights set higher. Meanwhile, considering the way its season unfolded, Purdue should be happy to be anywhere right now, after winning its final three games just to make the postseason. Will this essentially be a road game for Purdue? It���s playing in Big 12 Country, less than 300 miles from Stillwater, against a Cowboys team with 66 Texans on its roster. ��� Brian Neubert 2 3 4 5 statistically speaking PURDUE OffenseRankAverages Rushing59 165.0 Passing54 240.7 Scoring58 29.9 DefenseRank Averages Rushing79 179.8 Passing50 227.5 Scoring71 29.0 Out of 120 FBS schools OKLAHOMA STATE OffenseRankAverages Rushing22 215.5 Passing7 332.4 Scoring4 44.7 DefenseRank Averages Rushing36 140.6 Passing112 285.7 Scoring72 29.4 GoldanDBlack express ��� volume 23, express 15��� ������ 10