Three takeaways from Purdue’s win in the Music City Bowl

1. Both teams have a lot to be proud of after this game.

The Tennessee Volunteers came into this season with low expectations. There was a mass exodus out of Knoxville after Tennessee fired former head coach Jeremy Pruitt amid much controversy. Tennessee was also looking for an Athletic Director.

The Volunteers’ administration turned to Central Florida AD Dana White, who then hired Josh Heupel, who White hired at UCF. Heupel and his staff kept a thin recruiting class together and coached an even thinner roster.

One player who decided to stay despite Pruitt’s firing was quarterback Hendon Hooker. The Virginia Tech transfer was an afterthought when Joe Milton came to Knoxville from Virginia. Hooker hung in there and eventually won the starting job despite not starting.

This season, his play was a huge reason the Vols got to a bowl game.

Purdue needed its starters to play well and stay healthy to have a successful season, and both things happened. Wide receiver David Bell and defensive end George Karlaftis played like All-Americans, and running back Zander Horvath gave the Boilermakers a complementary running game.

Head coach Jeff Brohm got his team ready to play big games. Not only did they defeat Iowa and Michigan State, but they also outplayed them both. That mentality served them well against Tennessee this afternoon despite being short-staffed.