Ecstasy reigned in West Lafayette on Saturday night. #2 ranked Ohio State was exposed as the Boilermakers throttled the Buckeyes, 49-20. At upset’s end, fireworks went off, the field was stormed and general pandemonium was happily present.
It is hard to imagine that anybody was happier than Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey. The third-year starting linebacker had the game of his life. Not only did he amass 15 tackles, Bailey put the exclamation mark on the upset with a 41-yard pick six to close out the scoring.
Bailey’s background may explain his epic performance. He is from Columbus and naturally wanted to be a Buckeye. No scholarship offer came from Urban Meyer. Prior to Meyer’s regime, Bailey might have received a coveted OSU scholarship but Meyer’s recruiting emphasis has clearly been national despite the abundance of talent in Ohio. Other Big 10 teams have been happy to accept the “leftovers.” MSU’s ascendance the past decade has been due, in part, to the Spartans’ canny recruiting of numerous Ohio preps. Congratulations to Markus for using “rejection” motivation to be a catalyst for his great, great performance.
As fate would have it, Bailey was not the first Markus to haunt the Buckeyes. In 1996, a Michigan team limped into Columbus, fresh off consecutive losses to Purdue and Penn State. One of OSU’s best teams ever, the undefeated Buckeyes, awaited. Despite being an 18-point underdog, Brian Griese and Company pulled off a 13-9 stunner. Who made the game-saving interception? None other than Columbus prep and 2-time All Big 10 defensive back, Marcus Ray.