"We encouraged him to stay at Butler," Tiller said. "That's how smart we are. ... I don't believe in transferring."

Seth Morales makes the game-winning play for the Boilermakers.(AP)

For a while, it looked so bleak for the Boilermakers. Unfair almost. Was a seemingly charmed season going to end like this? With the fourth interception of the game by quarterback Drew Brees, a throw that was so bad, an interception so horrifying, that Tiller said, "I damn near came off the sideline to catch it"?

It was returned by Ohio State to Purdue's 2-yard line, and then converted into what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown with 2:16 remaining. The Buckeyes seemed in control of the Rose Bowl race. But on the sideline, Purdue defensive end Warren Moore told Brees, "Hey, what did your mom always tell you? If you break something, fix it."

Two plays later, he fixed it. Morales took off down the right sideline. Brees looked to his left, to his main receiver, Vinny Sutherland. He looked at two other receivers before heaving the ball deep to Morales, who had the defenders beaten by at least 5 yards. Morales came down with the ball for a 64-yard touchdown, the decisive play in a 31-27 victory.

If Purdue wins its remaining games -- at Michigan State in two weeks and home against Indiana -- the Boilermakers will go to their first Rose Bowl in 34 years.

One of the reasons will be Morales, who described himself out of high school as "5-foot-nothing, 100-nothing (pounds)." He was the fourth option on Saturday's decisive touchdown.

"You know how many times we've run that play in practice and games?" Brees said. "About a thousand. You know how many times I've thrown to him? Once -- last year during double days. ... Seth is always a guy in practice who never gives up on routes."

Tiller's evaluation of his fourth-leading receiver this season doesn't exactly fall under the category of hype. Morales said he has improved his speed, but he can't do much about his height, listed at 5-foot-10. He's listed at 171 pounds. Both might be generous.

"He's just cute enough and quick enough to get behind people," the coach said.

Sutherland, the team's star receiver, is like Morales in that he isn't tall. But unlike Morales, the thick-necked Sutherland looks like a football player.

Morales' only scholarship offer was at Division I-AA Eastern Illinois. Coaches, he said, looked at him as "slow and white." Morales had offers to walk on at Division I-A programs, but opted for Butler, which is in his hometown of Indianapolis. He had 32 receptions and five touchdowns as a freshman on a team that finished 4-6.

"He just felt like he had a good freshman year and could play at a higher level," Tiller said. "He financed his own education -- to prove something to himself more than anybody else."

Money wasn't an issue for his family. A man of deep spiritual faith, Morales said he was following a higher calling. His parents, who went to Purdue, supported the idea. So did some coaches from his high school in Indianapolis. Butler was another story.

"I had a coach there tell me I'd never play until my fifth year -- and that would be the last minute of the game," Morales said. "That was real hurtful. But I was able to turn that hurt into a lot of drive to be the best player I could be."

A week earlier, Morales celebrated a 78-yard touchdown reception at Wisconsin and his 21st birthday. On Saturday, the Boilermakers had even more to celebrate, especially with a bye week coming up. In times like this, it's inevitable that a certain cliché will come up in the postgame news conference. Is this a team of destiny? Sutherland had the best answer.

"I'm destined for a good time tonight," Sutherland said. "I'm not going any further than that."