Former Clay-Chalkville star T.J. McCollum made eight tackles including one of a sack and one for a loss to lead Purdue to a 38-35 win over Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.
McCollum, a linebacker who completed his eligibility by playing as a graduate student for the Boilermakers, was injured some during the year, but started nine of the 10 games he played in, and made 69 tackles, fourth best on the team. He had six tackles for loss and three sacks to his credit.
Purdue was the third Division I school McCollum played for, a rarity. He began his career at UAB but transferred to Western Kentucky when UAB President Ray Watts ordered the program to shut down. He led the Hilltoppers in tackles in 2015 as he started every game and started throughout 2016 despite some nagging injuries.
He played in three bowl games while at WKU and Purdue — all wins — and the 2014 Blazers for who he played were also bowl eligible.
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William Kennedy
He’ll always be a Blazer to me. #fireraywatts