Leave it to Purdue and Indiana to keep the Indianapolis Colts from bringing back a second Super Bowl trophy to Lucas Oil Stadium.

With the Colts unable to provide enough of a pass rush, former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees completed 32 of 39 passes and fired two touchdowns to earn game Most Valuable Player honors as the New Orleans Saints posted a 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV win Sunday night at Sun Life Stadium.

Throw in a 74-yard return of an intercepted pass by ex-Indiana University cornerback Tracy Porter late in the fourth quarter and it's easy to understand how New Orleans was able to register the upset win over the favored Colts.

With defensive end Dwight Freeney gamely trying to play on a gimpy right ankle, the Colts simply could not generate enough pressure to slow down Brees. Freeney had one sack on the night, but it was far from enough as Indianapolis finishes the season with a 16-3 record.

Peyton Manning did his part for the Colts, hitting on 31-of-45 passes for 333 yards and one touchdown. But Manning wasn't able to come up with enough big plays down the stretch as he tried to lead Indianapolis to an eighth fourth quarter comeback victory this season.

A pair of fourth quarter touchdowns proved to be the difference for New Orleans, a two-yard touchdown pass from Brees to tight end Jeremy Shockey and Porter's theft of a Manning pass. A two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Lance Moore after Shockey's touchdown catch gave the Saints a seven-point lead with 5:42 remaining in the game and forced the Colts to play catch-up.

Joseph Addai had a game-high 77 yards rushing and a four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that gave Indianapolis its last lead of the game.

The Colts jumped to a relatively quick 10-0 first quarter lead, thanks to scoring drives of 53 and 96 yards. Matt Stover's 38-yard field goal with 7:29 left gave Indianapolis a 3-0 lead. With the kick, he became the oldest player to score in a Super Bowl game.

Coach Jim Caldwell's team followed that up with an 11-play drive that began at the Colts' 4-yard line. Manning's 19-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Pierre Garcon with 0:36 left in the quarter pushed the Indianapolis margin to 10-0.

Addai had three carries for 53 yards rushing on the drive, including a season-best 26-yard effort. He had 60 yards total at halftime. The 96-yard drive tied a Super Bowl record, which was set by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.

New Orleans countered with two-second quarter field goals by Garrett Hartley, who hit from 46 and 44 yards out. The Saints' first drive was slowed when Freeney, who started the game despite missing the last two weeks of practice with a third-degree right ankle sprain, dropped Brees for a seven-yard loss.

A chance by New Orleans to tie the score at 10-10 in the final minutes of the quarter was stopped after the Saints had a first-and-goal at the Indianapolis three-yard line.

An incomplete pass, a false start penalty and a seven-yard run by Pierre Thomas gave New Orleans a third-and-goal at the Colts' one-yard line. A run wide by Bell was stacked up for no gain by cornerback Kelvin Hayden.

Instead of attempting a field goal, a fourth-and-one run by Thomas was stopped for no gain by middle linebacker Gary Brackett, weak side linebacker Clint Session and defensive tackle Eric Foster.

Indianapolis couldn't get move the ball on its final possession of the first half and was forced to punt. The Saints then moved the football from their own 48-yard line down to the Colts' 26, where Hartley hit his second field goal of the game as time expired.

New Orleans 0 6 10 15 -- 31

Indianapolis 10 0 7 0 -- 17

I -- Matt Stover 38 FG, 7:29 1st Quarter

I -- Pierre Garcon 19 pass from Peyton Manning (Stover kick), 0:36 1st Quarter

NO -- Garrett Hartley 46 FG, 9:34 2nd Quarter

NO -- Hartley 44 FG, 0:00 2nd Quarter

NO -- Pierre Thomas 16 pass from Drew Brees (Hartley kick), 11:41 3rd Quarter

I -- Joseph Addai 4 run (Stover kick), 6:15 3rd Quarter

NO -- Hartley 47 FG, 2:01 3rd Quarter

NO -- Jeremy Shockey 2 pass from Brees (Moore pass from Brees), 5:42 4th Quarter

NO -- Tracy Porter 74 interception return (Hartley kick), 3:12 4th Quarter

Tom James writes for The Tribune Star in Terre Haute, Ind.