Report Card: Boilermakers Get High Marks After Another Win
EVANSTON, Ill. — Purdue earned a come-from-behind victory for the second straight week after defeating Northwestern 24-22.
A last-second field goal by J.D. Dellinger allowed Purdue to improve to 4-6 on the season and 3-4 in the Big Ten. With a bye next week, the Boilermakers' next matchup is Nov. 23 against Wisconsin.
Here's how the Boilermakers graded out on Saturday:
Passing Offense: B
Purdue’s passing offense was up-and-down all day long. They got off to a very slow start, throwing for just 58 yards and an interception in the opening quarter. Things got better as the game progressed, though. In his first career start, Aidan O’Connell threw 50 passes, a number that not many expected coming into the game. He handled it well, for the most part, completing 34 of the 50 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
It was mostly a two-man show for the Boilermakers at wide receiver with Amad Anderson and David Bell. Anderson caught nine passes for 67 yards and a score, and Bell caught 14 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Purdue passing game seemed to transition smoothly to a new quarterback and found some success on Saturday.
Rushing Offense: C-plus
The reason for O’Connell throwing 50 passes was the run game — or lack thereof. After breaking off a few big runs early, they failed to do much in the ground the rest of the way. As a team they rushed 21 times for 74 yards, just an average of 3.5 yards per carry.
They found the end zone once on a King Doerue 12-yard run, but on a day where the run game was expected to step up and take the pressure off of O’Connell, they failed to do so. It’s been a constant for Purdue this season and it was lucky O’Connell and the rest of the offense was able to do enough to secure the victory.
Passing Defense: B-plus
After a slow start for the entire defense, the Purdue secondary figured things out and were able to limit Northwestern from moving the ball through the air. Aidan Smith got the start at quarterback for the Wildcats and was able to complete 8 of his 10 passes in the first quarter for 89 yards and a touchdown.
After that, he couldn’t find much success. Purdue was able to limit him to just 95 yards and one touchdown following the first quarter. On the day he finished 19-for-31 for 184 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The secondary came up with a huge play in the third quarter, with safety Cam Allen intercepting Smith to set up a scoring drive that gave Purdue a 21-16 lead at the time. Overall, the Purdue secondary was able to limit a Northwestern passing attack when it mattered the most.
Rushing Defense: C
A Northwestern offense that struggles to move the ball did find success on the ground against Purdue. They rushed for 251 yards on the day. They got things going early on with a 79-yard touchdown run by Kyric McGowan on just their second play of the day.
The most staggering thing for the Boilermakers? They gave up a whopping 5.6 yards per carry, much more than Northwestern’s season average of 3.4 coming into the game. The Wildcats were able to find big holes in the Purdue front, and on a day where they couldn’t get much going through the air, they were able to put together drives with the running game.
Special Teams: A
Besides allowing Northwestern to convert on a fake punt, the Purdue special teams played very well. After getting two punts blocked last week, the Purdue punting game looked much better. The highlight of the day for that group came on a Zac Collins 60-yard punt that flipped the field and pinned the Wildcats at the 6-yard line.
On the day, the Boilermakers were able to pin Northwestern inside the 20-yard line on three of their five punts. The biggest play of the entire day for the Boilermakers came on special teams too, with J.D. Dellinger's 39-yard game-winning field goal.
Coaching: A
This Purdue coaching staff continues to find ways to win regardless of who is playing. Even with a new quarterback, they were able to transition smoothly and still find success through the air.
After getting two punts blocked last week, they made adjustments and the punting was improved. Jeff Brohm and the rest of the staff continue to make adjustments and get this team ready to fight each and every week. And that's paying off in victories.
Intangibles: A-plus
The coaching staff may do what they can to get this team ready, but it’s the players who continue to go out there and fight through adversity. After falling behind 14-0 early on, they clawed their way back and did what they needed to in order to get a win.
Considering that Purdue hadn't beaten Northwestern since 2010, it was good to finally get in the win column against them. And to do it with a third-string quarterback was even more impressive. As Brohm said after the game, the team has toughness and grit, and players want to be out there and win.
