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Rapid reaction: Purdue spoils Michigan State’s undefeated season thanks to Aidan O’Connell, David Bell
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First it was No. 2 Iowa, now it’s No. 3 Michigan State. Purdue is going to have think about changing its nickname from “Boilermakers” to “Spoilermakers.”
Aidan O’Connell threw the ball 54 times and completed 40 passes for 536 yards and 3 touchdowns, leading Purdue to a 40-29 win over Michigan State in West Lafayette. It’s the second Top 3 victory the Boilers have posted this season.
This time, Purdue’s victory was its sixth of the year, securing a bowl berth for the first time since 2018.
Jeff Brohm didn’t hold anything back in this one. The game plan was to target David Bell frequently, and the receiver ended the day with 11 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown. The head coach dipped into his bag of tricks, dialing up a double-reverse flea-flicker screen pass (maybe) that was ultimately a microcosm of events that happened in West Lafayette.
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When Purdue’s offense was on the field, it couldn’t be stopped.
Purdue ended the game with 594 yards of offense, 28 first downs and possessed the ball for 35:13. The Boilers needed just 58 yards on the ground because of the prolific passing attack. Only 3 penalties were committed and there was just 1 turnover.
That’s a recipe that helped the Boilermakers earn a win over Iowa a few weeks ago at Kinnick Stadium. It worked again in Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday.
For Michigan State, Kenneth Walker III was still able to churn out quite a bit of yardage, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Payton Thorne played fairly well, completing 20-of-30 pass attempts for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns.
But the defense’s inability to get off the field was the Achilles heel for the Spartans on Saturday. Now, they’re sitting at 8-1 and will likely drop out of the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff rankings.
The Spartans still have everything in front of them. With games against Penn State and Ohio State looming — and a win over Michigan in the bag — they can still compete for a B1G title and a Playoff spot. But there’s no room for error.
Purdue, with a bowl berth in hand, will now travel to Columbus to play a likely-Top 4 Ohio State team that sits at 8-1 on the season. Could the Boilers notch another major upset this season?
If O’Connell and Bell are working in sync, anything is possible.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB