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Rapid Reaction: Purdue’s offense blasts off, Boilers down Maryland for first B1G win
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Final score: Purdue 40 Maryland 14
Brief recap: A week after an ugly 35-7 loss to Penn State, Purdue came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. The Boilermakers opened the game by taking a 13-0 lead midway through the first quarter and held on to a two-possession lead for most of the game. Maryland was able to keep things close through most of the first half, thanks to the explosive efforts from quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome and running back Javon Leake. But a late first half pick-six by Cory Trice gave the Boilermakers a 30-14 lead going into halftime, and the advantage only got larger. Purdue was able to put the game away with a an 8-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter from Jack Plummer to David Bell with 13 minutes left in the game.
Key moment: It’s hard to top Trice’s pick-six at the end of the first half. Instead of potentially getting points, and making it a one-score game going into the locker room, Purdue was up by 16 points and came out of the locker room with plenty of confidence.
Key stat: In an evenly matched game, Maryland needed to play pretty clean. The Terps had nine penalties and had two turnovers in the game. That wasn’t the only difference in the game, but it was a big factor.
Key player: Last week, Jack Plummer took a beating, getting sack 10 times by the Penn State defense. His response? The Purdue quarterback completed 33-of-41 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. That’s a heck of a performance from the Boilermakers gunslinger.
What it means for Maryland: This was a tough game for the Terrapins to drop considering the narrow margin for error in terms of reaching a bowl game. They needed to beat Purdue and get two wins from games against Indiana, Minnesota and Nebraska. Bowl eligibility isn’t out of the question, but with the remaining schedule, it’s going to be fairly tough.
What it means for Purdue: Short-handed again, Purdue proved that it can still compete with some teams in the B1G. Not only did they compete, but the Boilers won big. It’s still tough to imagine this team competing for bowl eligibility, but outside of Wisconsin, nobody in the B1G West has looked unbeatable. Purdue has fought hard this season, even in losses. The young players are getting better and this team is getting more interesting to watch each week.
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