Ad Disclosure
Rapid Reaction: Purdue stuns CFB world with upset win over Ohio State
Published:
It was a special night in West Lafayette, and one that won’t soon be forgotten.
Purdue stunned the B1G and the college football world, pounding Ohio State 49-20 in West Lafayette. It was the fifth win for the Boilermakers over the Buckeyes since 2000, most of any team in the conference. And make no mistake about it, this one was special.
D.J. Knox rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns. David Blough threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Rondale Moore had 170 yards and two touchdowns. All of symbolized that Purdue has returned as a respected program.
And the Boilermakers did it with Tyler Trent, the brave former Purdue student and honorary team captain battling bone cancer in attendance.
It was capped perfectly, too. Markus Bailey, a Columbus native who was never recruited by Ohio State, recorded a pick-six to seal the victory for Purdue. If there ever was a perfect victory, it happened in West Lafayette on Saturday night.
Purdue’s impressive victory over the Buckeyes also proved that it’s very much a contender in the B1G West. Despite that 0-3 start which included losses to Northwestern, Eastern Michigan and Missouri, the Boilermakers are every bit as good as Wisconsin and Iowa.
That drive to Lucas Oil Stadium appears to be very manageable.
Ohio State couldn’t do anything offensively. It couldn’t run the football and struggled to create big plays. Dwayne Haskins still threw for over 400 yards, but it was the most irrelevant 400 yards he’s thrown for all season.
And the defense was bad. Really bad.
Purdue proved another thing on Saturday night: Ohio State doesn’t belong in the national championship conversation. It’s nowhere near the same caliber as Alabama.
None of that matters to Purdue. And it shouldn’t. Because Saturday night was about the Boilermakers. Whether it was head coach Jeff Brohm drawing up plays, Knox running over the Buckeye defense or Blough and Moore connecting on multiple passing plays, it was all Purdue all night.
The Boilermakers are back on the map. And they’re most certainly alive in the B1G West race.
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