WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Brandon Smith’s interception three plays into the third quarter changed the course of Penn State’s 62-24 victory over Purdue here on Saturday.
That’s saying something, especially when his team won by 38 points.
And the two teams combined for 86 points, 144 plays (just 63 for PSU), 16 kickoffs (11 by The Big Toe) and 8 punts.
And a flashy Saquon by the name of Barkley (8 letters) ran for 207 yards on 18 carries, including an 81-yarder, giving him 888 yards for the season.
But it was Mr. Smith’s pick that was The Pick Of The Day at Ross-Ade Stadium. When Smith intercepted Purdue quarterback David Blough and made the Boilermakers cough up the ball just three plays into a second half that began 17-17, it changed everything.
Smith returned the interception 22 yards to set up the Nittany Lion offense with a first-and-10 at the Purdue 22. Which set up three straight runs by Barkley (9, 9 and 5 yards), which set up a 1-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley to Chris Godwin.
Which gave Penn State a 24-17 lead. Which set off a 24-point Penn State third quarter. Which carried over to a 21-point Penn State fourth quarter.
Which spawned three more Penn State second-half takeaways – Jordan Smith’s recovery of a Purdue muffed punt catch, Christian Campbell’s interception and Kevin Given’s pick-up of a Blough fumble.
All of which erased a first-half Penn State hangover, and Whited Out any lingering thoughts of a letdown from last week’s epic win over No. 2 Ohio State.
Which resulted in Penn State’s fourth consecutive victory, a 6-2 record, an assured bowl berth, a continued outside shot at the Big Ten East Division title and a perfect 4-0 record in October (and 8-1 over the past two Octobers).
THE FUNNY PART
Which sets up the punch line:
Smith wasn’t even supposed to be in the game on that play.
Jason Cabinda was. But Cabinda — the starting linebacker — had a wardrobe malfunction early into the contest, when he busted up his helmet in the first quarter.
But he waited until halftime to get it fixed. And the process took longer than he thought. Too long.
“It’s funny,” said Smith. “I wasn’t supposed to be in that series. Something was wrong with Jason’s helmet, so I have to give thanks for him for letting me in on that play. Right before the kickoff, he said, ‘B, you might have to go in. Something’s wrong with my helmet.’ I had about 30 seconds notice, I guess.”
After Penn State’s Joey Julius kicked off out of bounds to start the second half, Purdue took over on its own 35-yard line. Three plays later, on third-and-3, Blough went back to pass. And he didn’t see Smith.
To be technical about it, here’s how Smith remembers it:
“Coach (Brent) Pry called a man blitz. The Will (linebacker, Brandon Bell) and I were mugged up into the A gaps. It’s called a cop technique, so whoever gets the center pops out. I tried to hold it in there so the quarterback wouldn’t see me. The guys did a good job getting pressure on him, so I was able to pop under that throw.”
Now, explain it to us in English, Brandon:
“In a cop technique, my intention is to blitz. But if it looks like I will get blocked by the center, I pop out because there’s no help underneath. The ball came out there pretty fast. I was just happy I caught it and started running. It’s awesome to catch it on your feet, because you get to run.”
CELEBRATION AND MOMENTUM
On the Penn State sidelines, Smith’s pick set off a chain reaction.
From Godwin: “We erupted, because we needed a play at that moment. So for him to able to make that play and get the ball rolling in the second half, was big for our momentum. It helped us to put it all together as a team.”
From Cabinda, who – with his helmet – was there to greet Smith when he ran off the field: “I came up to him right after and was like, ‘That must’ve been God’s work right there for my helmet to break like that and you go out there and make that play,’” said Cabinda, his left hand still heavily wrapped after missing five games with an injury. “It was huge. Smitty goes out there makes a hell of an interception…Who knows if I make that catch with the club on there?”
From head coach James Franklin: “Turnovers – when Purdue was doing such a good job controlling the ball – the turnovers were huge. Brandon has really good football intelligence. He has really good instincts. And not only that, but you saw his athleticism. After he caught the ball he was able to make a good run, break some tackles. What an awesome story that is. Last year, we had (Carl) Nassib (as a former walk-on). And this year we have B Smith doing wonderful things. It’s awesome, it’s awesome.”
HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE
It was Smith’s second interception of the season, a team-high. His 22-yard return beats the runback of the interception he made against Minnesota – he slipped and didn’t gain a yard.
Which should make Smith’s wife, Andrea, happy. Sort of.
“My wife asks all the time if I’m going to score a touchdown this week,” he said. “I tell it’s pretty hard to do. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get in, but…well, I tried my hardest.”
Be gentle on him, Mrs. Smith. For Penn State, it was the pick of the day.
