Fourth Quarter:
Penn State will face a 2nd and 8 on the Purdue 42 to open the final period of play. Christian Hackenberg throws his first interception since the Ohio State a game and Purdue will take over at its own 31. Facing a third and nine, Purdue fails to convert but a fake punt gains the yards needed to move the chains. Adrian Amos records his second sack of the day and one incomplete pass later Purdue is facing yet another long third down needing 15 yards to convert. Purdue does just that with a 15 yard pass over the middle of the field. There is a timeout on the field with 10 minutes to go in the game with the Boilermakers down 38-21.
Nyeem Wartman comes up with the sack and the ball is recovered by Mike Hull. The play is reviewed and the call on the field stands.
Penn State continues to drive down the field behind the efforts of Zwinak who now has 149 yards to his name. Hackenberg fakes the handoff and rolls to his right untouched into the endzone to cap off a 11-play, 74 yard drive. The Nittany Lions have yet to punt today only failing to score on drives thanks to two turnovers.
The Nittany Lions stop Purdue yet again and Tyler Ferguson is in at quarterback to finish off the game.
Third Quarter:
Purdue will start the second half with the ball after opting to kick to open the game. The Boilermakers will start at its 15. Facing a third down a 35-yard pass is completed and gives Purdue the ball at Penn State’s 19. Etling brings the game within a score after an 11-yard run on an option run lets the Boilermaker quarterback go in untouched. The drive went seven plays and 84 yards over the span of 3:36.
Penn State doesn’t wait long though to respond as a 58-yard catch and run by Jesse James puts Penn State in the red zone only two plays into the drive. The drive stalls though and Ficken heads in to knock through a 29-yard field goal attempt. The 6-play, 62 yard drive lasted 2:22 and pushed Penn State’s lead back to a two possession game.
Purdue will star just inside its own 40 after another strong return and a possible touchdown saving tackle by Sam Ficken.
Facing a third and 10 Deion Barnes forces a fumble and it is recovered by Penn State on the Purdue 40. The Nittany Lions waste little time and Zach Zwinak pounds away at the Boilermaker defense en route to a 5-yard touchdown rush, his third of the day. The drive lasted only 6 plays and 2:40 on the clock. Penn State with two nice drives to punch back following Purdue’s score to open the half.
Purdue moves the ball a short distance but can’t get inside Penn State’s 30. The Boilermakers opt to go for the conversion and fail to do so.
Halftime State:
Rushing Yards: Penn State 182 (Belton 77 yards, Zwinak 75) Purdue: 1
Passing Yards: Hackenberg 9-12 for 83, Etling 9-12 for 87
Receiving: Allen Robinson 5 catches 60 yards, Cameron Posey 2 catches 41 yards.
Second Quarter:
The Boilermakers open the quarter on Penn State’s 22 and third and six. The ensuing pass is complete on a slant for 12 yards and Purdue will face a short yardage situation for a score. The Boilermakers score on second down and Purdue sits down behind by seven points following the extra point. The nine play drive went 75 yards and lasted 4:15.
Penn State drives a short distance before Bill Belton fumbles and Purdue recovers on the 40 of Penn State. The Boilermakers don’t drive far though as Jordan Lucas intercepts a third down pass and returns the ball 22 yards. A 15-yard penalty is tacked on following a personal foul penalty on Purdue and Penn State will start with the ball on the Boilermaker 33. Zwinak carries the ball on five straight downs and the eventual score during the brief but effective drive. The Nittany Lions have now gained 127 yards on the ground in the first half with 9:35 to go in the opening 30 minutes of play. The Boilermakers have gained 9 yards on the ground so far.
Purdue drives the ball a short distance but back-to-back sacks set up a 4th-and-20 more or less where the Boilermakers started off their drive. Penn State will start on its own 22. with 6:14 to go in the first half. Purdue currently has 1 yard of rushing and 88 yards of total offense.
The Nittany Lions drive the ball thanks to nice passes by Christian Hackenberg to Allen Robinson and yet another pass interference call on the Purdue defense. The 10-play, 78 yard drive lasted 4:56 and put Penn State even farther ahead both on the scoreboard and in the box score. Penn State has scored on all but one drive today with a fumble ending that only failed drive. Purdue on the other hand has only one drive going farther than 9 yards.
Purdue’s Raheem Mostert returns the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score to make it 28-14.
Penn State runs out the clock with a few runs to cap off an effective half.
First Quarter:
Penn State will start with the ball and we’re underway here at a sunny and warm Beaver Stadium. Bill Belton is dropped for a loss on the first play scrimmage but Allen Robinson hauls in a 12-yard gain on second down. Belton continues to churn the legs and punches in a 5-yard touchdown run following a 13-play, 75 yard drive that lasted 5:49. Hackenberg went 3-of-4 for 34 yards on the drive. Allen Robinson picked up 28 of those yards while Belton ran for 36.
Purdue goes three and out but Penn State dodges a bullet as Danny Etling has a wide open target down field but B.J. Knauf can’t find the ball in the air in time to make the catch. Linebacker Glen Carson drilled Etling into the ground on the play. Penn State will get the ball back at its own 34.
The Nittany Lions ride on a heavy doses of Zach Zwinak and Belton. Penn State benifits from two pass interference calls on the drive, one on a defender covering Allen Robinson and one covering Bill Belton on third and goal. Zwinak picks up the score from a yard out and Penn State goes up 14-0 with 3:03 to go in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions have already gained 86 yards on the ground, 44 for Belton, 42 for Zwinak.
Purdue starts with the ball on its own 25 yards but moves the ball well, due in large part to a 38-yard catch and run by Cameron Posey. The 6-play, 58 yard drive ends at the conclusion of the first quarter.
Pregame:
Penn State needs a win, and a one-win Purdue Boilermaker team should be just that as the Nittany Lions return home to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.
The Boilermakers are led by head coach Darrell Hazell who is 17-18 in his third year at Purdue. Purdue’s only win came in the second week of the season against Indiana State in a 20-14 home contest. The Boilermakers came close against Notre Dame in a 31-24 loss but have given up 40 or more points four times this season.
The Nittany Lions are looking to pick up their sixth win of the season and third straight Big Ten win at home. Penn State has taken each of the last three home conference contests into overtime including a 27-17 victory over Illinois in early November.
Kickoff is set for noon.
