Purdue Football: Heartbreak visits Boilermakers yet again

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As it was last week. the Purdue Boilermakers fought hard but it wasn’t hard enough as they lost a tough game, 40-37 to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday night at Ross-Ade Stadium. The game started with Purdue winning the toss and deferring until the second half. It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get on the scoreboard as they drove fifty-three yards in ten plays when Tucker McCann drilled a forty yard field goal with 12:14 to go in the first quarter. During the series for Missouri, Larry Roundtree ran for twenty-nine of the fifty-three yards while Drew Lock completed two passes for twenty-four yards to both Nate Brown for six yards and Jalen Knox for eighteen yards on third and eight to keep the drive going for the Tigers.

On the Boilermakers opening sequence, it only took four plays to get them into the end zone. Completions of twenty-four yards, fifty yards, and then for the final twelve yards to Terry Wright for the touchdown to put Purdue up 7-3 with 10:56 left in the quarter!

https://twitter.com/BoilerFootball/status/1041113215185432577

After both Missouri and Purdue traded punts, the Tigers drove seventy-five yards in five plays when Lock hit Johnat Johnson on a twenty-one-yard pass to give the lead back to Mizzou at 10-7 with 5:26 to go in the first quarter. As for the Boilermakers next series, it was short-lived as on first and ten from the Boilermaker own thirty-nine on a trick play Blough was intercepted by Cam Hilton giving Missouri great field position.

As for most teams, they try to capitalize on turnovers the Tigers were held to only three points as they couldn’t get the ball into the end zone as McCann easily converted on a twenty-nine-yard field goal to increase the lead to six at 13-7 with 1:42 left to go.

Purdue went on a seven play fifty-two-yard drive to cut the lead back to three when Spencer Evans calmly hit a thirty-three-yard field goal just eight seconds into the second quarter. With Purdue down three, Missouri went on a seven-play drive of their own that was converted into a fifty-nine-yard touchdown pass on third and eight when Lock hit Jalen Knox on a slant route and he took it the rest of the way. With the PAT converted, the Tigers lead was up to ten at 20-10 with 12:33 until halftime. Unfortunately for the Boilers, after a twelve-yard completion to Jared Sparks, he was forced out of bounds by his brother Adam Sparks. Purdue ran for three straight plays but unfortunately couldn’t keep it going as they were forced to punt again to Mizzou.

At this point in the game, both Lock and Blough had already combined to throw for over 400 yards and would end up for throwing for a total of 554 yards at halftime. When Missouri got the ball back after a Joe Schopper fifty-nine yard punt, the Tigers went ninety-four yards with Roundtree chewing up forty-eight of those yards on five runs with thirty-two on one run up the sideline. Al Okwuegbunam rushed in from two yards out and with the PAT the Tigers led 27-10 with 7:10 until halftime. With the Boilermakers down 17 and in a desperate scenario, they went seventy-five yards which was capped by Blough running in from one yard out to cut the lead down to 10 at 27-17.

Drew Lock led the Tigers back down the field with completions of six, sixteen, ten and six yards. They got all the way down to the Boilermaker thirty-two yard line when McCann’s fifty-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Jacob Thieneman. Navon Mosley returned it thirteen yards to the Boilermaker forty-five yard line when Blough completed a thirty-one-yard strike to Brycen Hopkins and a twenty-one yard run by Blough got the ball down to the Tigers three-yard line. Then, Blough hit Hopkins on a three-yard pass to cut the lead back down to three with nine seconds left until halftime making the score 27-24 with nine seconds left.

At halftime, both teams combined for a total of 726 yards of which 554 yards were through the air.

Tie ball game. Evans good on a 29-yard FG attempt. #BoilerUp

Purdue 27, Missouri 27 | 8:27 | 3rd pic.twitter.com/D9mwL1Jera

— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) September 16, 2018

With Purdue receiving the ball to start the third quarter, they went on a 14-play drive that lasted 6:33. They were unable to get it in the end zone so they had to settle for a twenty-nine-yard field goal from Evans to tie the game up at 27. However, Lock led the Tigers on their first series of the quarter 75 yards, of which 52 came on a Rush run. Lock capped the drive with an eight-yard run to put them back up seven at 34-27. Purdue had a nice drive going but on fourth and one from Mizzou 48 yard line, Blough’s pass fell incomplete to Isaac Zito giving the ball back to Missouri.

On the ensuing play for the Tigers, Lock hit Okwuegbanum for 14 yards but a roughing the passer on the Boilermakers tacked on 15 more yards. That put the ball on the Boilermaker twenty-two yard line where the drive stalled and McCann connected on his third field goal of the night, this time from 31 yards to push the lead back up to ten at 37-27.

Purdue’s next drive was promising but stalled out when Evans misfired on a 49-yard field goal wide left to keep the Tiger lead at 10.

The start of the fourth quarter was really interesting since Purdue hardly had any pass rush on Lock when they were able to force Lock into an intentional grounding after a Boilermaker sack by Derrick Barnes. The result of that, along with stuffing Rush on no gains on both 2nd and 3rd downs forced Mizzou to punt the ball back to Purdue.

It didn’t take long for Purdue to score on their first possession of the fourth quarter as Blough was going for Markell Jones on a seam route when the ball hit off Cam Hilton’s helmet and Hopkins caught the ball and ran it down to the Missouri seven-yard line for a 74-yard completion. On the ensuing play, Rondale Moore, on a jet sweep, scored to cut the lead to three at 37-34 with 12:16 left to go in the game.

For Missouri, who had it on the back of their minds trying to get payback for Purdue delivering a 35-3 drubbing in Columbia, Lock led the Tigers on a 12 play drive only for it to get slammed in their face when Kenneth Major picked Lock off at the Boilermaker 10-yard line.

37-37. 3:28 to play. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/X07w9tktQb

— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) September 16, 2018

WIth the Boilermakers having all the momentum, they went on a 12-play drive on their own and for a moment had the lead with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jared Sparks on third and goal only for it to be reversed. Purdue settled for a 26-yard field goal by Evans to tie it up at 37 with 3:28 to go in the game. Just like last week, against Eastern Michigan, the Boilermakers would not get the ball back.

Lock hit on completions of 20 and 25 yards to Tyler Badie and Emmanuel Hall along with runs of 8, 8, 7, and 3 yards by Badie got the ball to the Boilermaker seven-yard line. There, McCann ripped the hearts out of Purdue with the 25-yard field goal on the last play of the game.

Total yards for the game combined to be 1222 yards. Blough set a new Purdue record by throwing for 572 yards on the night.

Missouri improves to 3-0 on the season and faces Georgia while Purdue falls to 0-3 and tries to get off the schnide at home with Boston College.