Purdue Defeats EKU 45-24

Despite some issues in the second quarter Purdue walked away from Ross-Ade Stadium today with a 45-24 victory over the Colonels of Eastern Kentucky. After going up 21-0 on the heels of some turnovers by EKU, including the 78 yard touchdown rumble from Gelen Robinson, Purdue allowed EKU to come back and get back within 28-18 at halftime.

EKU found the weakness in the Purdue defense as the cornerbacks were consistently pounded by Coney and his taller wide receivers. For whatever reason after halftime EKU decided against passing the ball as frequently which allowed Purdue and the new Ross Els helmed defense to dig in and hold EKU to just 6 points in the second half.

On the offensive side of the ball Markell Jones had himself another great ball game and was the MVP as we all expected he would be. Jones carried the ball 24 times for 145 yards and 1 touchdown. He would’ve gotten more but David Blough was the TD vulture grabbing two one yarders for himself. The running game was what excited me the most on the offense side with not just Jones but also Richie Worship and Brian Lankford-Johnson both showing a different style of play allowing Purdue to be a bit more versatile.

David Blough finished the game 25-43 for 245 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. You also need to include the aforementioned rushing touchdowns when you consider his total. The INT also wasn’t a terrible throw. Overall, a pretty good day for Blough.

Purdue finished the game committing just two penalties which was a huge improvement from previous years under Hazell. Purdue still has problems to work on but anytime you can walk away with a victory you’ve gotta be happy. Much more to come.