Exit Light, Enter Boilermakers: Purdue football wins 24-17

Hey, we got our first win on a game I think we waited forever on (or was that just me)? Mockobee found his strides at moments and Card did what we needed. Was it a great performance? Probably not. I break down my quick review and Jed will do a more in depth review to come.

First Half:

Was this the longest first half ever? Purdue took the lead and held it for 6+ hours. No, there wasn’t that many penalties but after a delayed start due to weather, the game again would be postponed late in the first quarter.

Purdue dominated to start the game marching down the field and ending it with a Mockobee touchdown (we’ve seen that before). The defense shut down Virginia Tech and was again marching down the field before the storms hit. Everyone was escorted out of the stadium and the game would not resume until 6:15.

Purdue came back in a third down situation in which they had a false start and a sack to start the quarter. Not ideal. But a Cam Allen pick and Tracy Jr. touchdown put Purdue up 17-0 in the 2nd quarter. I’d say all was well but we’re Purdue fans and we know how this goes.

Virginia tech comes back with a TD and field goal to make it 17-10 late in the first half. A crucial roughing the passer call was called… putting Tech at Purdue’s 37 while the Boilers are still struggling to cover the passing game. Another roughing the passer results in a Virginia Tech TD.

Discipline was a huge issue last year and the problem has become apparent again today. Boilers end the half tied 17-17.

Second Half:

The defense has learned they do best when not on the field, so they start the half with a Thieneman interception.

Both teams struggled to get anything going the third quarter and Purdue ended the 3rd with a missed field goal. The defense showed out and Card showed his ability marching down the field and doing a qb sneak to score for Purdue after both offenses went stagnant.

Mockobee has got some good runs but has still struggled to find his footing in the new offense as Tracy Jr. continues to shine. I can’t tell if it was a Mockobee first year stardom or if Harell isn’t calling the right plays for him but they rely on Tracy Jr. to end the quarter.

I’d love to sit here and say the defense shut down Tech the fourth quarter and that’s the reason they won but honestly they brought in their back-up and we squeaked out a win on the road in not the best conditions. Hey we’re Purdue, I’ll take it.

Overall:

Purdue picked up a must win on the road in probably the worst conditions. I don’t think I can complain too much since we won but I’m still not blown away by the defense. We let a not very good team come back and hang in there with us as the corners continue to struggle. There really isn’t an answer this year there so I wont harp too much on it but Walter’s got his first win as head coach and comes back to Ross Ade With some confidence. Next us Syracuse!