Purdue 31, Marshall 41

Austin Appleby had 29 good throws.

And 2 bad really ones.

Purdue had the chance to put the game away but couldn't put the game away. Marshall took advantage and scored two touchdowns in the 4th quarter to secure their win over the Boilermakers.

Austin Appleby finished with 29/45, 244 yards, with 2 touchdowns (1 ran in), but 3 interceptions, 2 of them coming at awful times and being returned for touchdowns in the 1st and 4th quarters. Meanwhile, Cato's replacement for Marshall, Michael Birdsong, finished the game 23/36, with 234 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Despite the bitter ending, Purdue's 2 running backs, DJ Knox and Markell Jones, were impressive, with 102 and 72 yards respectively, and each scored a touchdown. Knox was knocking down defenders throughout the game, and Jones showed why he was Mr. Football Indiana.

It was a bitter loss, which resulted in Purdue still struggling to put the game away in the 3rd and 4th quarters. The first pick-6 and missed field goal was the difference in this game (that 2nd pick-6 wouldn't have been forced had that been the case), but even with those mistakes, Purdue had the chance to close out but couldn't do it.

Overall, Purdue showed signs of improvement from last year and will certainly make some noise this upcoming season if they can bounce back from this win and take care of business against Indiana State next week for the home opener.

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