Starting from its own four-yard line, Penn State drove down the field with a run-heavy drive on its first possession of the game.
But when Penn State reached the red zone, as it had done often this season, the drive seemed like it was about to stall out. Penn State’s offense would open yet another Big Ten game with a field goal, not a touchdown. Matt Campbell sent out the field goal unit and Ryan Barker stepped back for a 37-yard field goal but holder Nathan Tiyce delivered the first punch, with an inside pitch to Ben Brahmer.
Brahmer picked up a first down and two plays later, Penn State’s Andrew Rappleyea found the end zone.
It set the tone for the evening. Penn State was out to throw punches, and the Nittany Lions connected plenty of them for a 31-17 win over Purdue on Saturday night for Campbell’s first in Big Ten play.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak, the Nittany Lions’ second in back-to-back seasons, and seemed to steady a team unable to find dependable success in over a month and a half.
The effort was largely a clean one. Aside from one special teams play which went haywire, Penn State didn’t make many mistakes.
Quarterback Rocco Becht didn’t turn the ball over and despite – but maybe in part of – the fact that Penn State was without its two top wide receivers, the Penn State offense established a run game for the first time it beat Buffalo in the third week of the season.
Penn State ran for 269 yards against the Boilermakers, just the second time this season it’s rushed for more than 200 yards this season, last doing so against Buffalo. Of the 269 yards, Cam Wallace unambiguously worked his way into the top spot of the running back room with a 136-yard, one-touchdown effort. He was just the second Penn State running back to run for 100 or more yards the season – as Quinton Martin Jr. ran for exactly 100 against the Bulls in September.
Even Carson Hansen, who entered Saturday’s game with a 3.9 yards per carry average, rushed 96 yards on 17 carries – enough for a 5.6 yards per carry average. Becht added to the rushing effort, scoring the Nittany Lions’ second touchdown of the game on a short but impressive rollout to the pylon in the south end zone, one of the three touchdown punches on the ground. Becht also threw for another.
While Penn State allowed the Boilermakers to answer its first two touchdowns with two of their own, including one on a blocked punt, Penn State never wavered.
Becht once again led Penn State down the field before halftime on a seven-minute methodical drive capped off by Hansen’s one touchdown on the evening.
In the second quarter, Penn State held the ball for all but one minute and 20 seconds and the keep-away strategy helped Penn State’s defense stay sharp to land punches on the other side of the ball.
The Nittany Lions pass rush made Ryan Browne’s night difficult and Penn State’s secondary only made it harder. Browne finished the evening 10-for-29.
Browne’s final pass of the game was Penn State’s final punch – a Jeremiah Cooper interception and the second INT of the evening for the Penn State defense.
For as shaky as Penn State had been in the four previous games at times, Penn State looked comfortable against Purdue, confidently taking advantage of each opportunity and moment. Even when Penn State gave up the blocked-punt touchdown or nearly had its opening drive stall out yet again, it found a way to punch back – something that had been missing at times this season.
The win comes too late in a season that’s already mostly lost to be Penn State’s signature win of the season. (Even if it wins out, it may not get one of those.) But it comes at a point early enough that Penn State can use it to build something to salvage the final parts of this year.
One punch at a time, Penn State answered back and one punch at a time Penn State will need to answer back through its final four games of the year.
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please subscribe to Stuff Somers Says With Steve on YouTube. Or join our newsletter by entering your email below.
