The Hawkeyes began the season with six consecutive wins, and the program was at its highest rank since 1985.
Brohm stated, “Let’s get out there and swing and keep swinging and hoping for the best.”
Just like they did against the Hawkeyes, the Boilermakers also connected.
Aidan O’Connell threw 374 yards and three touchdowns. David Bell had a career best 240 yards of receiving and Purdue continued to dominate Iowa with a 24-7 win Saturday.
The Boilermakers (4-2 and 2-1 Big Ten) have won 4 of 5 against the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3). This loss ended Iowa’s 12-game winning streak. It also included nine consecutive Big Ten games.
Purdue defeated its highest-ranked opponent on the roads since its victory at No. 2 Notre Dame in 1974. This was the second consecutive season Purdue knocked off a No. The Boilermakers defeated Ohio State in 2018 at home. In 2018, the Boilermakers beat Ohio State, second-ranked.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa coach, stated that “they outdid us in almost every category.” “The bottom line is that we didn’t succeed.”
The Hawkeyes tried positive thinking heading into their bye week. They still have a chance of winning the Big Ten West Division title, and could be in the College Football Playoff picture should they win.
“Our goals all lie before us at this stage,” said quarterback Spencer Petras. We can’t be undefeated but we have everything else. We have done a lot of good in the first seven weeks. There has been a lot more bad. Most of this today. We need to regroup.”
Ferentz stated that they didn’t have an answer for the Boilermakers who took over the game quickly. They didn’t let Iowa’s offense settle into a rhythm and kept the ball away form a defense that led the nation in turnover margin and takeaways.
Brohm stated that if there was a way to obtain a lead, it would be a huge help.
Purdue was 9-16 on third down. Two Boilermakers touchdown drives lasted over 10 plays.
Jack Campbell, an Iowa linebacker, said that “they came out ready for roll.”
O’Connell finished 30th out of 40 passing, with two touchdowns. He also ran for a score. O’Connell got the most practice on a day Purdue used Austin Burton and Jack Plummer as backup quarterbacks in certain situations. O’Connell’s 6-yard touchdown run gave the Boilermakers a 7-0 lead.
O’Connell described the quarterback shuffle as “just so fun”, comparing it to hockey’s line changes.
In the final minutes of the first period, O’Connell completed a 3-yard touchdown pass for TJ Sheffield to give Purdue a 14-7 lead. Bell was hit with a 21 yard touchdown pass by O’Connell in the fourth quarter.
Brohm stated that sometimes, creativity can work when it comes to quarterback changes. Sometimes it looks (bad). It was a risky move, but it paid off today.
Bell received 11 receptions. In three seasons, Bell has 37 receptions for 558 yards and five touchdowns versus Iowa.
Brohm stated that he believes the reason he was able to use them is because he is one of the top receivers in the country.
O’Connell stated that the quiet Bell was “so destructive of an opponent for a defense.”
Bell didn’t realize how many yards he had, until his mother told him after the game.
Bell stated, “It was certainly nice hearing it from you,”
Purdue came in third place in the Big Ten for total defense and scoring defense. Iowa’s offense was not able to stop Purdue. Ivory Kelly Martin ran a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter for Iowa, while Iowa had only 271 yards of offense.
Iowa’s home record was its lowest point total since 2012, when it lost 13-7 to Nebraska. This was the largest margin of victory for Iowa in a home loss since Wisconsin’s 28-9 win at Kinnick Stadium in 2013.
Only one takeaway was recorded by the Hawkeyes defense, which led the nation with 20 takeaways, a plus-15 turnover margin and an overall score of +15. It happened in the third quarter, when Sheffield was trying to dive for an end zone and had the ball slip from his hand. He hit the pylon, which caused it to go out of bounds.
The most interceptions of Petras by Purdue in a single game was four, which is the record for Iowa’s 12-year history.
After the first quarter, Iowa was trailing 7-0. In the first quarter of this season’s campaign, Iowa was trailed 7-0.
After last week’s win over Penn State 23-20, the Hawkeyes had their highest ranking for 36 years. They should expect a huge fall in Sunday’s new poll. Since the second week, Iowa has been among the top 10.
This was a very unusual performance from Iowa’s defense. They gave up the most yards passing since 2016 and the most yards at home since 2012. The Hawkeyes now face back-toback road games against Northwestern and Wisconsin. Iowa has lost seven of nine of its last nine games against Wisconsin, and four of its five last five to Northwestern. Ferentz stated that it was the first time they’ve had to deal in loss for a while.
Purdue’s offense was alive and well. The Boilermakers had scored 13 goals in its three previous games. Bell’s 240 receiving yard was the second-most of any Bowl Subdivision player this year.
Purdue hosts Wisconsin on October 23.
Iowa Visits Wisconsin Oct. 30
