A tale of one man’s foot.

by: Rocco Lopez 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The energy at Ross-Ade Stadium was rocking. A 12 P.M EST kickoff for Purdue vs Rutgers saw an almost sold out crowd. The Scarlet Knights picked up their first Big Ten win on a last second field goal. 

From the jump, Purdue came out strong. After a 60 yard rush by senior Malachi Thomas, the Boilermaker Offense was set up at the 5 yard line. A short pass from Sophomore QB Malachi Singleton to Malachi Thomas put the Boilermakers up by 7 early. The next possession for the Boilermakers went almost as well, ending in a 19 yard field goal, putting them up by 10 at the end of the first quarter. 

The Scarlet Knights came out in the second quarter ready to play. They set their kicker, Jai Patel up for a 45 yard field goal, which he just barely missed. After three straight 3 and out’s, two from the Boilermakers and one from the Knights, the Knights finally made something happen. They set up inside the Boilermaker red-zone and got a touchdown off a one yard rush by Antwan Raymond, the Knights were down three going into the half. 

Purdue got the ball to start the second half, and capitalized instantly. After two 30-plus yard rushes, the Boilermakers took the lead on a three yard touchdown pass, capping off a one minute and 50 second drive. All of a sudden the Scarlet Knights were down by ten. They weren't ready to give up just yet. After a three and out by the Boilermakers, the Scarlet Knights were right where they wanted to be. On 2nd and 7 at their own 28, Athan Kaliakmanis connected with KJ Duff for a 72 yard touchdown pass. Just like that, the Scarlet Knights were only down by 3, still with a whole quarter of football to be played. 

The Boilermakers came ready to play in the fourth, forcing a fumble in the first minute of the quarter, but couldn't make anything happen with it. After getting the ball back, Rutgers started right back where they were to end the third. Some short plays and a long catch by KJ Duff later, the Scarlet Knights were on the Boilermakers one yard line, and ran a Tush Push for the touchdown. The Boilermakers came right back after that, starting with a 56 yard Kickoff Return from Micheal Jackson III. They ended that drive on a 14 yard touchdown from Ryan Browne to Nitro Tuggle, and regained the lead. The Knights came right back and tied the game with a 20 yard field goal. Ryan Browne and the Boilermakers got the ball back on their own 33, and that's where things took a turn for the worst. On the first play of the drive, Browne fumbled and gave the Scarlet Knights good field position to win the game. After gaining 17 yards off of rushes, Jai Patel had the chance to give the Knights their first Big Ten win. The ball was placed on the 13 yard line, making a 30 yard field goal. After missing one from 45 and making one from 20, Patel made up for his missed kick, and nailed a 30 yard field goal to give the Knights their first Big Ten win, and put them at .500 on the season. 

NEXT UP

The Boilermakers travel to the Big House to take on the 25th ranked Michigan Wolverines on November 1st at 6 P.M. 

The Scarlet Knights travel to the University of Illinois for a 11 A.M Kickoff vs the 23rd ranked Fighting Illini.