IOWA CITY (Iowa) -- Aidan O'Connell threw 375 yards and accounted three touchdowns. David Bell received a career-high 240 yards, while Purdue maintained its dominance over No. 2 Iowa was defeated 24-7 Saturday.
The Boilermakers (4-2 and 2-1 Big Ten) have won 4 of 5 games against the Hawkeyes (6-1 and 3-1). This loss ended Iowa’s 12-game winning streak.
Purdue defeated its highest-ranked road opponent since a win at No. 2 Notre Dame in 1974. This was the second consecutive season Purdue knocked off a No. The Boilermakers defeated a No. 2 team. In 2018, the Boilermakers beat a second-ranked Ohio State at home.
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa coach, stated that "Basically they outdid me in every category." "The bottom line is that we didn't succeed."
O'Connell was 30 of 40 passing with two touchdowns and 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.
Jeff Brohm, Purdue coach, said that sometimes it is possible to be creative and it can work. Sometimes it looks [bad]. It was risky, 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 Bell's quiet is "too destructive of a player to be a defense." Bell didn't realize how many yards were left until his mother told him.
Bell said, "It was definitely pleasant hearing it from her," and set a stadium record with the receiving yards.
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.
"They made it difficult on us," said Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras.
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 Hawkeyes takeaway was recorded by their defense, which led the nation with 20 takeaways, a plus-15 turnover margin and an overall score of over 20. 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 picks in a Iowa game in 12 years was four intercepted by Purdue on Petras's part.
"It's no fun losing,'' Petras said. They played well, credit to Purdue. We didn't do enough. It's definitely no fun.''
Although Iowa's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff were hampered by the loss, the Hawks still have a half-game advantage over Minnesota and Purdue within the Big Ten West.
Petras stated that "our goals are all before us at this stage." We can't be undefeated. But everything else is ours. We have done a lot in the first seven weeks. There has been a lot more bad than good, but most of it today. We need to regroup.
SLOW STARTERS
After the first quarter, Iowa was trailing 7-0. In the first quarter of this season's campaign, Iowa was trailed 7-0.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
After last week's win over Penn State 23-20, the Hawkeyes had their highest ranking since 1985. They should see a significant drop in rankings this week. Since the second week, Iowa has been among the top 10.
BIG PICTURE
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 its nine previous games to Wisconsin, and four of its five last to Northwestern.
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.
UP NEXT
Purdue hosts Wisconsin on October 23.
Iowa Visits Wisconsin Oct. 30
