Oct. 30, 2004
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By NANCY ARMOUR
AP Sports Writer
EVANSTON, Ill. - Noah Herron ran 3 yards for a touchdown with 38 seconds left to lift Northwestern to a 13-10 upset of No. 17 Purdue on Saturday, its second victory over a top 25 team this year.
Purdue had a final chance, but Taylor Stubblefield couldn't hold on to a 40-yard-long pass into the end zone as time expired. The pass came from backup quarterback Brandon Kirsch, who replaced one-time Heisman Trophy favorite Kyle Orton at the end of the third quarter.
When the ball was knocked out of Stubblefield's hands, the homecoming crowd roared and Northwestern coach Randy Walker - on the sidelines after spending two days in the hospital this week with a heart ailment - grinned.
It was Northwestern's first victory over Purdue since 1997. The Boilermakers (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) had been the only conference team Northwestern (4-4, 3-2) hadn't beaten since Walker became coach in 1999. It was the third straight loss for Purdue, which started the season 5-0.
Orton put up gaudy numbers in those five wins. But he was uninspiring in back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Michigan, and downright ineffective against the Wildcats - getting pulled for Kirsch after throwing his fifth interception of the year. Orton also had a fumble in the first quarter that set up Northwestern's first score.
Kirsch methodically moved the Boilermakers down the field on his first series, advancing to the Northwestern 17. A holding call stopped their momentum, and Kirsch was stopped half a football shy of the markers as he scrambled on third down.
Instead of going for it, the Boilermakers tried a 29-yard field goal. But Ben Jones had to kick into a wind gusting up to 40 mph, and the ball sailed wide right - leaving Purdue with a 10-7 lead.
Shut out since the first quarter, Northwestern's offense finally started clicking when the Wildcats got the ball back at their own 16 with 1:50 to play. Brett Basanez completed passes of 11, 29, 10 and 12 yards as he moved the Wildcats to the Purdue 21.
Purdue made two costly errors, getting called for pass interference when cornerback Antwaun Rogers shoved Kim Thompson in front of the end zone, then getting whistled for offsides. After an incompletion, Basanez flipped the ball to Herron, who ran untouched into the end zone.
Herron finished with 82 yards on 19 carries. Terrell Jordan had 24 yards on five carries, including a 14-yard scoring run. Basanez was 11-of-30 for 148 yards.
Orton was 15-of-33 for 143 yards, including a 12-yard scoring pass to Dorien Bryant. Kirsch was 5-of-9 for 67 yards.
Purdue's prolific offense finished with 332 yards, well below the 453.6 yards a game it was averaging before Saturday.