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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Purdue dug itself into an early double-digit deficit at Penn State and never could recover from the slow start in a 35-7 loss Saturday.
No. 12 Penn State scored a touchdown on its first four possessions of the game, using a short field to its advantage multiple times. The game could have gone two ways at that point: The Boilermakers could make some adjustments and fight to make the game competitive, or the Nittany Lions could run away with a blowout.
Purdue's defense rose to the challenge and kept the game competitive, but the offense could never find a rhythm due to the Nittany Lions' consistent pressure up front defensively.
Penn State (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) took a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. At that point, Purdue's defense stiffened and kept the game competitive. After allowing 206 yards of offense in the first quarter, the Boilermakers held the Nittany Lions to 254 for the rest of the game.
The Nittany Lions' next six possessions resulted in an interception, missed field goal and four consecutive punts. Simeon Smiley had the interception, his first of the season, to end one drive.
Purdue (1-4, 0-2) struggled offensively, allowing 10 sacks on the day and finishing with just 104 total yards.
Penn State took a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game, taking advantage of short fields to score those touchdowns. Purdue went three-and-out on its first two possessions, and the Nittany Lions started their first two drives at their own 44-yard line and Purdue's 33-yard line.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford connected with K.J. Hamler for a 23-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game; Clifford ran for a 3-yard score on the next drive. The Nittany Lions went ahead 21-0 when Clifford threw a 72-yard touchdown to Jahan Dotson.
A pair of redshirt freshmen connected for Purdue's only touchdown of the game. Quarterback Jack Plummer threw a nice 15-yard touchdown pass to Amad Anderson Jr., who made the catch on a pass to his back shoulder and sneaked into the end zone by getting the ball just over the pylon before stepping out of bounds.
Purdue's special teams created a turnover late in the first half after a punt bounced off a Penn State player and was recovered by Zander Horvath. A Penn State penalty gave the offense some slight momentum, but Plummer was sacked on the final play of the half. The Nittany Lions had seven of their 10 sacks in the first half.
Purdue's defense forced a three-and-out to open the second half. Freshman George Karlaftis had a sack on third down to force a punt. He had three tackles for a loss and now has four sacks this season. Ben Holt led the Purdue defense with 11 tackles and Jalen Alexander had 10 tackles.
Plummer finished the game 13 of 27 passing for 119 yards and one touchdown. Freshman running back King Doerue had 11 carries for 26 yards. Jackson Anthrop had seven catches for 38 yards, while David Bell had three catches for 59 yards.
An already depleted roster suffered more injuries. Starting linebacker Cornell Jones and defensive tackle Anthony Watts both left the game with injuries, while freshman defensive back Cameron Allen was ejected after being called for targeting.
Also, wide receivers Milton Wright and T.J. Sheffield did not play. That adds to a growing list of key injuries Purdue is having to work with, already missing linebacker Markus Bailey, defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal, quarterback Elijah Sindelar, wide receivers Rondale Moore and Jared Sparks, offensive lineman D.J. Washington, and running backs Tario Fuller and Richie Worship.
Purdue hosts Maryland for Homecoming in a noon ET kickoff on Saturday.
• Photo Gallery
• Audio Highlights
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Purdue dug itself into an early double-digit deficit at Penn State and never could recover from the slow start in a 35-7 loss Saturday.
No. 12 Penn State scored a touchdown on its first four possessions of the game, using a short field to its advantage multiple times. The game could have gone two ways at that point: The Boilermakers could make some adjustments and fight to make the game competitive, or the Nittany Lions could run away with a blowout.
Purdue's defense rose to the challenge and kept the game competitive, but the offense could never find a rhythm due to the Nittany Lions' consistent pressure up front defensively.
Penn State (5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) took a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. At that point, Purdue's defense stiffened and kept the game competitive. After allowing 206 yards of offense in the first quarter, the Boilermakers held the Nittany Lions to 254 for the rest of the game.
The Nittany Lions' next six possessions resulted in an interception, missed field goal and four consecutive punts. Simeon Smiley had the interception, his first of the season, to end one drive.
Purdue (1-4, 0-2) struggled offensively, allowing 10 sacks on the day and finishing with just 104 total yards.
Penn State took a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game, taking advantage of short fields to score those touchdowns. Purdue went three-and-out on its first two possessions, and the Nittany Lions started their first two drives at their own 44-yard line and Purdue's 33-yard line.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford connected with K.J. Hamler for a 23-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game; Clifford ran for a 3-yard score on the next drive. The Nittany Lions went ahead 21-0 when Clifford threw a 72-yard touchdown to Jahan Dotson.
A pair of redshirt freshmen connected for Purdue's only touchdown of the game. Quarterback Jack Plummer threw a nice 15-yard touchdown pass to Amad Anderson Jr., who made the catch on a pass to his back shoulder and sneaked into the end zone by getting the ball just over the pylon before stepping out of bounds.
Purdue's special teams created a turnover late in the first half after a punt bounced off a Penn State player and was recovered by Zander Horvath. A Penn State penalty gave the offense some slight momentum, but Plummer was sacked on the final play of the half. The Nittany Lions had seven of their 10 sacks in the first half.
Purdue's defense forced a three-and-out to open the second half. Freshman George Karlaftis had a sack on third down to force a punt. He had three tackles for a loss and now has four sacks this season. Ben Holt led the Purdue defense with 11 tackles and Jalen Alexander had 10 tackles.
Plummer finished the game 13 of 27 passing for 119 yards and one touchdown. Freshman running back King Doerue had 11 carries for 26 yards. Jackson Anthrop had seven catches for 38 yards, while David Bell had three catches for 59 yards.
An already depleted roster suffered more injuries. Starting linebacker Cornell Jones and defensive tackle Anthony Watts both left the game with injuries, while freshman defensive back Cameron Allen was ejected after being called for targeting.
Also, wide receivers Milton Wright and T.J. Sheffield did not play. That adds to a growing list of key injuries Purdue is having to work with, already missing linebacker Markus Bailey, defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal, quarterback Elijah Sindelar, wide receivers Rondale Moore and Jared Sparks, offensive lineman D.J. Washington, and running backs Tario Fuller and Richie Worship.
Purdue hosts Maryland for Homecoming in a noon ET kickoff on Saturday.