WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's defense forced a fumble on the opening play of the game to set the tone in a 56-0 rout of Indiana State on Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. The 56-point margin of victory was the largest for Purdue since a 59-point shutout win over Southeast Missouri in 2011.
The Boilermakers (1-1) tallied 521 yards of total offense with a balanced 232 on the ground and 289 through the air. Purdue's defense held the Sycamores (1-1) to 145 yards of total offense.
The defense posted its second shutout of the Jeff Brohm era. Purdue racked up seven tackles-for-loss, three sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Sanoussi Kane delivered a punishing hit to Indiana State Tee Hodge on the opening play of the game to pop the ball up in the air into safety Cam Allen's arms.
In the third quarter, Allen picked off an Indiana State pass and took it to pay dirt for a 65-yard touchdown. It marked the first time Purdue has interception returns for a touchdown in back-to-back weeks since Ricardo Allen achieved the feat in 2010.
Offensively, Purdue scored a touchdown on seven of its first nine drives. The only two drives the Boilermakers failed to score on started inside their own two-yard line.
Quarterback Aidan O'Connell was efficient in his one half of action with four touchdowns and 211 yards on 17-of-19 passing. Charlie Jones added to his early haul as a Boilermaker with his second straight 100-yard receiving game. The Deerfield, Ill., native snagged nine passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.
Redshirt freshman Devin Mockobee led the rushing attack with 78 yards on 13 touches with one score. Dylan Downing added 55 yards from 11 rushes. Purdue topped 200 yards rushing for the first time since Oct. 13, 2018, in a win over Illinois.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Twice in the first half, Indiana drove inside the Purdue 10-yard line. Twice, Purdue kept the Sycamores off the scoreboard. Kieren Douglas and Kane stonewalled Justin Dinka on 4th-and-goal late in the first quarter. Early in the second, Jamari Brown intercepted the first pass of his career in the endzone on a 3rd-and-goal from the Purdue seven-yard line.
Kane notched a career-high seven tackles and a forced fumble. Khordae Sydnor, Branson Deen and Jack Sullivan tallied a sack, while Yanni Karlaftis and Sulaiman Kpaka combined for one. Purdue held four of the five Sycamore receivers who caught a pass to five or fewer yards.
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY
• The Boilermakers put points on the board with seven of their 12 drives.
• Purdue scored a touchdown on all but one drive that started beyond its own 25-yard line.
• Purdue's first five touchdown drives took 2:09 or less and six plays or fewer.
• Twelve different receivers caught a pass for the Boilermakers, who finished 25-of-30 passing on the day.
• Quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell, Austin Burton, Michael Alaimo all led the Boilermakers on scoring drives. Freshman Brady Allen also saw action in the fourth quarter.
NOTES
• Purdue improved to 6-0 all-time against Indiana State.
• The Boilermakers remained perfect against FCS opposition since the 1978 division.
• Purdue's last shutout was in Week 2 of the 2021 season against UConn, a 49-0 victory.
• The 145 yards of total offense allowed by Purdue were the fewest given up by the defense in over 25 years.
• O'Connell was one completion and attempt shy of breaking the Purdue single-game record for completion percentage. A minimum of 20 attempts is needed to qualify.
• Jones' four touchdowns through two games at Purdue surpassed the three receiving touchdowns he had at Iowa over two seasons. Jones is also 37 receiving yards shy of his total output with his time with the Hawkeyes.
• The Indiana State offense made it into Purdue territory just four times in 15 drives.
• Purdue held a team to 60 or fewer yards rushing for the third time in the Brohm era.
UP NEXT
Purdue will hit the road for the first time this season next Saturday at Syracuse. Kickoff is set for noon.