SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A Syracuse touchdown with seven seconds left to play handed Purdue a 32-29 loss in its road opener on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
The Boilermakers (1-2, 0-1 B10) held a 9-3 lead over the Orange (3-0, 1-0 ACC) at the end of the first half thanks to a Devin Mockobee 15-yard touchdown run and a Mitchell Fineran 41-yard field goal in what looked to be a defensive dogfight. Purdue's defense held quarterback Garrett Shrader and the Syracuse offense to just 134 total yards and a field goal in the first half of play.
The script would flip in the second half however, as both offenses exploded for a combined 49 points, 42 of which came in the fourth quarter. Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell posted season highs in completions and yards as he finished 39-of-56 for 424 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
A back and forth second half saw the lead change hands on five different occasions. The teams traded touchdowns until O'Connell's first career pick-six gave the Orange a 25-15 lead with 8:08 left in the game. The Boilermakers would battle right back, as O'Connell found Charlie Jones for a 55-yard bomb to cut the deficit to three before tight end Payne Durham caught his second touchdown of the day to give Purdue a 29-25 lead with just 51 seconds remaining.
Penalties against Purdue aided Syracuse on their final possession as they took five plays to go fifty yards capped off by Shrader finding wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II for a 25-yard touchdown to win the game for the Orange.
O'Connell's connection with Charlie Jones continues to drive the Boilermaker offense. Jones racked up a career-high 188 yards and added a touchdown to become just the fifth power five player to have 100 yards receiving and a touchdown in his team's first three games. Two 50-plus yard strikes from O'Connell to Jones sparked Purdue's fourth quarter comeback bid that ultimately fell short.
Durham also played a big part in the Boilermaker offensive attack against the Orange. The redshirt-senior came up with clutch conversions on multiple occasions and more than doubled his total receptions on the season by hauling in nine for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensive back and New York native Sanoussi Kane led the team in tackles with seven and one for a loss. The Purdue defense produced a season-high seven pass break ups, including a crucial one from linebacker Kydran Jenkins to force a punt late in the fourth that led to Purdue's final touchdown.
NOTES
• The all-time series between the two programs is now tied 1-1.
• Purdue is now 5-2 in road openers under Jeff Brohm.
• The Boilermakers were penalized 13 times for 144 yards compared to nine for 74 for the Orange.
• Aidan O'Connell tied Jim Everett for fourth in program history with 10 300-yard passing games and passed Everett for seventh in career completions with 592 during his time at Purdue.
• O'Connell also put up the ninth 30-completion game of his career.
• For the second straight season a Purdue receiver topped 100 yards in three straight games, as Jones finished with 188 yards.
• Durham is now fourth on the career list for touchdown receptions by a tight end, trailing Dave Young (27, 1977-80), Jim Beirne (17, 1965-67), Dustin Keller (16, 2004-07) and Tim Stratton (15, 1998-01).
• Walk-on Redshirt freshman Devin Mockobee put Purdue on the board in the first quarter on a 15-yard, a career-long rush and second score of his career.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers return home next Saturday for the annual Homecoming game for a matchup with Florida Atlantic. It's another night under the lights of Ross-Ade Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on BTN.