INDIANAPOLIS – In their first appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Purdue Boilermakers fell to No. 2 Michigan on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, 43-22.
Despite racking up 456 yards of total offense, including 366 through the air, and scoring five times in the red zone, the Boilermakers (8-5) managed just one touchdown on the night.
Receiver Charlie Jones set several records. The Deerfield, Ill., native caught 13 passes for 162 yards, both Big Ten Championship Game records. Jones' performance set the Purdue single-season records for 100-yard receiving games with eight and receiving yards with 1,361 on the year.
Jones provided the bulk of the receptions from quarterback Aidan O'Connell. The sixth-year slinger was 32-of-47 passing for 366 yards. O'Connell moved into sole possession of second on Purdue's all-time list with 14 career 300-yard passing games.
Running back Devin Mockobee tallied 71 yards on 17 carries on the night, giving him 920 yards for a new Boilermaker freshman season record.
Kicker Mitchell Fineran went 5-for-5 on field goals to set a new Big Ten Championship Game record. The five made kicks were a new career high for the righty and tied for second most in a game in Purdue history.
Michigan (13-0) opened the scoring with a touchdown on its opening drive, a 25-yard pass from quarterback J.J. McCarthy to Colston Loveland. The Boilermakers responded on their next drive.O'Connell found Jones a trio of times for 46 yards on Purdue's second possession to set up the Boilermakers deep in Michigan territory. Tyrone Tracy Jr. took a jet sweep 20 yards to the one-yard line. Mockobee capped off the 92-yard drive when he extended the ball over the line on the next play.
Fineran split the uprights from 33 yards and a season-long 45 yards in the second quarter to bookend a 7-yard Michigan touchdown pass from McCarthy to Luke Schoonmaker to keep Purdue within one, 14-13, at the break.
Out of the break, the Wolverines quickly took a 28-13 lead with back-to-back scoring drives in the opening five minutes of the third.
The Boilermaker defense found its footing and forced another 3-and-out before Jamari Brown picked off McCarthy early in the fourth. Both defensive stands resulted in Fineran field goals of 43 and 27 yards to pull to a 28-19 deficit.
With Purdue down 36-19 with 5:07 to play in the fourth, Fineran punched through his fifth kick of the game, a 32-yard effort.
NOTES
• Following the loss, Purdue trails the series with Michigan 46-14.
• Purdue finished 5-of-6 in the redzone on the night.
• Reese Taylor and Branson Deen split Purdue's lone tackle-for-loss.
• Purdue outgained Michigan 456 to 386 in total offense.
• The Boilermakers ran a fake punt for the first time this season, when tight end Payne Durham took a direct snap in the first quarter for four yards and a first down.
• Purdue finished 9-of-18 on third downs and 1-for-1 on fourth.
• The Boilermakers won the time of possession battle for the 11th time this season, holding the ball for 33:42 on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Purdue will hear its bowl game destination Sunday afternoon.