IOWA CITY, Iowa – A late fourth quarter rally came up short for the Purdue football team on the road Saturday afternoon at Iowa, falling 20-14.
Running back Devin Mockobee carried the ball in from two yards out to cut the gap down to six points with 2:54 to play. The Purdue defense then forced its sixth and final three-and-out of the game to get the ball back with two minutes left in the fourth. Iowa's defense held firm and stopped the Boilermakers' comeback bid four plays later.
The Boilermakers (2-4, 1-2) saw another solid performance out of its defense, holding the Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1) to 3-of-13 on third downs and just two field goals on a pair of red zone trips. Purdue tallied five tackles-for-loss and notched one sack on the afternoon.
Sanoussi Kane led the team in tackles for the third consecutive week with nine stops. Mo Omonode had Purdue's lone sack, the first full quarterback stop of his career. Freshman Dillon Thieneman made eight tackles, seven solos, and recorded his third interception of the year to move into a tie for third on Purdue's freshman records list.
Quarterback Hudson Card threw for 247 yards and one score on 25-of-40 passing. Card found seven different receivers on the afternoon, led by TJ Sheffield's 93 yards on six receptions with 60 yards after the catch. Tight end Garrett Miller matched his career high with eight receptions for 71 yards. Mockobee accounted for 89 of Purdue's 110 rushing yards on 20 carries.
In the first half, Purdue's defense stood tall twice when Iowa reached scoring territory. Following an interception that saw Iowa take over at the Purdue five-yard line, the Boilermakers pushed the Hawkeyes backwards four yards and gave up just three points. Khordae Sydnor later blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt to keep the Boilermakers down 10-0 in the second.
Purdue got on the scoreboard for the first time with 32 seconds to play in the first half. Card hit Sheffield coming across the field for a 43-yard catch-and-run touchdown with Sheffield dodging several would-be tacklers on his 37-yard run to the end zone. Purdue trailed 10-7 at the break.
Out of halftime, the defense kept the Hawkeyes to three points after the hosts worked the ball down to the Purdue five-yard line on their first possession of the third.
Iowa extended the lead out of reach early in the fourth when quarterback Deacon Hill hit tight end Erick All for a 22-yard touchdown. Hill finished the afternoon with 110 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 6-of-21 passing. Five of Hill's completed passes went to All.
Purdue got the ball back with 4:53 to play and Card went 4-of-4 through the air to march the Boilermakers down 74 yards in six plays, capped by the Mockobee two-yard scoring rush.
NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series 50-41-3.
• TJ Sheffield's 48-yard punt return was the longest by a Boilermaker since Frankie Williams went 51 yards against
• Iowa completed just six passes, tied for the sixth fewest allowed by a Purdue defense since 1996.
• Iowa completed 28.6% of its passing attempts, the lowest against the Boilermakers since 2006 against Illinois (27.6%)
• Purdue's defense gave up just three points on two Iowa takeaways and two fourth down stops.
• Devin Mockobee now has 13 career rushing touchdowns, tied for 23rd in Purdue history.
• The Boilermakers outgained the Hawkeyes 357-291 in total offense and held a 10:54 advantage in time of possession.
UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will return to Ross-Ade Stadium for a showdown with top-5 ranked Ohio State. Kickoff is set for noon on Peacock.