West Lafayette, IN – Last minute touchdowns in both halves by Penn State keyed their victory over Purdue in the Big Ten opener for both, 35-31. With two seconds left in the first half, TE Brenton Strange shed two tacklers and rambled down the right sideline 67 yards to give Penn State a 21—10 advantage at halftime. Purdue fought back to take the lead into the final period. However, with 57 seconds remaining in the game, Sean Clifford connected with RB Keyvone Lee on a nine-yard swing pass out of the back field to seal the Nittany Lion win. The score capped an 80-yard drive. Purdue seemed to have the game well in hand holding Penn State to only 326 yards at that point with 2:29 left.
See-saw, See-saw
The lead changed seven times during the game. Purdue struck first with a 36-yard FG late in the first period when Mitchell Fineran split the uprights. The Lions roared back on their next possession early in the second after converting a fourth and two at the Boilermaker 29 for a first down. At the 12, Clifford tossed his first of four TDs with a scoring strike to WR Mike Tinsley to lead by four. Purdue, with the benefit of a targeting penalty by LB Carter Abdul who got ejected, drove 75 yards with RB King Doerue breaking through the left for a 3-yard TD. Later in the half, Penn State advanced 57 yards with Clifford carrying the ball over with a two-yard plunge to lead once again, 14-10.
On the subsequent Purdue possession, Boilermaker RB TJ Sheffield coughed up the football and CB Joey Porter, Jr. recovered for the Lions at their 18. A pass interference call put the Lions on their 33. Many PSU fans in our section 101 called for James Franklin to sit on the lead and just go into halftime. However, it seems like with all the attention Franklin calls to the talent he recruits, this is the time when he needs to show why he recruits such extraordinary talent. Are they as good as he says they are? Show us. Clifford (20 for 37, 282 yards, four TDs, 1 INT) went to the air, hit Jordan along the right sideline, and instead of the four-point lead, Penn State led by seven going into the halftime.
Great Tailgate at Purdue!
With our good friend Mike Pirrello and his wife Amy from NJ whose daughter Julia just entered her senior year at Purdue, St. Laurie and I had a tremendous tailgating experience! Along with Rick and Kristie Blount of the same NJ town whose son Matt also attends Purdue, they all came to West Lafayette to celebrate the opening game of their kids’ senior season at Purdue. On a beautiful day, we were treated to a party in the back yard of Matt’s house shared with other friends located only a few blocks from Ross-Ade Stadium. Mike and Rick worked over hot grills making some of our favorite NJ specialties like Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches along with sausage, pepper, and onions on rolls.
We all brought various samples of favorite Brews to go along with burgers and hot dogs while sharing many “Tales from the Tailgate”. My Penn State cohorts from over the many years, John Massimilla (PSU grad, die-hard fan) and Dr. Wayne Hoover (fellow Juniatian, class of ’83) came up to root for Penn State from Chambersburg. We all had a great time meeting and tailgating with the Purdue students and parents who all welcomed us there. John brought some bourbon and we all appreciated being in the shade on a hot, sunny day. We took several group photos to remember a very fantastic pre-game party!
Mike and Amy’s youngest daughter, Taylor, joined as well and the family would leave early Friday morning to go back for her to cheerlead for her high school team that night. A senior, Taylor is considering going to a Big Ten school, but not sure where yet. After the game, I suggested to her father that Collegefootballfan.com still has to go to game at Wisconsin. We hope he can steer her to Madison for another great tailgate to go along with a Fifth Quarter Celebration with Badger fans!
Boilermakers steam out of locker room
Purdue’s offense came out firing to start the second half. They drove 75 yards in 3:49 with Doerue running it over from the two this time to cut the lead. PSU came in without Clifford on offense. No one in 101 realized he sustained an injury on Jordan’s touchdown to end the second first half. Nearby Lion fans voiced approval when frosh QB Drew Allar came into play behind center. Penn State punted from the 49. Clifford ran back on the field during a break in the next drive. He came out to play again to mixed emotions among the Blue and White faithful. Like Allar, his next series resulted in a punt.
Next, the Boilermaker offense put together an 81-yard TD drive. O’Connell (29 for 58, 356 yards, one TD) hooked up with Iowa transfer and former high school teammate Charlie Jones for a 17-yard scoring pass. Heading into the fourth, Jones’s (12 receptions, 153 yards, one TD) catch put Purdue in front, 24-21.
See-saw, See-saw
After exchanging punts, Penn State went back to work from their 45. On a slant pattern over the middle, WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in a 29-yard pass from Clifford and spun off a tackler to bounce down the middle of the field. PSU advanced ahead, 28-24. After forcing a Purdue punt, the Lions looked to take control starting on their 36. Boilermaker S Chris Jefferson dimmed Penn State’s spirits, however, when he intercepted Clifford’s overthrown pass to Tinsley and wove his way 72 yards back for a Purdue touchdown with 8:29 left in the game. “Boilers Up” as Purdue fans say, 31-28.
In what seemed like an eternity, the two teams went back and forth not scoring for most of the 8:29 remaining. PSU started from their nine due to a penalty on the kick return and went three and out. Next, Purdue punted from their 35 after being thrown back to a 4th and 30 due to penalties. The Lions punted again 22 seconds later following three incompletes. The Boilermakers earned a first down at their 41 on a pass to Jones.
Following consecutive time-outs by both teams, Purdue TE Payne Durham seemed to make a successful diving catch deep in Penn State territory between two diving defenders. After further review, however, the replay showed that the ball hit the ground and Durham never had full control. Had his hand been under the nose of the football, the Boilermakers could control the clock and at least get a field goal to thwart any Penn State comeback attempt. Instead, another incompletion for Purdue, and the ensuing punt sailed through the end zone for a touchback.
“Lions up”
By this time, some taunting and finger-pointing started by a big, young Boilermaker student sitting in section 102 who probably imbibed too many “Boilermakers” before the game, started to enrage the AARP delegation of PSU fans just this side of our aisle. Some fans nearby signaled to security, and a representative of the stadium force about the same age as the “delegation” came down and stood between to keep the peace. If not, this Purdue fan would have probably incurred the wrath of a couple dozen, steaming, unhappy senior citizens in white Penn State t-shirts. Would’ve been a spectacle to see for sure on post-game highlights.
Old dog, old tricks
His next throw went to Lee who swung out behind the Boilermakers’ left side uncovered to grab Clifford’s lofted pass for the winning score. The taunting, twenty-something was now nowhere to be seen. However, section 101 remained intact, but on edge, as Purdue started its possession from the 19. A sigh of relief came from the Faithful as CB Johnny Dixon sacked O’Donnell for ten-yard loss back at the 21. The Boilers got as far as the 36, but their engine sputtered as the clock hit all zeros.
Game in review
Our Guest Game Analysts John and Wayne agreed that like most of section 101, that Penn State should be thankful to be leaving Ross-Ade Stadium with a win. Disappointment still existed with the blocking of the Lion O-line and the running game in general. The ground game netted only 98 yards, and the longest gain of the day went for only 12. Expectations for blocking and running were much higher.
Wayne noted that Joey Porter provided very tight coverage in the secondary. He led the Lions in tackles with eight and had three pass breakups. John remained concerned about the play-calling by the Lion coaching staff. Until the end of the game, there seemed to be many questionable play calls and ill-timed execution. Wayne remained positive though as he said, “Most coaches will tell you the biggest adjustment period in college ball comes between the first and second game.” We agree. Let’s see what direction Penn State will go in after this win over the Boilermakers who will also surely continue to improve after this one.
At some point during this post-game analysis, St. Laurie blurted out “we”. I said nothing, but Wayne chimed in, “We?” She who only attends only “if she has to” suddenly seemed to take interest as a fan of some team – Penn State, of course, in this case. She had to admit she got caught up a little in the excitement of what she said was an “interesting game.” Later, she asked me what games I think she is supposedly going to. I chisel away at this question figuring the amount is already beyond her normal quota of three. I have a few bribes in the works.
Next Up
Purdue takes on FCS Indiana State here at home again before traveling to Syracuse and returning home versus Florida Atlantic before entering Big Ten play. Penn State returns to Happy Valley to host the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid American next Saturday. This Saturday, Collegefootballfan.com currently heads to Tuscaloosa for our first visit there to see No. 1 Alabama entertain Utah State (1-0). We hope to be entertained as well!
Ed. – by Steve Koreivo, Author of Tales from the Tailgate: From the Fan who’s seen ‘em all!” Read the stories of why my Wife of 33 years earned her title of “St. Laurie”. This man’s proud story of a lifetime that continues now and…???
