The last time Iowa and Purdue faced each other, it was in Iowa City in 2021 and Iowa was ranked no. 2 in the country. At that time Purdue would seek to knock Iowa down a peg and would succeed.
One year later Iowa stood toe to toe with Purdue once again with one thing on their mind revenge in Lafayette.
The first quarter saw both teams feeling each other out with neither team scoring. The teams moved the ball very similarly by both having back-to-back 41-yard passes. Both offenses would then go three out. The teams were pretty neck and neck when you look at the numbers. However, the first quarter still ended with the score 0-0.
The real story started in the second quarter. After a punt with no gain, Iowa would start at their own 9-yard line and would drive the ball down the field in 9 plays going 91 yards for the first 7 points of the game.
After receiving the kick Purdue would start working on putting its own points on the board. Sadly, those points would not show as the Boilermakers were only able to get off two plays before Iowa would intercept the ball back. With 7 points in their pocket Iowa wanted more. They went three plays for 51-yards in just 38 seconds. Making the score 14-0.
Purdue, after suffering back-to-back touchdowns by Iowa would try for a comeback. Starting, on their own 36-yard line QB Aidan O’Connell would complete a 24-yard pass to Payne Durham, putting Purdue in Iowa territory. Iowa was like a snake in the grass and picked off another Purdue pass.
This one, however, was called back due to a flag. Purdue got another chance but as luck would have it, bad things happen in threes. Iowa intercepted a pass from O’Connell but only got a field goal this time, the score now 17-0.
By the end of the second quarter Purdue was able to put some points on the board when they settled for a field goal.
The Final score in the first half was 17-3. The only other score in this game would come early in the third quarter when Iowa would drive 75 yards for a touchdown in just 17 seconds. The rest of the game would see these two go back and forth protecting the end zone. The only thing making it from one end of the field to the other would be the debris blowing around due to the wind.
Iowa came into this game seeking retribution and looking to silence their many critics. It’s clear they got what they wanted. While both teams have plenty of room for improvement Iowa walked away with the momentum. It will be interesting to see what they can do with it when they play Wisconsin this week on Saturday while Purdue takes on Illinois.
-Tim Stepp
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