So I'd started writing this column highlighting the three Aidan O'Connell throws that seemed to be on their way to being the difference between winning and losing for Purdue and how they led to the Boilermakers getting ensnared in the typical Iowa spiderweb: Blow enough opportunities and make enough mistakes and the Hawkeyes tend to find a way.
Control. Alt. Delete.
Purdue won Saturday over Iowa, rallying in the fourth quarter behind clutch defense and clutch offense alike, and just as I was about to articulate the question of whether O'Connell winning Purdue's starting job was more a credit to him and indictment of others, he showed why he's that guy — for the same reasons he was last year, albeit with no healthy competition.
O'Connell's the consummate gamer, the guy who today was just OK for three quarters, then something much more in the fourth, with help from the super-human David Bell and a big-time performance from fellow former walk-on Zander Horvath, who's now been awesome — not just good, awesome — two games in a row. He got better as the game went on, as Purdue collectively did. Diaco's Defensive Debut at Purdue (which rhymes) was pretty close to a best-case scenario, starting strong and closing stronger, with a clutch turnover and then a door-slamming stop to set up a series of O'Connell kneeldowns.
Purdue wasn't perfect today, but it was damn good, and really good when it had to be, and that couldn't have gotten this bizarro season off to a better start.
On its surface, this was a good win; all told, it was a great win.
Jeff Brohm didn't coach. Rondale Moore didn't play. A bunch of other important pieces were missing.
There knockout-punch sorts of land mines all over the dirt in this one, and yet Purdue not only won, but won in such a way that could springboard it to a really nice season. That defense should feel really good about itself — it won this game, if you ask me — and should get better with experience in the system. Thriving in critical moments have a way of bringing teams together and hastening their development. If that logic applies to Purdue's defense, it took a big step today, in lockstep with an offense that delivered a game-winning drive.
Next week, Rondale Moore presumably comes back. Jeff Brohm definitely comes back. There's no way of knowing how things would have turned out today had they been there, but did you see Purdue glaringly missing anything they'd have definitely provided? I didn't.
This was a really nice win for Purdue, and one that sets it up well. Purdue has a very manageable schedule, but to me, this was one of the toss-ups, one of the 50/50 games, one of those that might be the difference between an OK season and the sort of season you aspire to. Today, Purdue put 2019 in the rearview mirror, even though it was faced with circumstances totally on-brand for last season.
It has a bunch of guys to thank.
David Bell is a star in every sense. Iowa knew where the ball was going and still couldn't stop him. Purdue didn't have Rondale Moore today — or Brycen Hopkins — and Bell did the work of all three.
from last season. If Moore plays, maybe the ball doesn't go to Bell quite so much and maybe Purdue doesn't make this play or that play. Bell finishes with 13 for 121 and three scores, but 14 for 200 and four just missed his fingertips on one of those missed opportunities that seemed to be adding up against the Boilermakers.
Horvath's physical running changed this game for Purdue in the second half. Purdue needed a ground presence in this game to open up the pass and for the sake of balance and in that area of the game, Purdue beat Iowa at its own game, winning with physical football — the polar opposite of what the Boilermakers were last season.
This was a hell of a start for Purdue, in a situation where it had every reason to lose. It was set up once again by circumstance. That it won showed some real substance in this team and a hell of a lot of promise.
Couple quick thoughts here real quick before we wrap up.
• Purdue has some promise on the offensive line. Cam Craig's block out on the boundary that sprung Horvath for that big run — the one where he jumped over the guy — was big-time and not exactly the sort of thing that Purdue's been getting from its offensive guards very often. And Gus Hartwig sparked Purdue when he came in the first half. A true freshman center sparked Purdue. Go figure.
• DaMarcus Mitchell is pretty good. I've said for months, those new guys on D need to be ready right this second and at least one of them clearly is.
• For all the talk about Rondale Moore and David Bell, justifiable obviously, Milton Wright may be set up to be pretty productive this season. He was a much better player today than he was at any point last season. He just looked different. Payne Durham, too. The lacrosse player has a real future in football.
• As fun as the fourth quarter was for Purdue, it doesn't change the fact that it missed on some golden opportunities in the passing game that could have cost them this game. No QB is perfect, but the miss to David Bell and the red-zone misfire to Durham — as well as the momentum swing the pick before the half made for — were costly. O'Connell has been tremendous in fourth quarters, but a couple throws fall where they need to earlier, and he may not have needed to be.
A lot went well for Purdue, though, today, and the result was a real achievement.
Football In West Lafayette was worth the wait, was it not?
Control. Alt. Delete.
Purdue won Saturday over Iowa, rallying in the fourth quarter behind clutch defense and clutch offense alike, and just as I was about to articulate the question of whether O'Connell winning Purdue's starting job was more a credit to him and indictment of others, he showed why he's that guy — for the same reasons he was last year, albeit with no healthy competition.
O'Connell's the consummate gamer, the guy who today was just OK for three quarters, then something much more in the fourth, with help from the super-human David Bell and a big-time performance from fellow former walk-on Zander Horvath, who's now been awesome — not just good, awesome — two games in a row. He got better as the game went on, as Purdue collectively did. Diaco's Defensive Debut at Purdue (which rhymes) was pretty close to a best-case scenario, starting strong and closing stronger, with a clutch turnover and then a door-slamming stop to set up a series of O'Connell kneeldowns.
Purdue wasn't perfect today, but it was damn good, and really good when it had to be, and that couldn't have gotten this bizarro season off to a better start.
On its surface, this was a good win; all told, it was a great win.
Jeff Brohm didn't coach. Rondale Moore didn't play. A bunch of other important pieces were missing.
There knockout-punch sorts of land mines all over the dirt in this one, and yet Purdue not only won, but won in such a way that could springboard it to a really nice season. That defense should feel really good about itself — it won this game, if you ask me — and should get better with experience in the system. Thriving in critical moments have a way of bringing teams together and hastening their development. If that logic applies to Purdue's defense, it took a big step today, in lockstep with an offense that delivered a game-winning drive.
Next week, Rondale Moore presumably comes back. Jeff Brohm definitely comes back. There's no way of knowing how things would have turned out today had they been there, but did you see Purdue glaringly missing anything they'd have definitely provided? I didn't.
This was a really nice win for Purdue, and one that sets it up well. Purdue has a very manageable schedule, but to me, this was one of the toss-ups, one of the 50/50 games, one of those that might be the difference between an OK season and the sort of season you aspire to. Today, Purdue put 2019 in the rearview mirror, even though it was faced with circumstances totally on-brand for last season.
It has a bunch of guys to thank.
David Bell is a star in every sense. Iowa knew where the ball was going and still couldn't stop him. Purdue didn't have Rondale Moore today — or Brycen Hopkins — and Bell did the work of all three.
from last season. If Moore plays, maybe the ball doesn't go to Bell quite so much and maybe Purdue doesn't make this play or that play. Bell finishes with 13 for 121 and three scores, but 14 for 200 and four just missed his fingertips on one of those missed opportunities that seemed to be adding up against the Boilermakers.
Horvath's physical running changed this game for Purdue in the second half. Purdue needed a ground presence in this game to open up the pass and for the sake of balance and in that area of the game, Purdue beat Iowa at its own game, winning with physical football — the polar opposite of what the Boilermakers were last season.
This was a hell of a start for Purdue, in a situation where it had every reason to lose. It was set up once again by circumstance. That it won showed some real substance in this team and a hell of a lot of promise.
Couple quick thoughts here real quick before we wrap up.
• Purdue has some promise on the offensive line. Cam Craig's block out on the boundary that sprung Horvath for that big run — the one where he jumped over the guy — was big-time and not exactly the sort of thing that Purdue's been getting from its offensive guards very often. And Gus Hartwig sparked Purdue when he came in the first half. A true freshman center sparked Purdue. Go figure.
• DaMarcus Mitchell is pretty good. I've said for months, those new guys on D need to be ready right this second and at least one of them clearly is.
• For all the talk about Rondale Moore and David Bell, justifiable obviously, Milton Wright may be set up to be pretty productive this season. He was a much better player today than he was at any point last season. He just looked different. Payne Durham, too. The lacrosse player has a real future in football.
• As fun as the fourth quarter was for Purdue, it doesn't change the fact that it missed on some golden opportunities in the passing game that could have cost them this game. No QB is perfect, but the miss to David Bell and the red-zone misfire to Durham — as well as the momentum swing the pick before the half made for — were costly. O'Connell has been tremendous in fourth quarters, but a couple throws fall where they need to earlier, and he may not have needed to be.
A lot went well for Purdue, though, today, and the result was a real achievement.
Football In West Lafayette was worth the wait, was it not?
