Looking back at the biggest or most interesting plays from Purdue's 24-22 loss at Rice.
The block
After Purdue ran the ball on third-and-11 from the Rice 15 with no timeouts and just 31 seconds left on the clock while positioning itself for a decisive score, most of the offense sprinted off the field, while offensive linemen Nick Mondek, Dennis Kelly and Rick Schmeig and tight end Crosby Wright stayed at the line of scrimmage to block for the would-be game-winning field goal.
The clock was running, mind you, so the rest of the field goal team had to hurry out onto the field. Not necessarily a frantic sprint, but hurry nonetheless. The protection was down in its stances with about 15 seconds remaining and the ball was snapped with five seconds left, so there was a good 10 seconds there for everyone to get set. We point that out to illustrate that this wasn't like the Minnesota '01 field goal where the field goal team barely had time to break stride before getting into its stances pre-snap.
Anyway, it's difficult to tell for certain on replay, but the snap looked, at worst, workable. Something looked funny about it live from field level, but on replay, not even HD can really provide a great look at it.
Carson Wiggs said after the game that the snap and hold were fine.
But even if they weren't, that's not the reason the kick got blocked.
The kick got blocked because Justin Allen was able to slip between snapper Kevin Ballinger and Mondek to collapse the pocket, get his left arm up into the path of the kick and deflect it with his forearm.
Allen said after the game that the gap in front of him was wider than he anticipated, which if true, would suggest an alignment issue on Purdue's part. But as noted earlier, Purdue did not have to frantically dash onto the field to set for the kick, so if there was a breakdown there - in terms of alignment, I mean - haste may not have been the cause.
On the block there was clearly contact on Ballinger, the Boilermakers' snapper. There was talk after the game about it being illegal to hit the snapper.
That's true, but here is the letter of the law per the NCAA football rulebook.
When a team is in scrimmage kick formation, a defensive player may not initiate contact with the snapper until one second has elapsed after the snap.
Now, on replay, it's simply impossible to determine whether Ballinger got his one second before being collided with.
Purdue's first play
After Rice booted the ball out of bounds on its opening kickoff, Purdue took the ball at its own 40 and probably should have scored right out of the gate on an aggressive play call that worked perfectly.
With fullback Jared Crank on the field with Ralph Bolden in an I formation, and receivers Justin Siller and O.J. Ross lined up to QB Caleb TerBush's right, TerBush took a snap from under center and faked a handoff to Bolden, with Crank leading to the right.
Siller, operating out of the slot, and Ross, up top, criss-crossed on post patterns. Rice's deepest man went with Siller, who was breaking toward the right sideline, allowing Ross to fly past corner Chris Jammer and beat him by two or three steps, behind the whole defense.
With plenty of time to throw, TerBush released the ball just as an Owl finally crept up behind him.
The throw was pretty close to perfect, but hit off Ross' two outstretched hands with the receiver in full stride.
Ross had his arms outstretched but in no way leaned his upper body ahead to extend his reach. His back and shoulders were perfectly upright at the time the ball arrived.
Look, I'm not saying it was an easy catch - I certainly wouldn’t have caught it - but you couldn't have asked for a better opportunity for a home-run play. Purdue executed it perfectly, except of course for the only part of it that mattered.
Missed Opportunity #2
Purdue's first punt after it went three-and-out to start the game literally hit Rice's return man - who shouldn't have even been trying to field the ball - in the chest and bounced forward, almost right into snapper Jesse Schmitt's lap at the Owl 6.
But as footballs sometimes do, it squirted away from Schmitt. But then Joe Holland and Chris Carlino, running full speed down the field, converged on the ball. Somehow, though, Gabe Baker for Rice snuck between Holland, Carlino and Logan Link to keep the ball in the Owls' possession.
Crosby Wright's TD
One of the best stories of the young season to date has been tight end Crosby Wright, a former walk-on who established himself as an important player this season and is now starting with Gabe Holmes hurt.
Wright scored his first career TD with six minutes left in the second quarter, as Purdue, then looking in control, took a 17-10 lead.
On third-and-four from the Owl 15, TerBush dropped back out of the shotgun and Wright ran out of the slot straight to the middle of the field, from right to left.
Every Owl player was within 10 or fewer yards of the line of scrimmage. As Antavian Edison did a week earlier against Middle Tennessee on his game-winner, Wright merely found an opening and TerBush darted a pass in to him behind everyone just before linebacker Justin Allen could slide over to break up the pass.
Wright caught the ball at the 14, then seemed to pause for a moment to make certain he had the ball, as if surprised by it. He then wheeled around 360 degrees and scored easily.
TerBush threw the ball right over the head of Cameron Nwosu who was coming head on at him untouched on a blitz, probably the reason Wright was able to so easily get behind the defense. It was a great play by TerBush.
Luke Willson's TD
Purdue had control of the game, up 17-10 in the second quarter with both sides of the ball doing some positive things, until Rice hit the Boilermakers with a TD drive just before halftime that seized momentum.
Willson's catch was amazing.
On second-and-goal from the 4 on the last play of the half, McHargue hit Willson coming across the middle, with Holland and Ricardo Allen draped on his back and Dwayne Beckford right in front of him.
As Willson rolled to the ground in a pile with Holland and Allen, the ball popped out, but he tipped it back in the air while laying on his back - intentionally or not, who knows? - then reached out with both hands to secure it just as Beckford dove for the bouncing ball.
Fourth-and-one
With 1:18 to go in the third quarter, Purdue went for it on fourth-and-one from the Owl 2.
Shavers took a handoff and followed fullback Jared Crank right, but was met before the marker and stood up hard by Nwosu.
The thing with this play was this: Wright was getting an IV on the sideline, so for Purdue to be able to run its two-tight end package, junior Sterling Carter was in there seeing the first snaps of his career on third and fourth down. The play was run right at Carter, who didn't appear to get a clean shot at any of the Owls in front of him right around the point where the play was stopped.
The safety
Things worked out for Purdue - kind of - after the fourth-down stop, because on the next play, Kawann Short, who was dominant in this game, blew up Rice's front coming off the goal line and forced a safety.
Short simply pushed redshirt freshman offensive lineman Drew Carroll out of his way and hit Charles Ross a yard or so deep in the end zone, steering the stumbling ball-carrier right into Holland, who helped finish the play.
Short terrorized Carroll all afternoon.
Purdue's fourth-quarter fumble recovery
Purdue looked to be in real trouble early in the fourth, down 24-19, but with Rice having driven deep into Boilermaker territory.
But Robert Maci's second sack unfolded exactly as his first, as he came unblocked off the edge, then got McHargue as he rolled right into him on a bootleg.
This time, though, as he wrapped the QB up, Maci knocked the ball out with his right hand, allowing Short to easily pick the ball up. Had Short not, Beckford, Josh Johnson or one of the other Boilermakers surging to the ball would have.
A Rice score there, and Purdue never would have had a chance to win it at the end, in all likelihood.
