Purdue Shuts Down No. 2 Iowa in Upset at Kinnick

The upset adds another historic victory for the Boilermakers, who have a habit of beating AP No. 2 teams.

And another undefeated team bites the dust. 

Purdue safety Cam Allen snagged an interception with less than four minutes to go, solidifying the Boilermakers' emphatic dismantling of No. 2 Iowa. The 24–7 upset adds another historic victory for Purdue, which entered Saturday as the program with the most wins against an AP top-five team while unranked, per The Athletic's Matt Brown. 

The Boilermakers got on the board first as quarterback Aidan O'Connell ran for six yards for the early 7–0 lead near the end of the first. And although Iowa scored with just over three minutes to go in the second, cutting Purdue's lead to 14–7, its offense wasn't clicking and couldn't climb out of what became a two-score hole early in the third quarter.

The Boilermakers get the first points up on the board in Iowa City 🚂🚂

Purdue looking to knock off the No.2 Hawkeyes

(via @BigTenNetwork)pic.twitter.com/VgVWZJnix4

— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) October 16, 2021

O'Connell ended the night with 375 yards, throwing two touchdowns and zero interceptions. But Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras tallied 195 yards and four interceptions—two of which came late in the contest with the game out of reach.

The Hawkeyes had been coming off a big win over Penn State, but they now drop to 6–1 overall and 3–1 in the Big Ten—opening up the opportunity for a team like the Boilermakers or Minnesota to challenge for the conference's West division crown.