Boilermakers Country

Purdue Football Staves Off Maryland on Final Drive, Secures Narrow 31-29 Victory on the Road

Despite three turnovers in the third quarter, Purdue pulled away late against Maryland on Saturday inside SECU Stadium. The Boilermakers move to 4-2 on the season with back-to-back road victories in the Big Ten.

D.J. Fezler

© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — A disastrous end to the first half between Purdue football and Maryland inside SECU Stadium brought flashbacks of the team’s season opener, a 35-31 loss to Penn State back on Sept. 1.

Leading by a touchdown with less than a minute left in the second quarter, the Boilermakers gave up a 68-yard score on a blown coverage, allowing the Terrapins to tie the game. But Purdue flipped the script in the second half, overcoming three costly turnovers in a 31-29 win against Maryland on the road Saturday.

Tight end Payne Durham led the team with 109 yards receiving on seven catches, including a four-yard touchdown grab to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound redshirt senior rumbled down the field for 56-yards to set up another score, giving the team an eight-point lead.

The Terrapins struck quickly, reaching the end zone with less than two minutes to play but couldn’t find a two-point conversion to send the game into overtime. With back-to-back wins on the road, the Boilermakers improve to 4-2 on the season.

Purdue opened the game almost as poorly as they ended the second quarter, losing 13 yards on a mishandled pitch during the first play from scrimmage. The offense would go three-and-out, and Maryland reached the end zone on the subsequent possession.

Redshirt senior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa crossed the goal line on a nine-yard scamper for the Terrapins to cap off a six-play, 69-yard drive. He would complete passes to nine different receivers in the first half.

A field goal for the Boilermakers cut into the lead, and an interception by redshirt senior cornerback Cory Trice set up the second of three consecutive scoring drives. Purdue scored on all five of its trips inside the red zone during the game.

A four-yard touchdown grab by redshirt junior receiver Mershawn Rice put Purdue ahead 17-10 with 6:16 left to play in the second quarter. Sixth-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell started the game 17-of-22 for 173 yards and the score in the first two quarters.

But three-and-outs on consecutive possessions gave the Terrapins a pair of chances to equalize before the end of the first half. Tagovailoa connected with redshirt sophomore receiver Corey Dyches for a long touchdown, and the two teams would head into the locker room with a 17-17 deadlock.

Purdue’s offense was abysmal in the third quarter coming out of the break. The team turned the ball over on all three of its possession before the final period, but its defense did not allow Maryland to turn the takeaways into points.

O’Connell recorded two interceptions for the second straight week, and redshirt senior Tyrone Tracy put the ball on the ground for the Terrapins to recover.

The tie game wasn’t broken until an 11-yard touchdown grab by redshirt freshman running back Roman Hemby gave Maryland a 23-17 lead with 7:47 left to play in the game. Purdue senior safety Cam Allen blocked the subsequent extra-point attempt.

Trailing by just six points, the Boilermakers responded with a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ended in Durham’s touchdown reception. They led by one point with 3:19 on the clock, and the defense forced a three-and-out on the next possession.

Durham’s 56-yard gain on the following drive was the team's longest of the game, setting up redshirt freshman Devin Mockobee for a one-yard touchdown dive and giving Purdue an eight-point lead with less than two minutes for Maryland to respond.

However, Tagovailoa took the Terrapins 68 yards in four plays, finding Dyches for their second scoring connection of the game. All signs pointed to overtime as junior receiver Rakim Jarrett caught the two-point conversion attempt, but Maryland was called for an ineligible man downfield.

Purdue’s defense kept the home team out of the end zone on the second attempt, and Tracy recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal a two-point victory.

The team will be back in action next Saturday against Nebraska inside Ross-Ade Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Read More: 

  • Purdue, Maryland Live Blog: Purdue football was back on the road in a matchup against Maryland on Saturday inside SECU Stadium. Relive some of the action with our live blog. CLICK HERE 
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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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