Purdue Football Implodes in Fourth-Quarter Shootout, Falls to Syracuse 32-29 on the Road
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — In its first road matchup of the season, Purdue football combined with Syracuse to score 42 points in the fourth quarter of a game that featured seven lead changes.
Despite throwing the first pick-six of his career, Aidan O'Connell led the Boilermakers to three scoring drives in the final 15 minutes. But penalties and breakdowns on defense proved all too costly as the Orange scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final moments.
O'Connell, who finished the game with 415 yards passing and three touchdowns, found tight end Payne Durham for a 12-yard score to put the team ahead 29-25 with less than a minute to play in the game.
Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader orchestrated a five-play, 50-yard drive on the team's final possession, capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass to Orande Gadsden II to take down Purdue 32-29 inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
The drive started from midfield due to a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that were called on the Boilermakers following Durham's late touchdown. The team finished with 13 penalties for 144 yards and was called for pass interference on the play prior to the game-winning score.
Sixth-year wide receiver Charlie Jones had 11 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Durham finished with 83 receiving yards and two scores on nine catches.
O’Connell was masterful in the passing game before halftime, completing 21 of his first 27 passes for 175 yards. Purdue was only forced to punt once in the first half.
The Boilermakers should've had full control of the game in the first half as the offense generated 209 total yards and made two trips to the red zone. But the team turned the ball over on downs on its first possession, which would lead to a field goal for the Orange.
Redshirt freshman running back Devin Mockobee scored a 15-yard touchdown run on the next drive, which was the only touchdown by either team in the first half. Syracuse blocked the extra point, and Purdue led 6-3 in the first quarter.
Shrader was a bright spot in what started as a stagnant offense for the Orange. He tallied six carries for 71 yards on the ground. The Boilermakers held star running back Sean Tucker to just 39 total yards through two quarters.
Purdue added a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter by fifth-year senior Mitchell Fineran to extend its lead, and the team took a 9-3 lead into the locker room.
O'Connell and the offense managed just 43 yards in the third quarter and Syracuse took a 10-9 lead on a touchdown pass from Shrader to Isaiah Jones. Earlier in the drive, defensive end Jack Sullivan was flagged for a late hit out of bounds on third and long, resulting in an automatic first down.
The one-point deficit was the precursor to an explosive fourth quarter. The two teams went back and forth in the final period, reaching the end zone a combined six times.
Durham caught his first touchdown of the season on an 11-yard pass that gave Purdue a 15-10 lead. The team's 2-point conversion try was no good, and Syracuse responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 46-yard touchdown on fourth down.
Trailing by just three points, O'Connell dropped back to throw and looked deep but was quickly swarmed in the backfield by the Orange. In a desperate attempt to throw the ball away, he tossed the ball right to defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu.
The big man rumbled into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown, giving Syracuse a 25-15 lead.
But O'Connell brushed off the brutal mistake, leading Purdue to touchdowns on two of their next three drives. He brought the game back within three points on a 55-yard bomb to Jones.
O'Connell's second scoring connection with Durham looked to be the dagger in a hostile environment. But the Boilermaker defense was called for two penalties on the final drive of the game, and Shrader delivered the deciding blow to put the game away.
Shrader finished the game with 181 yards passing and three touchdowns while leading the team with 83 rushing yards.
Purdue falls to 1-2 on the season and will return to Ross-Ade Stadium next week for a home game against Florida Atlantic. It will be the team's third straight nonconference opponent before returning to Big Ten play the following week against Minnesota.
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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.