Purdue Outlasts Tennessee to win 48-45 Overtime Thriller in Music City Bowl
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time since 2003, Purdue football reached nine wins in a season, defeating Tennessee on Thursday in stunning fashion during a record-setting Music City Bowl.
In the first possession of overtime, running back Jaylen Wright was stopped at the one-year line on fourth-and-goal. Despite reaching the ball over the goal line, it was ruled that his forward progress was stopped, and the Boilermakers took over on downs.
They ran just three plays to give kicker Mitchell Fineran the chance to win the game. He nailed the 39-yard attempt, giving Purdue a 48-45 overtime victory at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
“The fact that we played really good at the end of the year, had some wins that we're very proud of, then to come in this bowl environment and pull it off, it's just a great victory,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “I think it just proves if you have the right mindset, a really good group of guys, a good group of coaches that are willing to work hard, good things are going to happen. That's what we kind of pride ourselves on.”
The Volunteers finished with 639 yards total offense and the Boilermakers had 623 in regulation, setting Music City Bowl records before overtime.
Fifth-year senior quarterback Aidan O’Connell registered a record 534 yards passing to go along with five touchdowns and three interceptions. Tennessee was led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, who threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns alongside 56 yards rushing.
Purdue’s offense had no problem moving the football in the first half of play, but it turned the ball over on downs during the game’s first possession to open the floodgates for Tennessee. The Volunteers struck first with a 41-yard touchdown from quarterback Hendon Hooker to wide receiver Cedric Tillman.
It took Tennessee just four plays and less than a minute to reach the end zone. However, Purdue answered on the very next play from scrimmage. Aidan O’Connell fired deep to a wide-open Broc Thompson, who evaded a defender and raced 75 yards for a score.
Thompson, who ended the game with seven catches, 217 yards and two touchdowns, was named the Music City Bowl Most Valuable Player. The team was without leading receivers David Bell and Milton Wright, but Thompson battled through injuries to lead the team on offense.
“Every single time I step out there I know he has a thousand percent trust in me,” Thompson said. “My quarterback Aidan, he is a phenomenal guy. He is an upstanding leader. We all look up to him. We just trust he's going to lead us in the right direction. I can't do anything without these guys next to me, the O-line, God, my Lord and savior. That's what has carried me through this season.”
However, Tennessee jumped ahead to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. Hooker once again found Tillman streaking down the sideline for a 61-yard score. He finished the first half with three catches, 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On the Volunteers’ following possession, it went 80 yards in eight plays to take a 21-7 lead before the start of the second quarter. They entered the matchup leading the nation with an average of 14.1 points scored in the first quarter per game. But the Boilermakers weathered the storm and kept their opponent scoreless in the second.
“I was thinking we had to play ball, play our game,” Purdue linebacker Jaylan Alexander said. “That's what I was telling the guys before we were coming out. We don't have to worry about anything else, just play football, Boilermaker football.”
Purdue reached the red zone four times in the first half, all in the second quarter. The team settled for a trio of field goals before the defense forced a fumble, setting up a quick touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half. The score put Purdue up 23-21, its first lead of the game.
The two teams traded touchdowns to open the third quarter, but the Boilermakers punted twice and threw two interceptions in their next four possessions. Fortunately, the Vols only managed a field goal in that span, taking a 31-30 lead into the final quarter.
But with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Purdue and Tennessee exploded on offense, turning the game into a shootout. Each team scored a pair of touchdowns before the end of regulation.
In dire need of a score, O’Connell found tight end Payne Durham over the middle, who fought his way past the Tennessee secondary and stayed in bounds to score a 62-yard touchdown. He also caught the two-point conversion to give the Boilermakers a seven-point lead.
Thompson caught a 70-yard touchdown on Purdue’s next possession, which followed yet another Tennessee touchdown. But the Vols answered and had a chance to win the game before the clock struck zero.
A 56-yard kick fell short of the goal posts, and Purdue started overtime on defense. Despite giving up so many big plays against Tennessee, one stop was all it took to give the team a chance to win.
Fineran put his fourth field goal of the game through the uprights, and the Boilermakers ran onto the field the champions of the Music City Bowl.
“I mean, it seems like the world's watching and anything can happen,” O’Connell said. “I think that's what people love. That's what I love. You never know what's going to happen. Just so proud of our guys. Unbelievable team win. I go down the list starting with these guys, coach, go on from guys that sacrificed to get us here. This is a great win for our program.”
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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.