The Purdue Boilermakers were long overdue for a victory. They got one today, and it was huge. Purdue defeated No. 7 Ohio State 26-18 in West Lafayette in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.Boilermaker quarterback Joey Elliott sharpened his claws on Ohio State's secondary, going 31-of-50 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Purdue's defense kept Ohio State's sputtering offense in check, with Terrelle Pryor looking particularly ineffective until a fourth quarter drive which pulled the Buckeyes within eight.
Pryor was 17-of-31 for 221 yards, throwing one touchdown and two picks. He also ran 21 times for just 34 yards.
Despite the lack of offensive production, Ohio State had several chances to win this game. The Buckeyes had a first-and-goal on Purdue's 3 yard line early in the fourth quarter but after a short run, an incomplete pass, and a penalty, they settled for a field goal. The decision left them needing two touchdowns to win and is sure to be talked about ad nauseum on Buckeye message boards this week.
Had OSU gone for it and failed, Purdue would have taken over around the 7-yard-line. Instead, the Boilermakers' Al-Terek McBurse, a freshman, returned the kickoff to the Purdue 45. A Carson Wiggs field goal put Purdue back up by 16.
OSU almost made a comeback with Pryor getting them to the end zone on a desperation pass to DeVier Posey. Pryor then ran in the two-point conversion. The defense stopped Purdue in four plays but on the ensuing drive Pryor failed to find a receiver on fourth and 14.
After taking over on downs, Purdue got stuffed on a third and 9 pass play. This is where the Boilermakers have usually snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but this time it was Ohio State who went into brainlock. A 15-yard facemasking penalty gave Purdue a game-winning first down.
It was Purdue's first win since defeating Toledo the opening week of the season, bringing the Boilermakers to 2-5 overall and keeping their bowl hopes alive, just barely. For Ohio State, the loss takes them out of first place in the Big Ten and makes the upcoming Penn State game on November 7 huge. If they lose they have absolutely no hope for a fifth straight BCS bid. If they win, they'll still need to beat Iowa in Columbus the following week to stay alive for the conference title.
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Iowa's Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, left, and J.D. Griggs carry off the Heartland trophy after Iowa beat Wisconsin 20-10 in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Iowa defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn holds up the football and celebrates an interception with teammates Shaun Prater (28), Pat Angerer and Jeff Tarpinian during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Iowa won 20-10. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham (55) leads teammates in singing the school fight song after beating Delaware State 63-6 in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Tony Ding)
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Purdue head coach Danny Hope celebrates after Purdue defeated No. 7 Ohio State 26-18 in an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
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Iowa running back Adam Robinson (32) cuts between Wisconsin's Chris Borland (44) and Aaron Henry during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Robinson rushed for 91 yards in Iowa's 20-10 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi hangs his head in the final minutes of play in their 20-10 loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Iowa defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn holds up the football and celebrates an interception with teammates Shaun Prater (28), Pat Angerer and Jeff Tarpinian during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Iowa won 20-10. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Wisconsin running back John Clay (32) and Kyle Jefferson (3) run off the field after Wisconsin's 20-10 loss to Iowa in an NCAA college football game Saturday Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Iowa running back Adam Robinson (32) cuts between Wisconsin's Chris Borland (44) and Aaron Henry during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009, in Madison, Wis. Robinson rushed for 91 yards in Iowa's 20-10 win. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)
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Purdue wide receiver Keith Smith, center, is tackled by Ohio State wide receiver Lamaar Thomas, left, and defensive back Devon Torrence during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-17-2009 @ 4:31PM
cid said...
Lets seee how long it takes for these guys to be back in the top 10.. How is it every year this team is in the top ten no matter the loses they have.. but again lets see how many weeks it takes for them to be back up here..
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10-18-2009 @ 5:20AM
jessemolson48 said...
i live in ,columbus ,ohio.i watched pryor for 2 years he sucks, he needs to be a wide reciever and osu needs to git a bonifided qb pryor isnt a qb, he sucks, as you have seen, one more thing am not a bucks fan, i am waiting blue to beat there azzes
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10-20-2009 @ 11:27AM
Dwayne said...
hehehe... I AM a Buckeye fan and I agree with you. If it takes us losing EVERY game for the rest of the season, including to that team up North, then I hope it happens. Tressel put all of his eggs in one basket with Pryor, and now he has egg on his face. If losing every game the rest of the year is what it takes for Tressel to bench Pryor like he did to Beckman last year for no reason, then so be it.
10-18-2009 @ 9:43AM
hafttwo said...
cbus is a hat full of azzhole,
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10-18-2009 @ 9:48AM
griffith69 said...
Great day, Ohio State loses and Pryor sucks.
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10-18-2009 @ 10:03AM
Kim said...
This game was an absolute disgrace for us Buckeye fans, better known as "suckeye" fans this season. The loss to USC, should have never happened, but a loss to an unranked Purdue team, disgraceful! I have lived most of my entire life in OH and have always been a buckeye fan. That being said, I am orginally from Iowa and will be rooting for my Hawkeyes the rest of the season to be the Big 10 champs and go to a BCS bowl game. OSU does not deserve a bowl game this season.
Pryor is not a quarterback and clearly cracks under pressure. It's time he be replaced. Coach Tressel is too conservative on not going for it on fourth downs. And the penalties, there are no excuses for the amount of pentalites that OSU got during this game. They handed this win away to a team they should have had no trouble beating!
Kim
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10-18-2009 @ 10:37AM
jimmyd said...
i agree, pryor needs to be a wr, he is a failure as a qb, and jim tressel has to get out of the john cooper mold, or he will be a john cooper soon, u meyers, p carrol, or any real big time coach would have not lost these games this year, they go for it, not conservative like tressel. his style coaching may work in little programs, not in the big time, i know he won a nat championship, but with coopers team. jim
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10-20-2009 @ 11:25PM
LIL TIMMY WYNNE said...
OH-****. DEFENSIVE TACKLE DOUG WORTHINGTON FOR PRESIDENT. THAT GAME SAVING FACEMASK PENALTY WAS THE SINGLE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE SEEN IN 2009. THE LOCAL RAG DIDNT EVEN MENTION IT . HEROIC EFFORT DOUGIE...ILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. IVE LIVED IN C-TOWN ALL MY LIFE ALSO AND THESE WINS ARE SO SPECIAL. T. RICHARD PRYOR(SERIOUSLY, HE IS A JOKE) WAS A GODSEND FOR THE BUCKS. GO BLUE FOREVER!!!!
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10-18-2009 @ 11:21AM
yappy007 said...
i wonder after this, if buckeye fans still think they should be ranked ahead of the bearcats?
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10-19-2009 @ 9:29AM
cjpreach said...
Hey, yappy007 -- Buckeyes vs Cinci Bearcats in a Bowl game - GREAT!!! Bring it on!!!! Go Bucks!!!!
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10-19-2009 @ 10:42AM
owenchippers said...
Face the facts Buckeye fans, Tressel sold his soul to get Pryor to come to OSU and he's going to be the QB for 4 yrs. He proved that last year in 1 of the 2 most classless acts ever by a coach,in Todd Boeckman being the only starter to loose his job after the USC game last. The other being Mike Ditka not letting Walter Payton score in the Super Bowl. I'm a die hard Buckeye fan, but Pryor just don't get it. They say they need to adjust the playbook for him, B.S. if he don't get it after 1 1/2 years, he's not going to get it. And for you Michigan fans here bashing, just remember he was almost yours as well.
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10-19-2009 @ 12:01PM
MB said...
For all the OSU hating Michigan fans remember this - Pryor beat your asses 42-7 last year and your defense hasn't gotten any better. Tressel may have issue other places but he knows how to beat you. Congratulations on beating up Deleware State Jr. High, plan on losing the rest of your games.
Tate forcier will be lucky if he doesn't get Tebowed or worse. And D Robinson has lost more games than he has won.
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10-20-2009 @ 10:38AM
westcot111 said...
OSU 8-4? OSU fans now get the RR hire at big blue. Pryor will be wishing he went to M before he's through. If M beats OSU this year with 80 freshmen and sophmores on their roster this year, you will here "fire Tressel" from buckeye fans.
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10-20-2009 @ 10:50AM
roryzsss said...
Buckeye fans like to thump their chests when it comes to their recent record with M. But lets face it, one program is on the way up and the other is on the slide. OSU should win this year with all the senior talent and ballyhoo about the team, but will they? Think Forcier will be on the seat of his pants in that game? Yeah, ok, just like the Purdue quarterback was this past weekend...
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10-20-2009 @ 10:53AM
roryzsss said...
Ownenchippers: you are right Pryor was almost Michigan's but RR plays the best players and no one is promised that they will start. That's why Pryor went to OSU he was promised he will start for 4 years. Good luck with that program.
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