Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Indiana State staged an impressive second half comeback but time proved to be too short late in the fourth quarter as Purdue escaped with a 20-14 victory over the Sycamores in front of 50,165 fans inside Rose-Ade Stadium.?
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Indiana State fell to 0-2 on the season, dropping a pair of contests against members of the Big Ten Conference while Purdue improved to 1-1.
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The Sycamores outgained the Boilermakers 295-284 in total yardage, including a 256-150 advantage through the air.
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Mike Perish was 29-of-45 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception to lead the Sycamore offense against the Boilermakers. Demory Lawshe proved to the Sycamores' leading receiver as he hauled in seven receptions for 62 yards and one touchdown while Kyani Harris had five receptions for 32 yards. Tanner Riley added four receptions for 63 yards while George Cheeseborough had four receptions for 43 yards.
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All told, the Sycamores had 11 different players catch a pass in the game.
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Shakir Bell, was not able to play with an injured shoulder, but Cheeseborough stepped in with 11 rushes for 43 yards.
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Mark Sewall led the Sycamores with eight tackles and one pass brake up. Jameer Thurman and Calvin Burnett each had seven tackles with Thurman adding one tackle for loss.?
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Purdue owned a 17-0 lead until the Sycamores were able to move the ball 79 yards on eight plays including a 36-yard touchdown pass from Mike Perish to George Cheeseborough with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter to cut the Boilermaker advantage down to 17-7. The touchdown pass from Perish to Cheeseborough came on a 4th-and-9 play as Perish hit Cheeseborough in stride at the five-yard line and he walked into the end zone for the score.
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Once again the Sycamore defense was able to keep the Boilermakers out of the end zone after the Indiana State offensive score even though Purdue had a 12-play drive which took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Purdue did advance to near the red zone, but the Boilers were forced into a 37-yard field goal by Paul Griggs with 10:57 to go in the contest to stretch their lead out to 20-7.
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Indiana State responded to the Boilermaker field goal with a six-play. 61-yard drive that took just 1:35 off the clock and ended with Perish's second touchdown pass of the day. This time Perish found Demory Lawshe for a 17-yard scoring strike with 9:22 on the clock to cut the Purdue lead down to just 20-14.
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The Sycamore defense made one final stand that resulted in a three-and-out for Purdue that gave Indiana State the ball with 46 seconds on the clock. After a five-yard completion from Perish to Cheeseborough, the Boilers sealed the victory with an interception of Perish's final pass attempt of the game.
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With a knee taken at the 19 second mark, Purdue was able to narrowly escape their home opener with a 20-14 victory over Indiana State.
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Purdue opened the game with a 99-yard kick-off return for a touchdown by Akeem Hunt which staked the Boilermakers to a fast 7-0 advantage just 14 seconds in.?
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The only other scoring in the first half came on a Paul Griggs 18-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining in the second quarter for a 10-0 Purdue lead. That drive featured one of two goal line stands by the Sycamore defense in the first half. The first came after the Boilers moved the ball inside the ISU 5-yard line and made three consecutive goal line stops to force the Griggs field goal.
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The second big defensive stop came as the first half was winding down and the Boilers moved all the way down to the ISU one-yard line as the clock ticked down under one minute remaining in the second quarter. Connor Underwood led the Sycamore defensive charge by making a pair of tackles at the goal line on Hunt rushes, the final coming with 12 seconds remaining. The first half clock expired as Purdue attempted to bring their field goal unit on to send Indiana State into the locker room down to the Boilermakers 10-0.
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The first drive of the third quarter looked promising as the Sycamores moved the ball into Purdue territory. ISU faced a fourth and short but the Purdue defense made the stop to end the Sycamore threat. Purdue then took the ball 60 yards on eight plays over the next 4:43 to reach the end zone on a 16-yard run by B.J. Knauf with 5:08 left in the third quarter for the 17-0 advantage.
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Indiana State will open the home portion of the schedule Saturday, September 14 when they host Quincy inside the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium. Kick-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET).
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NOTES:
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The Sycamores fell to 0-4 all-time against Purdue, with all four meetings coming in West Lafayette. Indiana State is 0-12 all-time against the current membership of The Big Ten Conference.
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