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Indiana State University Athletics

Ollendieck Recovery
0
Indiana St. ISU 0-1 , 0-0
49
Winner Purdue PUR 1-0 , 0-0
Indiana St. ISU
0-1 , 0-0
0
Final
49
Purdue PUR
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ISU Indiana St. 0 0 0 0 0
PUR Purdue 7 14 14 14 49

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores downed by Boilermakers in 2024 season opener

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and added two more to start the second half as Indiana State fell in the 2024 season opener at Ross-Ade Stadium on Sunday afternoon, 49-0.
 
Garret Ollendieck and Maddix Blackwell both finished with double-digit tackles for Indiana State (0-1) as the Sycamore defense kept the game within striking distance over the first 30 minutes of the contest. Purdue (1-0) quarterback Husdon Card went 24-of-25 through the air for 273 yards and four touchdowns, the final coming midway through the third quarter to seal the season-opening win for the home team.
 
Ollendieck finished with a game-high 14 tackles (13 solo) and added a tackle-for-loss and jumped on a Maddix Blackwell forced fumble for a recovery in the first quarter to highlight a standout game for the preseason All-American. Blackwell added 10 tackles to go with the forced fumble, while Geoffrey Brown and Dallas Westhoff both had sacks to highlight the Indiana State defense in the loss.
 
Indiana State nearly put points on the board as the momentum appeared to shift late in the first half after the Sycamore defense forced a Purdue punt. Quarterback Elijah Owens escaped the pocket for a 20-yard carry down to the Purdue 26-yard line with 22 seconds remaining. After Owens was unable to connected with Rashad Rochelle on a pass in the end zone, the Sycamores rushed to the center of the field to set up a field goal attempt. However, the attempt sailed left and kept the 21-0 Purdue lead intact at the break.
 
Owens finished 5-of-10 through the air for 50 yards targeting four different receivers throughout the contest. The redshirt freshman quarterback added a team-high 47 rushing yards on nine carries. Rochelle hauled in three catches for 26 yards in his first game in the Sycamore Blue & White, while Matt Ross and Zavion Taylor added catches in the game.
 
Plez Lawrence (12 carries, 27 yards) and Shen Butler-Lawson (11 carries, 23 yards) did the majority of the work in the backfield for Indiana State as the Sycamores posted 43 carries for 104 rushing yards in the game.
 
Card came out on fire for Purdue as the senior quarterback completed his first seven passes of the game and his final 17 pass attempts on his way to leading five touchdown scoring drives. He found Max Klare (nine yards), Jaron Tibbs (eight yards) and De'Nylon Morrissette (eight yards) with touchdown passes in the first half, and added a second-half score to Leland Smith to highlight his afternoon.
 
Devin Mockobee posted 11 carries for 89 rushing yards to lead Purdue's run game on the afternoon, while Elijah Jackson, Reggie Love III, and Jaheim Merriweather all recorded rushing touchdowns.
 
Will Heldt led the Purdue defensive efforts with seven tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks. The Boilermakers attacked the line of scrimmage on Saturday finishing with 11 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks, while limiting Indiana State to 154 total yards in the contest.
 
How They Scored
  • Purdue took the early 7-0 lead with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter as Hudson Card found Max Klare for a nine-yard touchdown pass over the middle to cap an eight-play, 55-yard opening drive for the Boilermaker offense. The Purdue touchdown came one play after Indiana State linebacker Geoffrey Brown picked up a redzone sack of Card to push the Boilermakers back to the nine-yard line.
  • Purdue opened the second quarter with Card's second touchdown pass of the contest as he found Jaron Tibbs for an eight-yard score to end a seven-play, 76-yard drive at the 13:21 mark to give the Boilermakers the 14-0 lead.
  • The Boilermakers made it 21-0 with 10:29 left in the second quarter as Card found De'Nylon Morrissette in the back corner of the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown came two plays after Devin Mockobee's 36-yard carry that swung the field and put Purdue in the red zone.
  • Reggie Love III took the fourth-down handoff up the middle for a six-yard touchdown run to give Purdue the 28-0 lead with 10:43 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown run ended Purdue's nine-play, 66-yard drive to open the second half.
  • Card connected on his fourth touchdown pass of the game with 6:10 remaining in the third quarter as he found Leland Smith for a 31-yard connection down the left sideline to make it a 35-0 game after the four-play, 50-yard drive.
  • Elijah Jackson made it 42-0 with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter as the Purdue running back went 69 yards for the touchdown run to add to the Boilermaker lead.
  • Jaheim Merriweather wrapped up the scoring in the contest with a four-yard touchdown run sparked by a deflected punt with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter to provide the final 49-0 margin.
 
News & Notables
  • Garret Ollendieck's 14-tackle game was one off his career-high set last season against Youngstown State (15 - November 4, 2023). It marked his seventh career double-digit tackle game.
  • Ollendieck's 13 solo tackles were a new career-high for the senior linebacker.
  • Maddix Blackwell posted his eighth career double-digit tackling effort on Saturday afternoon as the redshirt junior safety finished with 10 stops.
  • Blackwell added his third career forced fumble in the loss continuing a knack of getting his nose on the ball one season after being key in seven Indiana State turnovers in 2023.
  • Elijah Owens made his second career start under center for the Sycamores and second start overall against an FBS opponent after starting last season at Ball State (Sept. 16, 2023).
  • Multiple Sycamores made their first collegiate starts on Saturday afternoon including defensive backs Jorge Valdes and Trey King, defensive end Kendrick Milford, offensive linemen Carter Schmidt and RJ Brooks, tight end Kai Rios, and wide receiver Rashad Rochelle.
  • The Sycamores fall to 0-7 all-time against Purdue with Saturday's loss. The series dates back to the opener back on October 30, 1926.
Team Green Law Postgame Press Conference
 
 
Up Next
Indiana State remains on the road next week as the Sycamores travel to Charleston, Ill. and O'Brien Field for a non-conference game at Eastern Illinois. Kickoff time between the Sycamores and the Panthers is set for 7 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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