Indiana State University Athletics

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue outscored Indiana State 21-0 in the pivotal third quarter as the Boilermakers pulled away from the Sycamores with the 44-19 win at Ross-Ade Stadium on Friday night in West Lafayette.
 
The Sycamores (0-2) battled Purdue (1-0) evenly over a majority of the first half with Indiana State marching down the field twice against the Boilermaker starting defensive front as quarterback Elijah Owens engineered a pair of first-half scoring drives.
 
Sebastian Lopez's 28-yard field goal in the first quarter came at the end of the opening drive after Owens' found BJ Wuest (17 yards) and Jayden Reed (24 yards) for completions to move the ball into Purdue territory, before the drive stalled inside the red zone on a dropped pass inside the red zone.
 
The Sycamores added Lopez's second field goal, a 47-yard conversion, following a 41-yard completion from Owens to Tyler Nansel on 3rd-and-9 to move the ball down to the Purdue 21. A holding penalty later in the drive halted the momentum and ended the drive with the Lopez kick to make it a 13-6 game.
 
Purdue broke the game open with their first two drives of the second half as Fame Ijeboi scored on a one-yard touchdown run, while Boilermaker quarterback Ryan Browne connected on a seven-yard pass to Tra'Mar Harris to push a 16-6 lead to a 30-6 advantage with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter.
 
The Sycamores moved the ball down the field again in the third quarter as Owens split the defense, breaking several tackles on his way to a 26-yard gain on 3rd-and-11 to put the ball at the Purdue 25. However, the Purdue defense broke through with a pair of sacks to push Indiana State back out of kicking range and forcing the punt.
 
Purdue added Browne's third passing touchdown, this one to Asaad Waseem, on an 18-yard scoring toss with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, while Don Saunders returned a Brady Allen pass for a 35-yard pick six to put the score at 44-6 with 14:48 to play in the contest.
 
The Sycamores were able to add a pair of late touchdowns as Allen found Jayden Reed for a 45-yard touchdown connection, while Max McCool carried the ball in for a one-yard touchdown run to provide the final 44-19 scoring margin.
 
Owens finished 9-of-17 through the air for 101 yards and added 11 carries for a team-high 60 rushing yards as the dual threat quarterback continued to battle on the field. Jayden Reed was the favorite target for the Sycamore quarterbacks on the day with five catches for 73 yards and a score, while Thomas Amankwaa (55 yards) and Tyler Nansel (41) both recorded catches of 40-plus yards.
 
Nic Yatsko led the Indiana State defense with a team-high nine tackles as the redshirt sophomore safety was the tackling leader for the second consecutive week. Micah McNair added 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack among his three stops, while Robert Beasley added a sack in the contest.
 
How They Scored

• Purdue scored first on a Jacobo Lozano 39-yard field goal on the Boilermakers' opening drive to give the home team the early 3-0 lead with 11:06 remaining in the first quarter.
• The Sycamores responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive highlighted by a pair of Elijah Owens runs, while the quarterback completed passes to BJ Wuest (17 yards) and Jayden Reed (24 yards) before settling for a field goal following a dropped pass at the goal line as Sebastian Lopez drilled a 28-yard attempt through the uprights to even the score at 3-3 with 7:08 left in the first quarter.
• The Boilermakers went up 10-3 with four seconds remaining in the first quarter as Chauncy Magwood hauled in the six-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Browne to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive that spanned 7:04 on the clock.
• Purdue added to the lead on Lozano's second field goal of the day, this one a 25-yard attempt, to go up 13-3 with 9:16 remaining in the second quarter.
• The Sycamores answered with the long pass on their end as Elijah Owens scrambled right and then found Tyler Nansel across the middle for a 41-yard reception to move the ball into Purdue territory. After a penalty negated a play that put the ball inside the Purdue 15, Indiana State was forced to settle for a 47-yard Lopez field goal to make it a 13-6 score with 5:09 remaining in the first half.
• Purdue tacked on a third Lozano field goal in the first half as the Boilermaker placekicker converted from 23 yards out to put the halftime margin at 16-6.
• Purdue went up 23-6 with 10:50 remaining in the third quarter as Fame Ijeboi took the direct snap and went over the goal-line with the one-yard touchdown plunge for the score.
• The Boilermakers added to the lead as Browne found Tra'Mar Harris for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter to go up 30-6.
• Asaad Waseem found the end zone on an 18-yard reception from Browne with 21 seconds remaining in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 37-6.
• Purdue's defense got into the scoring in the fourth quarter as Don Saunders stepped in front of a Brady Allen pass and returned it 35 yards for the pick-six interception to put the score at 44-6 with 14:48 remaining in the game.
• Indiana State took advantage of the Purdue secondary late in the game with Allen finding Jayden Reed for a 45-yard touchdown reception to cut the margin down to 44-12 with 12:44 to play.
• Allen again connected on the deep ball with a 55-yard pass to Thomas Amankwaa, before Max McCool went over the goal-line for a one-yard touchdown rush to make it a 44-19 game with 4:05 to play for the final score of the contest.

News & Notes

• Elijah Owens continued to climb in the Sycamore record books after finishing the game with 3,628 career total offensive yards. He moved into the Top 10 all-time in the Indiana State record books following last week's contest against SEMO.
• Owens also nearly entered Indiana State's all-time career passing Top 10 list after finishing Friday night's game with 101 yards through the air. He currently has 2,733 passing yards, sitting just eight behind Blayne Baggett (2,741 – 2005) to sit 11th all-time in the Sycamore record book.
• Indiana State's 19 points on Friday night marked the most points scored by the Sycamores against the Boilermakers since 2006 when Indiana State fell to Purdue, 60-35.
• Sebastian Lopez's 28-yard field goal in the first quarter snapped a nine-quarter scoreless streak by the Indiana State team against Purdue dating back to 2015.
• Freshman wide receiver Jayden Reed continues to impress early as the St. Louis, Mo. native hauled in a season-high five receptions for 73 yards and a score. He has scored one touchdown in each of the two games played to date in the 2026 season.
• Wide receiver Thomas Amankwaa hauled in his first reception as a Sycamore after recording a 55-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
• Linebacker Micah McNair recorded his first multi-TFL game as a Sycamore and also recorded his first sack after a quarterback takedown in the fourth quarter.
• Defensive lineman Robert Beasley added his career sack after a stop in the second quarter that limited a Purdue offensive drive to a field goal.
• Quarterback Brady Allen made his Indiana State debut on the field in the fourth quarter, bouncing back from an early pick-six to complete a 45-yard touchdown reception to Jayden Reed and a 55-yard completion to Thomas Amankwaa setting up Max McCool's touchdown rush.
• Allen's passing touchdown marked his first passing touchdown with the Sycamores and his second collegiate touchdown, while his 117 passing yards are a new single-game high for the redshirt junior.
• Max McCool recorded his first collegiate touchdown as the redshirt freshman scored on a play that included his helmet being pulled off as he crossed the goal-line. He finished the game with five carried for 10 yards and a score to lead the Indiana State running backs. 

Postgame Press Conference


Up Next
Indiana State remains on the road as the Sycamores return to FCS play by heading to Charleston, Ill. and O'Brien Field on Saturday, September 12, to take on Eastern Illinois University. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
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