Game Report: Iowa Hawkeyes 24, Purdue Boilermakers 3

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A look at Iowa’s 24-3 football victory over Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium:

Turning point

With the game scoreless, Iowa didn’t do a particularly good job of time management near the end of the first quarter, and found itself with a third-and-8 at the Purdue 30 when the teams switched sides at the period’s end.

That switch moved the strong wind from the Hawkeyes’ backs to their faces. It turned out not to hurt a bit. Spencer Petras threw a 14-yard pass to tight end Sam LaPorta, followed by a 16-yarder for a touchdown to LaPorta, who was moved out to flanker on the play

That was the start of a great second-quarter run for Petras, who finished the half with 182 yards and two touchdowns passing, as his team opened a 17-0 lead.

The game was never in doubt after that. Iowa came in averaging just under 249 yards per game. It had 258 at halftime.

By the numbers

1 — LaPorta and Nico Ragaini, Iowa’s top two players in receptions, scored their first touchdowns of the season in the first half, 90 seconds apart.

7 — Purdue had scored at least 20 points in each of its previous seven games against the Hawkeyes.

12 — Iowa has a 12-game winning streak in Novembers

17 — Iowa’s 17 second-quarter points marked its highest-scoring period of the season, and was more points than it scored in five of its first eight games this season.

104 — Purdue’s Charlie Jones, the former Hawkeye, had 11 catches for 104 yards.

200 — Hawkeye running back Kaleb Johnson rushed 22 times for 200 yards, Iowa’s first 200-rusher since Akrum Wadley had 204 against Northwestern in 2015.

Notebook

* It was a breezy day throughout Tippecanoe County, which contains Purdue.

Did I say breezy? Make that gusty. Like, 25 mph and unrelenting. Did it affect the game? Of course it did. And yet …

All of Iowa’s points came with the headwind, not the tailwind. Petras was 6 of 7 for 119 yards and two TDs into the wind in the second quarter.

* Johnson found a small hole up the middle on Iowa’s second play of the second half, and was gone. He ran 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Hawkeyes a 24-3 lead.

It was the longest Iowa rush since Tyler Goodson had an 80-yarder in 2020.

* Jones, Purdue’s Big Ten leader in receptions, added 11 more for a season total of 83.

Jones was targeted 19 times. He had a 41-yard catch in first quarter, but Purdue had to punt four plays later. He had just one more reception for as much as 12 yards.

* First-year freshmen shined for the Hawkeyes, starting with Johnson.

Defensive lineman Aaron Graves had a 6-yard tackle for loss on a shoestring trip of Purdue running back Devin Mockobee in the second quarter. Defensive back TJ Hall and running back Jaziun Patterson played, and Drew Stevens made a second-quarter field goal.

* Bill Brashier, Iowa defensive coach for Hayden Fry from 1978 through 1995 and his defensive coordinator for most of that time, died Friday at 93.

“Bill Brashier was a tremendous defensive coach,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a news release. “I was honored to coach alongside him as a young assistant. He got the absolute best out of all of his players every single day. They loved and respected him as a leader and as a person.”

Injury report

It didn’t look like anything serious happened to Iowa during the game, health-wise. Defensive tackle Logan Lee went to the medical tent with an apparent right leg injury in the first quarter. He returned in the second quarter.

Shortly afterward, wide receiver Arland Bruce IV went to the same tent with an apparent shoulder injury after he gained 4 yards on a rushing play, then walked to the locker room. He returned in the second quarter.

Wide receiver Brody Brecht was not in uniform for the game. Cornerback Terry Roberts missed his third-straight game.

Next game

Iowa hosts Wisconsin next Saturday at a time that was to be determined this weekend. The Badgers beat Maryland, 23-10, on Saturday in Madison to match Iowa’s marks of 5-4 overall, 3-3 in the Big Ten.