The ear-rattling noise of a train horn blasted down upon the Ross-Ade stadium endzone as the Nebraska offense lined up on the six-yard line late in the third quarter. The same sound had met them in their previous six trips into Purdue territory, each time a signal of cross-arms lowering to halt promising Husker drives. Now down 3-0 and facing yet another third down, the Big Red needed a conversion to avoid another red zone letdown.
At the snap, quarterback Dylan Raiola dropped back and quickly threw over the Boilermaker barrier to find Jahmal Banks in the back of the endzone for Nebraska’s first points of the game.
From there, The Huskers found the open road, adding 21 more fourth-quarter points to leave West Lafeyette with a much-needed 28-10 victory. The second-half rout came with a deep exhale after a first-half performance that saw plenty of yards but no points.
Execution on Late Downs and Special Teams Bottle Huskers in First Half
The Nebraska offense drove the ball into Purdue territory on all six of its first half possessions while racking up 210 yards of offense. The Huskers did so with a collection of explosive perimeter runs from receivers Jacory Barney and Jaylen Lloyd, intermediate passes to the middle of the field, and sideline shots that drew five pass interference penalties for 75 yards.
Yet each time that train horn sounded, NU drives stalled.
An incompletion on 3rd down forced a Husker punt from the Purdue 39 on the opening possession. A 4th-and-1 false start penalty on the second drive led to a missed 42-yard field goal. A missed field goal by Purdue was then answered by another punt after a 22-yard touchdown reception by running back Rahmir Johnson was nullified by a highly controversial offensive pass interference penalty on tight end Thomas Fidone. NU’s final three drive outcomes consisted of a punt sandwiched between two blocked Husker field goals caused by poor snaps.
Headed into the locker room, Nebraska’s scoring efforts remained as frustrated as late-for-class NU students waiting to cross the tracks on North 14th Street.
Fortunately, the Blackshirt defense kept Nebraska firmly in the game with a bounce-back performance that held Purdue under 100 yards of offense and without a score until the offense could readjust at halftime.
Second Half Burst Propels NU to Rout
The Huskers’ lack of red zone efficiency in the first half was reversed entirely in the second, as the Huskers found pay-dirt on each of its drives until the final kneel-down.
Raiola’s pass to Banks with 2:47 left in the third quarter broke the seal on the endzone. The next drive culminated in a one-yard Dante Dowdell touchdown on fourth down. After a quick Purdue 3-and-out, Barney raced around the end for a 25 yard touchdown run. Then just 35 seconds later, linebacker John Bullock stepped in front of a Hudson Card pass and weaved through Boilermaker tacklers for a 29 yard touchdown. The play capped a 28 point scoring burst in just 12 minutes of game-time.
“I couldn’t tell you what one-play got us going,” said Raiola, “but once we got it going, we couldn’t be stopped.”
It was a different story for the Purdue offense, as the Blackshirts harassed Card all half and held the Boilermakers to just 50 yards until a 75-yard touchdown drive after the game’s outcome was all but certain. For the game, the Huskers out-gained the Boilermakers 418 yards to 224, and–despite the first half red zone struggles–physically outmatched them across the field.
The Huskers hope the scoring explosion and complimentary football shown in the second half are signs the team is ready to play its best football after a solid but hiccupy 4-1 start. It will need to be as the next portion of its schedule is a freight train stacked with three currently undefeated opponents.
Fortunately for the Big Red, they’ve shown they are equipped to be the team performing the hold-ups.