Nittany Lions blitz Purdue in second half for 66-24 win
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After heading into halftime tied at 17, No. 24 Penn State scored 17 straight to open the third quarter and outscored Purdue 45-7 in the second half on its way to a 66-24 victory on Saturday (Oct. 29) afternoon inside Ross-Ade Stadium.
The Nittany Lions had six scoring drives of under two minutes on their way to the first 60-point scoring game since the 2008 season (66 vs. Coastal Carolina). Their 62 points scored are the most against a Big Ten opponent since 2005 when Penn State claimed a 63-10 victory at Illinois.
Sophomore running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) racked up career-highs with 207 rushing yards and 277 (207 rushing, 77 receiving) all-purpose yards. His 277 all-purpose yards are a Penn State sophomore record and his 207 rushing yards make him the first Penn Stater since Larry Johnson (four times, 2002) to eclipse the 200-yard mark twice in the same season since 2002. The rushing total ranks No. 21 on the single game rushing charts for the Nittany Lions and are the most since Shelly Hammonds rushed for 208 yards vs. Boston College in 1990.
The backfield carried the load for Penn State, as six Nittany Lions combined for 257 yards on just 38 carries, led by Barkley’s 207 yards on 18 totes (11.5 ypc). Barkley and redshirt-freshman Andre Robinson(Mechanicsburg, Pa.) each scored twice on the ground, with Mark Allen(Hyattsville, Md.) adding another rushing score in the fourth quarter. Miles Sanders (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added his first career receiving touchdown to give the backfield six total scores on the day.
The defense and special teams forced four turnovers in the game, the most by Penn State since pressuring Temple into five turnovers in 2014. Brandon Smith (Winfield, Pa.) and Christian Campbell (Phenix City, Ala.) each pulled down their second career interceptions, with Kevin Givens(Altoona, Pa.) and Jordan Smith (Washington D.C.) each posting their first career fumble recoveries. Jason Cabinda (Flemington, N.J.) led the charge with a game-high nine tackles.
Turning Point
Brandon Smith started the second half at middle linebacker and pulled down his second career interception on the third play from scrimmage. Smith returned the interception 22 yards and four plays later, Trace McSorley found Chris Godwin for a 1-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-17 in favor of the Blue and White. The Nittany Lions would go on to outscore Purdue by 38 points, 45-7, in the second half.
Difference Makers
RB Saquon Barkley – Carried 18 times for a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 70 yards receiving on three catches. The 207 rushing yards rank No. 21 on Penn State’s single game rushing charts and are his second 200-yard effort of the season. His 277 all-purpose yards mark a career-high, as well, and set the Penn State sophomore record. A good chunk of those yards came on an 81-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
• Penn State RBs – The quartet of Barkley, Mark Allen, Andre Robinson and Miles Sanders combined for 328 yards of total offense (237 rushing, 91 receiving) and six touchdowns. Barkley and Robinson each rushed for two scores, while Sanders caught a 21-yard touchdown pass and Allen rumbled in from 1-yard out for a score.
• QB Trace McSorley – Posted his fifth career 200-yard passing game with 228 yards through the air. He is now tied for 14th with Doug Strang (1982-83) in the Penn State career ledger and ninth in the season ledger, also with Strang (1983).
• WR Chris Godwin – Caught five passes for 58 yards, including two touchdown grabs, which tie a career high (Michigan State, 2015). His two scoring grabs give him 12 for his career and move him into the No. 10 spot on the career touchdown receptions list. He also moved into the Top-10 in career receiving yardage (1,844), passing current assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith (1988-91) and Jack Curry (1965-67) to move into 10th.
• LB Jason Cabinda – Posted a game-high nine tackles – six solo – to give him at least nine stops in all three games he has appeared in this season.
• LB Brandon Smith – Nabbed his second career interception and returned it 22 yards to set up Penn State’s first touchdown of the season half. Also added four tackles.
• Fumble Recoveries – Jordan Smith and Kevin Givens each posted their first career fumble recoveries in the game. Smith fell on a muffed punt in the third quarter, while Givens corralled his fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter.
