Purdue's Jeff Brohm laments missed opportunities in loss to Penn State
It’s the ones that slip away that sting worst of all, and that’s how Purdue coach Jeff Brohm was feeling after his team gave up a late lead in a 35-31 loss to Penn State on Thursday night.
“This one hurts, because this was a really good football team that we haven’t beaten in a long time, and we had it right in our grasp,” Brohm said. “We just weren’t able to close the deal.
“There’s a lot to learn about finishing, figuring out ways to get first downs and sealing the game up, figuring out ways to not give up a touchdown on the last drive. There are just a lot of things to clean up.”
When Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson sacked quarterback Aidan O’Connell on the final play of the evening in West Lafayette, the Nittany Lions finished off their 10th consecutive victory over the Boilermakers, a streak that dates back to 2004. The Boilers haven’t defeated PSU at home since 2003.
What made this most recent loss more painful was that Purdue had the lead going into the game’s final minute. But sixth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford engineered an 8-play, 80-yard scoring drive in less than a minute and a half, and Penn State escaped with a victory.
One of the reasons why PSU was able to put that drive together was that the pass-oriented Purdue offense couldn’t generate first downs and hold the ball after it took the lead on a pick-six by safety Chris Jefferson with 8:29 to play.
Empty Purdue possessions after taking the lead helped the Lions
Purdue had two possessions after taking the lead. The first gained only 4 yards and lasted just 1 minute, 37 seconds. The second gained 22 yards and took 2:06 off the clock. The Boilermakers attempted only one running play on those drives — a 4-yard gain by ing Doerue.
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“We had this one right where we wanted it, with a chance to seal the game,” Brohm said. “One more first down and the game is over. We weren’t able to get that, and that’s what’s disappointing, that’s what stings.
“I am proud of the fight we showed. We battled, we came back and battled, we didn’t give in against a really good opponent with a lot of history and tradition. We had a chance, we just didn’t quite get over the hump.”
After dominating the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns on offense, Purdue didn’t do much in the fourth. Its five possessions produced just 45 yards, and only one lasted more than six plays.
“We got shut down in the fourth quarter on offense by a lot of tight coverage,” Brohm said. “We weren’t getting first downs. That’s something that will sting. The game was right there for us to take. When you have that great of a showing with your fans and the student section, it hurts to not pull that one through.”
