Grading the Boilermakers: Purdue-Iowa
As? Bs? Cs? What grades did we hand out following Purdue’s 24-3 loss vs. Iowa?
Rushing offense
Perhaps Purdue should have fed Devin Mockobee more, especially when Purdue had the ball at the 2-yard line in the second quarter and didn’t let Mockobee run once–ultimately settling for a field goal. As it was, the redshirt freshman walk-on ran for 65 yards on 14 carries (4.6 ypc). The Boilermakers finished with 87 yards on 31 carries (2.8 ypc).
GRADE: C
The Final Word: Purdue’s low-scoring blowout loss to Iowa
Passing offense
For the second game in a row, Aidan O’Connell was off. He hit only 47 percent of his passes (20-of-43) for 168 yards and two interceptions. Last week, he threw three INTs–one was a pick-six. O’Connell looked to Charlie Jones early and often, as usual, targeting him 19 times. Jones finished with 104 yards on 11 catches (9.5 ypc). Nice numbers, but the ex-Hawkeye never broke loose outside of a 41-yard pass early on. Wideouts accounted for just two other catches for four yards. How much does this offense miss Milton Wright and Broc Thompson? Tight end Payne Durham was largely a non-factor, making two grabs for 35 yards.
GRADE: F
Overall offense
The attack never got on track, floundering through each quarter and finishing with only 255 yards. The three points were the fewest the Boilermakers ever have scored under Brohm. And it’s the fewest since Purdue was shutout in consecutive games since 2013. The last time the program score just three points? It was in a 16-3 defeat at Ohio State in 2008. The turnovers persist, as Purdue now has a -4 margin on the season. The lack of playmakers was glaring vs. a stout Iowa defense, which was the best Purdue has seen all season. Maybe that was the reason for Purdue’s offensive struggles. Maybe not.
GRADE: D
Rushing defense
This was one of the worst efforts of 2022, as Iowa racked up 184 yards two weeks after Wisconsin had 178 yards on the ground. This was an Iowa run game that entered the game ranked second-to-last in the Big Ten (93.5 ypg). Only Florida Atlantic has rushed for more yards vs. Purdue in 2022 (189). Kaleb Johnson gashed the Boilers for 200 yards rushing. His 75-yard TD run on the second play of the second half was a kick in the teeth. On and on it went vs. Purdue on this day.
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GRADE: D
Passing defense
Iowa QB Spencer Petras came into the game as a much-maligned signal-caller. But, he looked sharp on this day. Petras finished with 192 yards passing, hitting 13-of-23 attempts with two TDs and no interceptions. He didn’t look to have issues passing into a gusty wind. Petras leaned on star tight end Sam LaPorta, who made three grabs for 71 yards and a TD. The Purdue secondary has been under scrutiny, and the unit continued to have issues with busted coverages and tackling. Iowa had five passes of over 15 yards.
GRADE: D
The 3-2-1: Purdue’s loss to Iowa
Overall defense
Purdue was facing an Iowa offense that began Saturday ranked last in the Big Ten in total offense (248.6 ypg) and scoring offense (16.4 ppg). Iowa had 258 yards and 17 points at halftime. The Hawkeye attack took flight vs. Purdue, looking nothing like the national punchline it was a few weeks ago.
GRADE: D
Special teams
Weather conditions complicated the kicking, but Purdue was solid. Mitchell Fineran made his lone field-goal attempt, a 34-yarder. Amazingly, the field goal was the only points for the Boilermakers. Jack Ansell averaged 36.2 yards on six punts with three inside the 20 and one 50-yarder. The coverage was good. The return game was just OK.
GRADE: B
