After hours of reading weather updates, sitting and waiting, and partaking in a back and forth affair, Purdue finally has the first win of the Ryan Walters era. The Boilermakers used a late game-winning drive to seal the victory over Virginia Tech on the road. Boiler Upload gives our five biggest takeaways from the nine hour football game played in Blacksburg on Saturday night.

Purdue's season-opening loss was nothing short of a letdown, but the Boilermakers can now put that defeat in the rear view mirror by righting the wrongs of last week in West Lafayette.

Whether it was battling back when the chips were down, improving the play of the defense, or getting the running game on track, Purdue's bounce back performance was much-needed, and resulted in the first victory of 2023.

Ryan Walters picked up the first win of his head coaching career at Lane Stadium and was proud of the way his players approached the game on Saturday. Players and coaches said all of the right things during practice this week, but backed it up with their outing.

"I thought the guys showed a lot of resiliency and just also how we would respond to adversity. They practiced the right way and prepared the right way throughout the week and it showed up today," Walters said.

A pair of offensive leaders also viewed the road trip to Virginia Tech as an opportunity to put their previous performance in the past and start building momentum in the right direction.

"That was a really big win for us. Just the confidence for our guys and just to get that first one under our belt. I'm just proud of the way that we competed and it wasn't easy but we found a way," Hudson Card said.

"I feel like last week we let one get away and we needed to get this one under our belt," Devin Mockobee said.

The Boilermakers' top option out of the backfield also shared that this win was special for the program because they were able to do it for head coach Ryan Walters, who had to face the noise after a disappointing loss last time out.

"It means the world. Especially from the moment we came in, in January. We've been working all year tirelessly to achieve our goals and we weren't going to take another loss. We were going to do nothing but so that's my plan from here on out," Mockobee said.

Last week, Purdue failed to rise to the challenges that presented themselves down the stretch, but looked more poised in the face of tough times on Saturday. And there were plenty of them. Purdue has already shown growth in the intangibles and can now build on this success moving forward.

Ryan Walters isn't used to giving up 39 points on the defensive side of the ball, like Purdue did in week one. The Boilermakers' defense was a step behind in the season opener, but took one step forward in a massive bounce back performance.

The Air Strike defense gave up 17 total points and less than 300 total yards on the day. Sophomore outside linebacker Nic Scourton led the charge for the group, accounting for five total tackles, including a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss in the win. He was a part of the front line that held the Hokies in the negative in rushing yards prior to the final drive of the game, before they finished with just 11. The breakout leader felt like his unit was an entirely different team when faced with adversity.

"I mean it was amazing. Like, last week I feel like our guys got flustered whenever they got close but this week we rallied. We know we practiced really hard this week and we weren't letting it slip away from us like it did last week," Scourton said.

The secondary, while having some struggles in the second quarter, also had an improved day at the office. The Boilermaker defensive backs came away with two interceptions, from Dillon Thieneman and Cam Allen. It is still a work in progress for defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, but the secondary took a step in the right direction.

"We were preaching just playing with discipline all week. We played with discipline at times a week ago, but when we gave up big plays or gave up points, it was usually somebody playing outside the framework of the defense. You saw that buy-in and attention to detail this week,"

Walters knows the type of defense Purdue can have in 2023 and the group showcase its potential in the second half, holding Virginia Tech scoreless over the last 30 minutes.

The real glaring spot on an otherwise successful game from the defense was a meltdown at the end of the first half. After going up 17-0 in the second quarter, Purdue allowed Virginia Tech to wipe away the lead and make it a brand new. ball game going into the second half.

Quarterback Grant Wells and his supporting cast had 125 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns. The Hokies' total yardage in the quarter was more than double their high in any other quarter on Saturday. The main trouble makers were Bhayshul Tuten and Jaylin Lane, who torched Purdue's defenders in coverage.

There will still be much to clean up as the Boilermakers' prepare for Syracuse next Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium, but the unit displayed what it can do when everything is clicking.

You didn't think we'd go without mentioning the story of the day, did you? The Boilermakers had to overcome what can only be described as the ultimate momentum stopper. After starting the game 20+ minutes late, both teams were sent off the field as play was suspended due to severe weather.

Whether Purdue and Virginia Tech were going to get on the field again swayed from moment to moment, but the game resumed nearly six hours later. How did the Boilermakers stay focused during that time? They spent most of the time relaxing.

"We had the guys take their pads off, really try to forget about the game for a little while. We had a big white board in there in the locker room, I noticed the offensive guys were playing hang man for a little while. [We] told them to walk around the concourse," Walters said.

Nic Scourton and Devin Mockobee also shared that the Boilermakers were playing cards, having barbecue and having a good time while sequestered to the visiting locker room. Walters said his guys were able to flip that switch when a restart time became known, which resulted in a good start to the second portion of the matchup.

"Once we got an idea about when we were going to play again, we just kind of went through our pregame routine. Guys got locked back in and went out there and played and played well."

Purdue got off to a fast start to begin the game, kicking things off in Blacksburg with a 75 yard touchdown drive. It was a similar start following the long delay. Although Purdue punted on its resumed possession, Hudson Card and the offense score 10 quick points while the defense forced two punts and got an interception.

That success wasn't fully sustained as Virginia Tech battled its way back to tie the game at 17 by the end of the first half, but Scourton believes it helped Purdue pull out a gritty win in Blacksburg.

"I feel like it fired us up today actually. We felt like they were discouraged. They didn't want to play anymore, we were ready to go out and play. We didn't come all the way up here for nothing," Scourton said.

Saturday was unlike anything many people have seen, but Purdue was able to put all of the distractions and potential excuses to the side to earn its first victory of the season.

On the heels of Deion Burks having a breakthrough performance in week one, Purdue saw another young pass catcher step up in week two. Tight end Max Klare made the first start of his career last Saturday, recording two catches for 22 yards in the loss.

A switch flipped for the redshirt freshman during the Boilermakers' trip to Blacksburg this evening, however. Klare finished the game with a team-high eight catches and 64 yards on the day. His quarterback knew he was capable of this type of performance and is glad Klare was able to showcase himself in the victory.

"I mean we've seen it in practice, throughout the whole fall camp and everything like that," Hudson Card said of his favorite target on Saturday. "We know what he's capable of and gonna trust him 100%. He's a great player and I'm just happy I was able to spin him the ball and allow him to go to work."

Card looked to Klare in several key situations, particularly on third downs. Ryan Walters echoed the sentiments of Card following the game. Sharing that his athletic tight end is someone who can be a difference maker for the Boilermakers' offense.

"What you're seeing is what we've been seeing since spring ball really. He's big, physical and can really catch the ball out of the tight end position and create mismatches and matchup issues out on the perimeter. So, he'll be a weapon for us for sure."

A lot of buzz came from Garrett Miller's return this weekend, but Klare proved he can produce with the best at the position. We've heard from Graham Harrell, Seth Doege and Walters about just how loaded the tight end room is from top to bottom, but now we're seeing it live.

Improving the run game was something Ryan Walters and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell addressed throughout the week, but it was unclear how Purdue would get the ground attack going. We got the answer on Saturday.

The Boilermakers leaned on Devin Mockobee and the run game to help seal the victory down the stretch, according to Walters.

"That was huge, especially down the stretch. I've been saying we're gonna throw the ball to score points but you gotta be able to run it to win games. That showed today. We were not good through the air, especially in that first half," Walters said. "Being able to run that clock out and get in a position where we can kneel it out was huge in the run game."

In the Boilermakers' game-winning drive, 60 of the 74 yards came on the ground. Devin Mockobee was the main option out of the backfield, but Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Hudson Card made their impacts felt on the ground. Tracy had the second of two 20+ yard runs to put Purdue in the red zone, while Card punched it in just a few plays later to give the Boilermakers a lead.

Card finished with 16 rushing yards, but would have been credited with 32 had it not been for a pair of sacks. Tracy was a lightning bolt out of the backfield, getting just four carries, but picking up 51 yards and a touchdown.

"Me, Tyrone and Dillon, all three of us. I feel like we're sort of a three-headed beast when it comes to that. But Tyrone ran super good today, I can't say good enough about him," Devin Mockobee said.

On the final possession of the game, Mockobee put things out of reach for good with a 20 yard run while Virginia Tech ran out of timeouts. It was a big bounce back showing for Mockobee, who finished with 95 yards and a score in the win.

"Personally, I was in a lull. I wasn't in it 100% and this week I found my will that I wanted to play and I wasn't going to lose. I was doing everything that I could," Mockobee said.

While Card participated in the run game slightly more, with varying levels of success, he credits Purdue's offensive line and running backs for helping guide the Boilermakers' to a win.

"It's huge. Shoutout to the [offensive] line and our running backs. Whenever you can run the ball it just opens up the passing game so I'm just proud of our guys on that," Card said.