Northwestern 27, Purdue 20: Grading the Boilermakers
Passing offense
This wasn’t Aidan O’Connell’s finest hour, but it wasn’t all on him. The junior often was under siege. He finished 28-of-51 passing for 263 yards with two touchdowns. At times, O’Connell looked out of sorts and indecisive. He also at times held the ball too long. And he is guilty of looking too often for David Bell, who was targeted 17 times and made nine grabs for 78 yards. The tight ends need to do more. Heck, every wideout not named Bell does, too. Rondale Moore’s absence was painfully obvious. If the offense struggles at Minnesota, it wouldn't be a shock to see Jack Plummer get a shot under center.
Grade: C+
Rushing offense
In a word: Abysmal. This was a rushing effort that conjured bad memories of the Fred Akers’ run-and-shoot days. The Boilermakers got no consistent push up front from a line that had appeared to turn a corner the first two games. But Saturday night was a step backward for the front. Purdue ran 17 times for two yards. The long run? It was 14 yards. O’Connell sacks made that total worse. Still, the struggles were obvious to even the most casual fan. Short-yard runs remain a fingers-crossed adventure. Purdue is now the worst rushing team in the Big Ten (63.7 ypg).
Grade: F
Overall offense
Yes, Northwestern has a stout, well-coached defense. Still, Purdue should have generated more. It finished with 265 yards, and it went 4-of-17 on third downs. Big plays? There were few. Brohm said in the offseason that he needed to find ways to generate a rushing attack. The search for solutions continues. Without some run threat, the Boilermaker offense will continue to be inconsistent no matter who takes snaps. Purdue is 11th in the Big Ten in scoring (25.0 ppg).
Grade: C-
Passing defense
Northwestern QB Peyton Ramey didn’t set the world on fire, hitting 23-of-36 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. And no pass covered more than 18 yards. But it seemed like whenever he needed to made a big pass, the Indiana grad transfer pulled it off. Ramsey also ran six times for 21 yards. Not having George Karlaftis hurt. Purdue had no sacks. Purdue had issues covering Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman, who made three TD grabs.
Grade: B-
Rushing defense
Purdue was solid in this area. The Wildcats ran 40 times for just 80 yard (2.0 ypc) with a long of 12 yards and no rush TDs. Top NU back Isaiah Bowser was back after missing the last game, but he was rationed 27 yards. Kudos to Boilermaker linebacker Derrick Barnes, who was all over the field with a team-high 14 tackles. DaMarcus Mitchell continues to be a stalwart, fighting through injury. And Lorenzo Neal made his presence felt from the line.
Grade: A-
Overall defense
Hard to quibble too much with Bob Diaco’s unit, which allowed only 292 yards despite NU having the ball for over 10 minutes longer in the game than Purdue. The Boilermaker D generated a turnover with a Cam Allen pick. And the defense gave the offense the ball two times late in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie the game … and each time, the Purdue offense failed to capitalize.
Grade: B
Special teams
Solid, for the most part. Kicker J.D. Dellinger continues to be money. He nailed both of his field-goal attempts (30 and 23 yards). He has made all four of his field-goal attempts in 2020. No other Big Ten kicker who has qualified for stat is perfect. For the most part, the punting was better. Brooks Cormier and Zac Collins split duties for the first time in 2020. TJ Sheffield was OK on kickoff returns. The punt return game remains a non-factor. Coverages were solid.
Grade: B+
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