Ten things you need to know about Purdue's 24-22 win at Northwestern

Ten things you need to know about Purdue’s thrilling 24-22 win at Northwestern (1-8 overall; 0-7 Big Ten). The Boilermakers are now 4-6 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten.

1. Aidan O’Connell can operate the offense. Yes, he made some poor decisions—especially on the first-quarter interception. But the walk-on did well, considering this was his first start ever. O’Connell completed 34-of-50 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Best of all: For the second week in a row, he led the offense to the game-winning drive in the final moments.

“Aidan did a good job,” said Jeff Brohm. “He took what they gave us. We had an ability to get him some completions underneath. They mixed things up in the second half, confused him a little bit and threw him off guard. But, he hung in there. And for the last drive, for someone who hasn't started a game, to come in again and take us down the field, that’s a credit to him. “

2. Hat’s off to J.D. Dellinger, who hit a game-winning 39-yard field goal into a stiff wind with just a few seconds hanging on the clock to send Purdue to a 24-22 victory. He has hit 10-of-12 field goals this season. He also hit a game-winner in OT at Illinois back in 2016. Dellinger has been money all season.

“J.D. has been out most consistent guy all year,” said Brohm. “He has kicked phenomenal, extra points, field goals, kickoffs. He was within range. We did have to factor in the wind. We wanted to try to get it somewhat in the middle of the field. And we had great confidence he would make that.”

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3. If there were any David Bell doubters, there shouldn’t be after today. The true freshman continues to shine, as he had stepped into a lead role with Rondale Moore out injured. Bell was a shining star on this day, making 14 catches for 115 yards with a TD. He has it all: speed, moves, toughness and strength. Bell has 65 catches for 791 yards and five TDs in 2019.

"We told David after the first couple of drives he had a couple opportunities to make a couple of really hard catches” said Brohm. "A double-move in the end zone. He didn't find a way to get that done. We told him; ‘Hey, you are doing the best you can, but we need you to make the spectacular play if we wanna win. And you know what? He started to make the spectacular play. He just digs deep and finds a way to compete. He has natural skills. He came through for us.”

4. This team has moxie. Last week vs. Nebraska, Purdue fell behind, 10-0, and rallied to win, 31-27. This week, the Boilermakers fell behind, 14-0, and rallied to win 24-22. Impressive for a team this young. It bodes well for the future.

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5. The defense held up … again. Yes, Northwestern’s offense in inept and had just 16 points in the last four games and hadn’t scored a TD since Oct. 5. Oh, and the Wildcats hadn’t scored two TDs in a game since Sept. 28. Still, the Boilermaker defense rebounded from a shaky start (79-yard TD run on the second play of the game) to play well. After NU scored 14 points and gained 194 yards in the first quarter, the Wildcats had just eight points and 241 yards.

"There were a couple holes really big in there that they hit,” said Brohm. “The interior of our defensive line just has to improve and continue to get better. I thought we were kind of getting pushed sideways too much. They had some huge cutback lanes … A lot of things to correct. But you know what? We did correct it. It got better as the game went on. It's just the consistent of doing that all game hasn't been our strength.”

6. Special teams continue to vex. Last week, the Boilermakers allowed two blocked punts. This week, Purdue was torched on a fake punt when it was primed to get the ball back with time to tie the score before halftime. In the end, the punt game gaffes didn’t cost Purdue wins in their games. But, the issues need to be cleaned up.

7. For the good things the offense did on this cold, blustery day in Evanston, one thing missing was big plays. The Boilermakers’ longest run of the day went for just 18 yards (King Doerue) and the longest pass was only 21 (Zander Horvath). But Purdue was taking what NU’s defense was giving, as it had to peck away for success.

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8. Purdue’s bowl hopes are still alive. But the Boilermakers must win their last two, which won’t be easy: at Wisconsin and vs. Indiana. The good news: Purdue can keep playing free and easy. The fact it’s in this position is remarkable when you consider the injuries the Boilers have had to deal with this season.

“There were numerous times when it looked like it wasn't gonna happen,” said Brohm. “Our guys played to the end. Our guys played to the end. I am very, very proud of our football team and assistant coaches.”

9. O’Connell spread the wealth today, completing passes to seven different targets. Redshirt freshman Amad Anderson, Jr., had a quietly successful game with nine grabs for 67 yards and a sweet TD catch.

10. The offensive line was an unsung group today. The unit did a good job protecting O'Connell, who was sacked just two times. It helped that Purdue called a lot of quick passes to get the ball out fast. Still, credit the line for doing a nice job vs. a Northwestern front that is stout. The Boilermakers finished with 74 yards rushing, 271 yards passing and 345 total yards.

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