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PDF: Purdue-Nebraska statistics

It's time to hand out grades following Purdue's win vs. Nebraska.

Very good. Jack Plummer hit 25-of-34 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and two ugly interceptions (one on a shovel pass) before hurting his right leg late. Aidan O’Connell entered and excelled. He missed his first pass then hit his last six for 62 yards on what was the game-winning drive. Not bad for a walk-on. This will be O’Connell’s team moving forward, as Jeff Brohm said in the postgame that Plummer “probably” would be out for the year. Count on Brohm finding a way to make this work. And hats off to tight end Brycen Hopkins, who had eight receptions for 97 yards. Eight different Boilers caught passes, as the two Purdue signal-callers combined to hit 76 percent of their attempts (31-of-41) for 304 yards.

GRADE: A-

The Boilermakers ran for a season-high 145 yards (4.0 ypc). (The 86 yards rushing in the first half were a season-high.) True freshman King Doerue continues to improve. He ran 15 times for 71 yards and a TD. He showed a nice burst on a 25-yard jaunt. Before he got hurt, Plummer tucked and ran often—like Brohm wanted—carrying 12 times for 61 yards. Alas, Plummer got twisted up after a fourth-quarter run and was injured. Still, this was a big step forward for a rushing game that too often has been listless in 2019.

GRADE: B+

Lots to like on this afternoon in Ross-Ade Stadium: 449 yards of offense with 304 coming via the pass. This after Purdue had just 38 yards in the first quarter. Too bad the Boilermakers couldn’t have played Illinois under these weather conditions. Oh, well. Brohm was at his scheming best when it mattered the most, running a power reverse with David Bell from the 9-yard line—a play that was installed just this week—to score the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 to go in the game. Gutty. Brilliant. Perfect.

GRADE: B+

Nebraska had 42- and 34-yard passes. And it hit some big completions on third downs. But, for the most part, big damage was avoided. Adrian Martinez was making his first start after missing the last two games. He hit 22-of-39 passes (56 percent) for 247 yards with a touchdown and interception. Honestly, Martinez wasn’t sharp, missing some open targets. The pick came courtesy of Cory Trice, who now has three on the season. JD Spielman did some damage with 123 yards receiving on six catches. But everyone else was kept in check.

GRADE: B+

Pretty solid. The Cornhuskers rushed 35 times for 128 yards, just 3.7 yards per tote. True freshman Wan’Dale Robinson was held in check. He carried 14 times for only 29 yards (2.1 ypc) with a long run of nine measly yards. Robinson entered the game leading Big Ten freshmen in all-purpose yards (115.0). Martinez led the Huskers with 58 yards on 12 carries.

GRADE: A

Think about this: After two interceptions and two blocked punts, the Purdue defense allowed only a field goal. The other three Husker possessions off that Boilermaker misfortune resulted in a Nebraska interception, punt and turnover on downs. That is responding to adversity. Great job by NIck Holt's defense. There isn’t a ton of talent on this banged up group that played without three of its best players: LB Markus Bailey, DT Lorenzo Neal and LB Cornel Jones. Nonetheless, the Boilermakers contained Wan’Dale Robinson, who led Nebraska with seven receptions. But those receptions went for only 46 yards with a long of 12. The pass rush was lacking, as Martinez often had plenty of time to chuck it and was sacked just one time. Still, the Boilermakers did a terrific job tackling in space, as the Cornhuskers time and again tried to work the edges--but never established big success.

GRADE: A-

Zac Collins had not one, but two punts blocked (the first was a partial block). And Purdue still won the game. That is amazing. The Boilermakers also were flagged for 10 penalties for 89 yards. Purdue also lost the turnover battle, 2-to-1. But I digress … the special teams were a mixed bag, once again. The return game did zippo—and sometimes still makes dubious decisions. But, coverage teams were sound. And kicker J.D. Dellinger hit both of this field-goal attempts. His 44-yarder in the third quarter was his second-longest of the season. He has been money all season.

GRADE: C-

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