SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Purdue desperately wanted a finish resurgent season with a flourish — and did exactly that Wednesday at the Foster Farms Bowl.

The Boilermakers beat Arizona 38-35 at Levi’s Stadium to win their first bowl game since 2012, their last appearance.

Purdue players and coaches talked all week about how badly they wanted to be over-.500 and “champions” on the season. They did it, even if the victory ended up being more dramatic than it seemed like it needed to be.

The Boilermakers scored 31 points in the first half, buoyed by a surprising eight-catch, 107-yard, two-TD effort by senior Greg Phillips, to take a seemingly commanding halftime lead.

But they didn’t manage any third-quarter points and then watched Arizona take a 35-31 lead with 3:21 to play.

But Anthony Mahoungou, who’d had an up-and-down game, much like his season, made a ridiculous touchdown catch on third-and-10 for a 38-yarder that gave Purdue back the lead.

Jacob Thieneman’s interception with 1:16 left to play sealed it.

Elijah Sindelar threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns. Phillips finished with 149 yards on 14 catches, while D.J. Knox rushed for 101 on only 11 carries.

Purdue’s defensive game plan was to keep dynamic Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate under wraps running the ball, and it did, limiting the sophomore who was averaging 10 yards per carry to only 58 total rushing yards on 20 carries (2.9). But Tate was shockingly accurate throwing the ball, though he was helped by wide-open receivers on Purdue’s defensive breakdowns, and completed 17-of-26 for 302 yards and five TDs.

How they scored:

Purdue 38, Arizona 35: Anthony Mahoungou held onto a deep pass despite being held and grabbed and scored a 38-yard touchdown. Drive: Eight plays, 75 yards, 1:37.

Arizona 35, Purdue 31: Shun Brown somehow got wide open against another busted coverage and caught a 24-yard touchdown. Drive: Seven plays, 67 yards, 2:26.

Purdue 31, Arizona 28: Tyrell Johnson slipped back safety Jacob Thieneman in the middle of the field, and Tate heaved a ball just enough for Johnson to cradle it over an outstretched Thieneman for a 40-yard touchdown. Drive: Four plays, 51 yards, 1:27.

Purdue 31, Arizona 21: Ellison takes advantage of a blown coverage for a 40-yard touchdown. Drive: Seven plays, 72 yards, 3:21.

Purdue 31, Arizona 14: Spencer Evans kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired in the half. Drive: Seven plays, 59 yards, 56 seconds.

Purdue 28, Arizona 14: D.J. Knox broke free inside the right tackle for a 13-yard touchdown. Drive: Six plays, 80 yards, 2:06.

Purdue 21, Arizona 14: On a third-and-10, Greg Phillips ran a nice route to get inside his defender, and Sindelar drilled a pass that Phillips completed into a 22-yard TD. Drive: 13 plays, 90 yards, 5:04.

Purdue 14, Arizona 14: Gregory Phillips somehow held onto a bullet by Sindelar with a defender tackling him by his helmet and extended his arms over the goal line — a play upheld on review — for a 42-yard touchdown. Drive: Five plays, 75 yards, 1:47.

Arizona 14, Purdue 7: Tony Ellison beat Navon Mosley in man coverage, and Tate lofted a pass over the top, for a 29-yard touchdown. Drive: Three plays, 34 yards, 1:06.

Purdue 7, Arizona 7: Shawn Poindexter appeared to slip past safety T.J. Jallow, who’d just come in for an injured Jacob Thieneman, and Khalil Tate lofted a pass over the top for a 31-yard TD. Drive: Four plays, 68 yards, 1:00.

Purdue 7, Arizona 0: Anthony Mahoungou caught a pass near the sideline and easily shoved away Arizona’s cornerback and then raced for a 31-yard touchdown. Drive: Six plays, 60 yards, 1:24.

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