More: Purdue takes 'two steps back' | Videos

Analysis ($): Extra points video

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Markell Jones took contact and redirected it, blowing defenders back in their tracks.

Richie Worship pounded through arm tackles and kept churning.

D.J. Knox stepped through low tackles and sauntered down the field in chunks.

Purdue's dormant running game broke through Saturday, rushing for a season-high 279 yards rushing at Rutgers. Those top three backs accounted for 203 yards and averaged a whopping 6.5 yards per carry.

"I feel like we were rolling (Saturday)," said Knox, who led the group with 84 on 13 carries. "When Coach gave us the ball, we made the most of our opportunities."

Whether Purdue (3-4) should have run the ball more, considering its success on the ground and general lack of it otherwise, Knox wouldn't even go there.

"He knows a hell of a lot more than I know," Knox said of Jeff Brohm, the play caller. "So the thing is we’re just going to execute the plays he calls in and we’re going to run them to the best of our own abilities. I feel like he had a pretty decent game plan, we just have to do better as a team of catching balls and making sure we finish runs."

Brohm said he thought the running backs did a "decent" job but stopped short of saying he should have called more running plays because, as he said, Purdue needs to be able to complete passes on third down.

Largely, the Boilermakers didn't. They were 3-of-15 on third downs and only 3-of-12 passing in those situations.

“You want to be consistent and run it, but you want to get first downs," Brohm said. "Once again, (we) probably need to be more conservative. We’ve got to get the ball to who our playmakers are, whoever those are, and ride those guys and the others have to assist. I don’t think it’s from a lack of effort from our guys. It’s just we got out-competed at times, and obviously I didn’t get them ready to play because we didn’t make plays like we easily could have in certain situations."

Anthony Mahoungou was asked about his one-handed touchdown catch in the final minute that gave Purdue a chance at the game-tying two-point conversion, but he didn't really want to talk about the highlight play.

He was too busy thinking about the plays Purdue's receivers didn't make. Mahoungou had two drops on third downs — plays that both would have been first downs, had he held on — and fellow senior Greg Phillips had at least one, maybe two, drops, too.

"The wide receivers, we had a really mediocre performance," Mahoungou said. "We shouldn’t have had to come to that — 25 seconds left on the clock to score a damn touchdown. The vets, the seniors, (Phillips) and I (have) to avoid showing average performances — like me on the first drive or in the game, dropping the third down.

"It’s just unacceptable. We’ve got to work. We’ve just got to work."

Three receivers had four catches apiece: Mahoungou for 47 yards, Jackson Anthrop for 39 yards and Terry Wright for 28. But, too consistently, Purdue wasn't able to make the big play, especially down the field. That's been a common theme for the season and it showed up again Saturday against a Rutgers defense that played primarily man coverage and pressed the receivers.

“We can’t generate big plays. It’s been a problem all year, other than trick plays,” Brohm said. “Our biggest gain today was a fake flea flicker again (41 yards). Got to find ways to push the ball down the field some because you just have to. You can’t drive it 10, 14 plays normally and sustain it. Even though you can do it better than we did (Saturday). We had numerous opportunities to convert situations, didn’t do it."

Purdue expected it'd start getting more press coverage after some defenses had success limiting the offense with it. Rutgers had shown that type of coverage against Eastern Michigan, Mahoungou said, and he said Purdue's receivers prepared for it all week.

They just couldn't rise to the occasion, for the most part, when Purdue needed plays.

Of Purdue's three third-down conversions on passes, two were on the final drive, one to Wright and the TD to Mahoungou. Both of Elijah Sindelar's interceptions were trying to take shots against man coverage with Purdue's outside receivers.

"We need to be realistic, our wide receiver corps hasn’t produced at all in these first seven games, so we knew they were going to press us," Mahoungou said. "And, again, we’ve got to out-compete them. Unacceptable.

"We need to understand that there’s going to be a one-on-one matchup that we cannot lose. It’s a team (game and) we need everybody to execute well, but when you want to go into the details of each play, it’s all about one-on-one matchups. We’re not able to win them so far, so we’ve just got to keep working and look at ourselves in the mirror, and real quickly, because we’re already in the second half of the season. We need to find a way. We just need to find a way."

They were breakdowns.

On the third play of the game, Rutgers running back Gus Edwards somehow escaped out of what seemed liked a nowhere-to-run scenario and broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run. Later in the third quarter, Danny Ezechukwu didn’t respond quickly enough to running back Raheem Blackshear slipping out on a wheel route, and Rutgers scored on a 35-yard touchdowns.

Two “silly” mistakes, as Brohm called them.

And two plays that got highlighted only because the Boilermakers’ offense couldn’t counter.

Really, though, Purdue’s defense was stout once again, holding Rutgers to only 217 yards, 3 of 15 on third down and limiting the Knights to 55 plays. The Boilermakers forced nine three-and-outs, including a five consecutive series stretch in the second half to continually give the offense chances to respond.

“Our defense, they’re amazing,” Mahoungou said. “Every game, they just bring their ‘A’ game, and it’s always — I don’t want to say the offense’s fault — but, yes, it is.”

• Eric Swingler started at left tackle in place of the injured Grant Hermanns, and Garrett Hudson made his second consecutive start for injured T.J. McCollum at weakside linebacker.

• Tario Fuller was in uniform for Purdue but didn't play. It was the fourth consecutive game he's missed with what Brohm has called a bone bruise on his left ankle.

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