The 3-2-1: Purdue vs. Nebraska
MORE: The 3-2-1: Purdue vs. Nebraska | GoldandBlack.com Blog: So much just happened | Gold and Black Radio Express: Purdue beats Nebraska | O'Connell delivers off the bench | Final thoughts on Purdue's win | 10 Things you need to know about Purdue's victory | Grading the Boilermakers | Upon further review: Purdue-Nebraska | Data Driven
PDF: Purdue-Nebraska statistics
Purdue won a thrilling, cathartic and badly needed outcome under dire circumstance Saturday, beating Nebraska 31-27 after Aidan O'Connell led a game-winning touchdown drive, capped by David Bell's nine-yard third-down run with 1:08 left.
It was a wild finish after Purdue took a 24-20 lead with about seven minutes left, a few plays after losing its quarterback, only to see the Cornhuskers score in response to win this battle of desperate teams.
Instant analysis from Purdue's 31-27 win over Nebraska.
• The game was in the hands of Purdue's defense, and when It got a do-over It came up big In a situation where it's often come up short, stuffing Nebraska's final drive.
For as many stories that came out of this game, that one shouldn't be overlooked.
• The story of Purdue's season keeps getting rewritten, incredibly, as QB Jack Plummer was lost to an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter, before Purdue's go-ahead TD.
You just can't make this stuff up at this point.
• Consistency remains a need, but the best of Plummer overtook the other end of that spectrum in the first half, as he was outstanding in the second quarter, with both his arm and his legs, after earlier being guilt of a pair of turnovers in Boilermaker territory, giveaways that made Purdue fortunate to not be down more early.
If Purdue can get its young quarterback to the point where the best is his normal, it really may have something.
Plummer's ability to run was a difference-maker.
Of course this may be a moot point now after Plummer was hurt, but that doesn't chance the fact that Plummer factored heavily into this outcome.
• You couldn't have asked for a whole lot more from Purdue's defense, which thrived with its back to the wall all day, put in tough spots by turnovers and special teams miscues. Its stubbornness In the red zone was exemplary, and the game changed for the better for Purdue once the offense helped it.
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