Purdue University issued the following announcement on Nov. 6.
For the second time this season, the Purdue football team knocked off a Top-3 team, as the Boilermakers upended No. 3/5 Michigan State 40-29 on Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue beat two AP Top-5 teams for the first time since 1960, when it beat No. 3 Ohio State and No. 1 Minnesota.
Purdue is bowl eligible for first time since 2018 and the third time in the Brohm era.
Aidan O'Connell threw for 536 yards – the third-highest total in Purdue history, and David Bell became the school-record holder for 100-yard receiving games with 15 as he totaled 11 catches for 217 yards. The Boilermakers totaled 594 yards of offense.
Meanwhile, the Purdue defense recorded a pair of takeaways including a key goalline interception by Dedrick Mackey in the fourth quarter to preserve a 34-21 advantage.
The defense gave Purdue an early jolt when Marvin Grant forced a fumble on Michigan State's opening drive and recovered by George Karlaftis. O'Connell marched the Boilermakers down the field on a 9-play, 62-yard scoring drive, capped by a 5-yard scoring toss to David Bell.
Purdue regained the lead early in the second, O'Connell lofted a pass to the back corner of the endzone where Broc Thompson managed to drag a toe for the 8-yard score and make it 14-7 Purdue.
The Boilermakers dipped into their bag of tricks late in the second quarter to take a 21-7 lead. O'Connell handed the ball off to Jackson Anthrop, who flipped it to Milton Wright, who then lateraled back to O'Connell, who threw a short screen back to Anthrop. The redshirt senior then picked up key blocks from Greg Long, Tyler Witt and David Bell before taking it 33-yard for the touchdown.
Michigan State evened the score with 14 unanswered points. Running back Kenneth Walker III (23 carries, 146 yards), cut the gap in half with a 14-yard touchdown run on fourth down right before the half, before the Spartans took advantage of a fumble on Purdue's opening drive of the second half with a 32-yard touchdown run by quarterback Payton Thorne.
The Boilermakers bounced back with 16 straight points of their own. King Doerue pounded his way through the line on a one-yard score to put Purdue back on top. Mitchell Fineran came on to connect on three second-half field goals of 29, 24 and 23 for a 37-21 lead.
Michigan State narrowed the margin to 37-29, but Fineran put the nail in the coffin with just over a minute left.
AIRING IT OUT
O'Connell threw for 300 yards for the fifth time in his career. He recorded career highs in yards (536), completions (40), attempts (54) and touchdowns (3).
ANOTHER TOP-5 BITES THE DUST
The Boilermakers added to the legacy of taking down the nation's top teams. Including a 24-7 win at No. 2 Iowa on Oct. 16, Purdue now has 17 wins all-time against the AP Top 5, the most in the country. Purdue has seven wins against No. 1, six against No. 2, two against No. 3, two against No. 4 and seven against No. 5.
In the past 50 years, there have now been four instances of a team beating two top-5 teams in the same season while unranked for both games (2021 Purdue, 2007 Illinois, 1983 Penn State, 1978 Missouri).
Original source can be found here.
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