At the beginning of this game, many predicted it wouldn't be very close. Few outside of the Boilermaker faithful thought it would be a Homecoming game to remember. Boston College had just moved into college football's top 25 (No. 23) and had outscored all of its opponents by a wide margin.
Someone failed to tell that to the Boilermaker defense, which held Eagles running back, and preseason ACC Player of the Year candidate AJ Dillon to just 59 rushing yards, and anchored a 30-13 win.
"Our guys played lights out today," said head coach Jeff Brohm, who watched his pass rush have by far its best game of the season, tallying four sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The defensive unit also rebounded from an early touchdown pass by Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown to pick him off four times. The defensive line recorded two of those, after deflections were popped up into the air at the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Markus Bailey tallied 10 solo tackles.
Boiler QB David Blough, coming off a school record-breaking preformance the week before (572 passing yards in a loss to Missouri), completed 21 of 28 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore continued his standout play, again leading the team in receiving with 110 yards and two touchdowns, one a 70 yard catch-and-run.
The Boilers' offensive line continues to be a work in progress, allowing Blough to sacked four times in the first half and five times total.
Purdue finishes its four-game, season-opening homestand with a record of 1-3. The Boilers head to Lincoln next week to play a Nebraska team that's winless and coming off a 56-10 shellacking by 19th-ranked Michigan.
