With a 32-14 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Purdue is putting a stamp on its most successful football season since 2007.
Purdue (7-4, 5-3 in the Big Ten) grabbed an early lead over the Wildcats (4-8, 1-7) and never trailed. After a pair of field goals, the Boilers scored their first touchdown on a 53-yard pass to junior wide receiver Milton Wright for a 13-0 lead with one minute, 45 seconds left before halftime.
“Well, it was a lot of fun playing in this venue without question. I know it’s something that our players will look back on years from now,” said head coach Jeff Brohm after the Boilermakers played their first football game in a Major League Baseball stadium since 1947 at Fenway Park in Boston.
Wright came into the game with four touchdown receptions all year, but almost equaled his season total on Saturday with three among his eight catches 213 yards. “I’m proud of Milton (Wright),” said Brohm. “To come out here and catch for over 200 yards was a great accomplishment by him.”
One of Wright’s touchdowns came after an accidental onside kick by the Boilermakers when sophomore kicker Chris Van Eekeren’s plant foot slipped on the opening kickoff of the second half in a sodded area around second base at Wrigley.
“(The onside kick) was huge and it was not by design,” said Brohm. “Without question we had some luck on our side and we took advantage of it.”
Boilers quarterback Aidan O’Connell also had a good day as he finished with 29 completions of 39 attempts for 423 yards and three touchdowns.
With bowl game eligibility for the first time since 2018, the Boilers have a chance to finish the season with the most wins since that 2007 campaign. In ‘07, Purdue (8-5) opened the season with five wins in a row and ended with a victory over Central Michigan at the Motor City Bowl in Detroit.
The Boilers’ last game of the regular season is against their in-state rival, the Indiana Hoosiers, Nov. 27 in West Lafayette. Kickoff is set for 3:30.