4:34 First Quarter; Purdue 7, Northwestern 3
Purdue won the coin toss and opted to defer to the second half. The Boilermakers got the ball quicker than they expected. On Northwestern’s first play from scrimmage, freshman running back Arby Fields took a zone rush off left tackle. After gaining five yards on the play, Fields was stripped of the ball by Ryan Kerrigan. It was recovered by Torri Williams at the 34-yard line. Purdue took advantage and scored five plays and 34 yards later on a 5-yard fade pass from Joey Elliott to Keith Smith, behind the coverage of Sherrick McManis. Elliott and Smith connected earlier on the drive for a gain of 19 that brought the ball to the NU 15-yard line. It took the Boilers just more than two minutes to put the touchdown on the board.
Then, Northwestern went on its longest drive of the season, a 20-play drive that lasted 7:54. The Wildcats moved the ball down the field with a heavy dose of Arby Fields and short passes. Mike Kafka competed 4-of-6 attempts, includeing a 14-yard completion to Zeke Markshausen. The Cats moved the ball down the field thanks to solid gains on third down. They moved the chains on 4-of-5 third down attempts. The drive was capped off by an 18-yard field goal from kicker Stefan Demos. But the field goal came after three straight attempts to punch the ball in from 2 yards.
