Half Time; Purdue 21, NU 16
Well, so much for that. Sherrick McManis stepped in front of a pass from Elliott intended for Keith Smith on a slant. He picked the ball off at the 18-yard line. The Wildcats’ best defense is their own offense, I suppose. Purdue can’t score if it doesn’t have the ball.
Once NU got the ball back, it finally put lit up the scoreboard of the six-point variety. After four plays and 18 yards, Arby Fields rushed for a 5-yard touchdown up the middle. He went untouched for the score. The Cats were helped by an 11-yard conversion on third down from Kafka to Makrhausen.
Though it’s unbelievable, NU scored 52 seconds later on a 35-yard field goal by Stefan Demos. On Aaron Valentin’s return he fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the Cats at the 23. NU failed to move the ball more than five yards on four plays, but managed to salvage a field goal.
This time around, NU’s best defense was its special teams.
Then, the unthinkable happened… almost. Brian Peters forced another fumble on the ensuing return, but the play was reviewed and overturned. The officials said that Royce Adams’ knee was down on the return. Stefan Demos was lining up for a 50-yard field goal attempt during the official timeout.
Regardless, NU is back in the game. Who knows how, really? The offense has done nothing but move the ball at a methodical pace. The defense has done nothing but let Purdue march down the field with ease. Either way, it’s a one-score game. We’ll be sure to get a heavy dose of Pat Fitzgerald talking about his young men’s response after the game. But before that, we’ve got another half of football to play. Phew, what a half.
