Purdue Boilermakers vs Western Illinois Leathernecks Recap

Purdue 31, Western Illinois 21

Perhaps experiencing a letdown from last week’s loss to Notre Dame, Purdue was not particularly impressive in a 31-21 win over FCS opponent Western Illinois in the Boilermakers’ home opener on Saturday.

The game was overshadowed by a serious knee injury to star wide receiver Keith Smith.

However, there were some positives for Purdue.  Obviously, the Boilers didn’t meet the same fate as Minnesota, which lost its home opener to South Dakota on the same afternoon (and also in its home stadium).

Dan Dierking carried 14 times for 102 yards and two touchdowns for Purdue, and Al-Terek McBurse ran five times for 81 yards, including his first touchdown, a spectacular 40-yard run in the fourth quarter that gave Purdue a 31-14 lead.

In his home debut as Purdue’s quarterback, Robert Marve completed 23 of 34 passes for 171 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

Marve threw an interception on the Boilermakers’ first drive, courtesy of Western Illinois’ Tyler West, who returned the pick to the Purdue 42, leading to the Leathernecks’ first touchdown.  Caulton Ray’s one-yard run gave WIU a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes left in the first quarter.

Purdue answered on its next drive when Marve completed a screen pass to wide receiver Justin Siller, who ran 25 yards to tie the score and enable an emotionally deflated Boilermaker ballclub to breathe a lot easier.

After a couple of promising drives stalled, the Purdue offense broke through late in the second quarter, rolling 71 yards in 14 plays to take a 14-7 lead on Dierking’s one-yard touchdown dive with 18 seconds left to play in the half.

A fumble on the ensuing kickoff gave Purdue the ball on the Leathernecks’ 23-yard line, and a Carson Wiggs field goal put the Boilermakers ahead 17-7 at the half.

The Boilermaker defense tightened the screws in the second half.  Western Ilinois gained just one first down in the third quarter, and quarterback Matt Barr completed just three passes. Purdue took a 24-7 lead on Dierking’s second touchdown of the game.  Dierking carried the ball on three consecutive plays for 43 yards, and his five-yard run gave the Boilers some breathing room.

The fourth quarter was overshadowed by the injury to Smith, the All-America candidate who was clearly Purdue’s best offensive player.  Smith’s knee buckled when he was hit along the WIU sideline after a completed pass (which was negated by a penalty).  He was carted off the field.

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