Purdue’s offense is rolling.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Iowa’s defense has been its strength all season. If the Hawkeyes get into an offensive funk, the defense has consistently been there to put the fire out.

It’s not helping today. Purdue’s offense is getting whatever it wants and moving the ball at will using short passing plays to set up chunk plays that have gone for 6 multiple times.

A big reason for the Boilermakers’ ability to move the ball has come by way of missed tackles from the Hawkeyes. Purdue‘s playcalling has allowed receivers to get into open space and when a chance to keep the gain at a minimum comes up, the Hawkeyes have not made good on their chances.

Meanwhile, the Boilermaker offense is proving it’s the real deal. Quarterback David Blough completed 15 of his  20 passes in the first half for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Those scores have come from 36 and 41 yards out, and there was a 57-yard pass that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Markell Jones.

Purdue is doing it all through the air, though, as Iowa has held the Boilermakers to just 28 yards on the ground.

The Hawkeye defense has come up with important stops before, so that will be a key heading into a second half that could go down to the wire.

–Pete Ruden 

Hawkeye offense has some life.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -Last week, this wasn’t the case, but on Saturday against Purdue, the offense has made plays.

That touchdown to end the half on Iowa’s end was huge. Not only do the Hawkeyes have momentum heading into the second half, but they also receive the kickoff.

On that touchdown drive, Iowa’s ability to find its tailbacks in the passing game worked perfectly. With Purdue blitzing, quarterback Nate Stanley hit Ivory Kelly-Martin on a wheel route, and he was wide open on a  critical third down.

Stanley hasn’t looked terrible after his forgetful Penn State performance, either, and that’s what Iowa needs. With Purdue showing the ability to move the ball with ease, the Hawkeye offense needs to help its defense out.

Look for the Hawkeyes to continue to mix the run and pass in the second half. Iowa ran 36 first-half plays. 21 of those were running plays and 15 were passes. Although Purdue boasts the conference’s worst pass defense, Iowa’s running attack has been its main catalyst. The Hawkeyes have ran for 80 yards so far, with 34 coming from Kelly-Martin. Toren Young has 29 and Mekhi Sargent has 13.

– Adam Hensley

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