NCAAF

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Purdue Boilermakers

· NCAA - Football
4-1, 1-0 Away
Final
28 - 10
1-3, 1-2 Home

Raiola helps Nebraska pull away from Purdue in the 2nd half, 28-10

After playing a scoreless first half and trailing 3-0 late in the third quarter, the Cornhuskers scored 28 unanswered points and kept Purdue out of the end zone until the Boilermakers scored in the final 2 minutes.

“They didn’t flinch,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “To come off the heartbreak of last week when nothing went right (in overtime home loss to Illinois). Glad it ended up 28-10, but it was a game we had to fight for. Guys had to make plays. We had tough calls go against us in the first half and the guys were telling me to keep my composure.”

Nebraska (4-1, 1-1) took the lead at 7-3 on Raiola’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Jahmal Banks with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter.

“Once we got it going, we couldn't be stopped,” Raiola said.

The Cornhuskers pushed the lead to 14-3 on a fourth-down, 1-yard touchdown by Dante Dowdell with 10:34 left in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska added a 25-yard TD run by Jacory Barney Jr. and John Bullock’s 29-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Purdue (1-3, 0-1) took a 3-0 lead on Spencer Porath’s 45-yard field goal with 6:42 left in third quarter — the Boilermakers’ first field goal of the season.

Each team squandered scoring opportunities in the scoreless first half. Purdue blocked field goals of 44 and 32 yards by Nebraska. The Cornhuskers also missed a 42-yard field goal and the Boilermakers missed a 39-yard field goal. Each team had a touchdown called back for offensive pass interference.

“Everything that could go wrong did in the first half, ” Rhule said.

Purdue quarterback Hudson Card was 18 of 25 passing for 174 yards, including 15-yard touchdown to Leland Smith with 1:29 left.

“Extremely disappointing and frustrating,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said. “We do the only thing I know how to do, we go to work and continue to make adjustments. I thought from a defensive perspective, we tweaked a few things and we make some adjustments that I felt helped us.”

The Cornhuskers limited the Boilermakers to 50 rushing yards.

“This gives us that much more confidence in ourselves," Bullock said. “Just knowing we are still a good team, we just have to play like it. It was a big step up from last week,”

The Takeaway Nebraska: The Cornhuskers finally got the running game in gear in the second half, finishing with 161 yards. Nebraska had its share of miscues with two blocked fields and 11 penalties, for 94 yards including an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule. Rhule said he threw his headset, but thought he was OK where he threw it on the sideline.

Defensive firepower Nebraska senior linebacker John Bullock finally got his first touchdown with 29-yard interception return.

“The last time in a game I had the ball in my hands was probably high school,” Bullock said. “To have the ball in my hands was incredible. I hope I can have more of, but that was more the coaches than me. They told me to play that route in cover 2 and I took it to the house. After that, I just went numb. I didn't know what to feel."

Up Next Nebraska: Hosts Rutgers next Saturday

Purdue: At Wisconsin next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Purdue Boilermakers?
  • TV Channel: Cornhuskers at Boilermakers 2021 College Football, week 5, is broadcasted on Peacock.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Boilermakers: 20.4%
Cornhuskers: 79.6%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

PUR FG 3rd Period 6:42 Spencer Porath 45 Yd Field Goal
NEB TD 3rd Period 2:49 Jahmal Banks 6 Yd pass from Dylan Raiola (John Hohl Kick)
NEB TD 4th Period 10:34 Dante Dowdell 1 Yd Run (John Hohl Kick)
NEB TD 4th Period 6:13 Jacory Barney Jr. 25 Yd Run (John Hohl Kick)
NEB TD 4th Period 5:38 John Bullock 35 Yd Interception Return (John Hohl Kick)
PUR TD 4th Period 1:29 Leland Smith 15 Yd pass from Hudson Card (Spencer Porath Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/158.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNEB https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2509.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPUR
25 1st Downs 12
1-8 3rd down efficiency 7-15
1-1 4th down efficiency 0-0
418 Total Yards 224
257 Passing 174
17/27 Comp/Att 18/25
9.5 Yards per pass 7.0
161 Rushing 50
32 Rushing Attempts 31
5.0 Yards per rush 1.6
11-94 Penalties 13-165
0 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 1
30:18 Possession 29:42

Game Information

Ross-Ade Stadium

Location: West Lafayette, IN
Attendance: 61,441 · Capacity:
Full Standings

College Football News

QB Thomas Castellanos won't return to Boston College football

QB Thomas Castellanos won't return to Boston College football

Thomas Castellanos will not be returning to the Boston College football team, he announced Thursday night.

No. 21 LSU and Florida are both hoping for a bounce-back following a beatdown

No. 21 LSU and Florida are both hoping for a bounce-back following a beatdown

— No one at LSU and Florida can be happy about what happened last weekend.

Georgia to be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne vs. Vols

Georgia to be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne vs. Vols

Georgia leading rusher Trevor Etienne has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Tennessee.

Florida's DJ Lagway to start vs. LSU after 1-game absence

Florida's DJ Lagway to start vs. LSU after 1-game absence

Florida's DJ Lagway is "ready to play" against No. 21 LSU this weekend, coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

2025 NFL draft position rankings: Kiper, Miller, Reid, Yates

2025 NFL draft position rankings: Kiper, Miller, Reid, Yates

Who are the best players at every position? Our four analysts give their top-fives, plus their combined overall top-10 ranking for the 2025 class.