Hawkeyes Rally To Stun Boilers
![Iowa running back Jonathan Parker is swallowed up by the Purdue defense. Parker and the Hawkeyes would have the last laugh, rallying to beat Purdue 24-10 Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium. (Photos by Dave Deak)](https://www.inkfreenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jonathanparker-copy.jpg)
Iowa running back Jonathan Parker is swallowed up by the Purdue defense. Parker and the Hawkeyes would have the last laugh, rallying to beat Purdue 24-10 Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium. (Photos by Dave Deak)
WEST LAFAYETTE – Iowa spotted Purdue a 10-0 lead, then dominated the final 49 minutes, rallying for a 24-10 Big Ten opening victory Saturday.
The Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) took a 17-10 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 23-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Beathard to Kevonte Martin-Manley, capping a six-play, 71-yard drive.
Officials first ruled that Martin-Manley caught the ball out of bounds, but after video review, it was clear the receiver caught the ball with one foot in bounds.
While Purdue (2-3, 0-1 Big Ten) struggled to generate any sustained offense after the first quarter, Beathard and running back Mark Weismann helped Iowa maintain possession.
The Hawkeyes increased their lead to 24-10 with 5:10 remaining on Weismann’s 5-yard touchdown run that capped a 12-play, 79-yard drive. Weismann scored on a 2-yard run with 8:15 left in the second quarter, pulling Iowa within 10-7.
Iowa tied it at 10 with 13 seconds remaining in the first half on a 28-yard field goal by Marshall Koehn.
Purdue scored first when strong safety Frankie Williams intercepted Beathard in the right flat and ran 39 yards for a touchdown with 4:13 to go in the first quarter.
The Boilermakers increased their lead to 10-0 on Paul Griggs‘ 42-yard field with 11:48 left in the first half. From that point on, it was all Iowa, as the Hawkeyes won in West Lafayette for a second consecutive season. Iowa also pulled away in the second half in 2013, outscoring Purdue 24-7 in the final 30 minutes for a 38-14 victory.
This was the third come-from-behind win for Iowa this season. The Hawkeyes trailed Ball State 13-3 in the fourth quarter but rallied for a 17-13 victory. Last week, the Hawkeyes trailed 20-17 at Pittsburgh in the final quarter before winning, 24-20.
Purdue now is 3-14 in the Hazell era, beating only Indiana State in 2013 and Western Michigan and Southern Illinois thus far this season.
After early runs of 33 and 17 yards by senior Akeem Hunt, the Purdue offense spun its wheels, at one point picking up one first down total in a stretch of five possessions.
Quarterback Danny Etling was sacked three times in the first half and once on the opening possession of the second half.
Iowa finished with 420 yards of offense, 404 during the final three quarters. Purdue gained 74 yards in the first quarter but finished with only 156 yards.