Contrary to common assumption, Randy Walker knew what to expect from Purdue’s offense.
But the Northwestern coach just didn’t know to what extent.
“Everybody probably thought I was crazy when, all week, I kept saying we had to stop the run against Purdue,” Walker said. “But we had to stop the run against Purdue and we didn’t do it all day.”
Even with quarterback Drew Brees, one of the Heisman Trophy frontrunners, Purdue still steamrolled behind its running game. When Brees didn’t swing his arm, running back Montrell Lowe confounded the Wildcats defense, scrambling for 174 yards on 26 carries in Purdue’s 41-28 win Saturday.
At times, Brees stuck around in the pocket looking to pass and, all of a sudden, ran between NU linemen. Brees threw and ran — and vice versa — to connect on 22 of 40 passes for 239 yards and sprint for 56 more behind lead blocks by center Chukky Okobi.
Apparently, the Cats weren’t ready to face both a running quarterback and a tailback who was averaging just 65 yards a game coming in.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” NU cornerback Raheem Covington said. “We had heard that they were trying to run the ball this year and that was a big part of their game plan. They executed. We didn’t stop the run like we know how and they played off of that.”
On Purdue’s first running play, Lowe pulled out to the left side of the line and let his speed do the rest. His career-long 50-yard run helped set up the Boilermakers’ first touchdown.
Brees’ 239 yards leaves him only 168 yards short of Iowa’s Chuck Long for the conference record in passing yards (10,461). It’s the only major passing record left for Brees, who has already set marks for touchdowns (81), completions (897), attempts (1,459) and total offense (11,021 yards).
“I can’t say enough about the quality player he is,” Walker said. “They do a great job with their scheme. Not to take anything away from Coach (Joe) Tiller, but he’s a special player and throws the ball very well. He makes some shots, you just go, ‘Wow.'”
Added Covington: “He’s a good quarterback, that’s all there is to it. He’s very talented.”
THE LONG GOOD-BYE: Saturday’s loss will no doubt fester in the Cats’ minds as they head into the upcoming bye week. Yet the week off also provides some benefits, allowing NU to review what went wrong against Purdue and nurse its injuries before heading to Minnesota Oct. 28.
“We have a bye week coming up and we’ve got to work hard in this bye week, get better in this bye week and then really prepare for Minnesota because they are a great football team,” Kustok said.
Although he expressed his desire to get back on the field immediately, Kustok understands the importance of the extra week of rest and preparation before taking on the No. 22 Golden Gophers.
“It gives us a chance to recuperate our bodies and we’ve got to get ready for the stretch run of the Big Ten,” he said. “I think this is a perfect opportunity for us to look at our mistakes, to get healed up, to get rested up and get ready for Minnesota and the games that follow.”
Wide receiver Sam Simmons is expected to return after aggravating a stress fracture in his back against Indiana. Derrick Thompson filled Simmons’ starting spot at receiver and was NU’s primary punt return man, while Jon Schweighardt filled the void on kickoff returns.
DROPPING RANK: With the loss to Purdue, the Cats fell eight spots in the Associated Press poll to No. 25 and dropped out of the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. The Boilermakers took NU’s spot in the AP, rising four spots to No. 17. With its stunning 29-17 upset of then-No. 6 Ohio State in Columbus, previously unranked Minnesota cracked the rankings, placing No. 22 in the AP and No. 23 in the coaches poll.
INCHES TO GO: Free safety Rashad Morton and right tackle Jeff Roehl left the game in the fourth quarter, but Walker did not specify their injuries. Morton is expected to be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. … With two touchdown catches Saturday, NU wideout Teddy Johnson set an NU record for consecutive games with a touchdown. Johnson, who has caught touchdowns in five straight games, broke the former record of four, most recently accomplished by D’Wayne Bates in 1996.
