Purdue football extra points: Top players, key moments, what's next after Northwestern win

WEST LAFAYETTE – We’ve reached the end of the regular-season road and for the first time under Jeff Brohm, the Boilermakers can win a piece of the Big Ten West title.

This might be the only time since next year is likely the last season for the East-West division format, but Purdue has a chance to hang a banner. Whether it’s shared or won outright, a division championship is a division championship.

A victory at Indiana on Saturday would give the Boilermakers a slice of the West title. Reaching the conference championship game requires help in form of Iowa losing to Nebraska on Friday. Purdue will know its situation well before Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

On with the countdown:

5 PLAYERS WHO MATTERED

Kieren Douglas: Maybe a bit of an unorthodox leadoff batter for this section but considering how far the linebacker has come since being helped off the field at Illinois, hardly practicing leading up to Saturday’s game and making seven tackles – all solos – it should be easy to understand. Talk about guts. Douglas has plenty. Talk about gaining respect in the locker room. The exact injury Douglas suffered isn’t known, other than its lower extremity related. Brohm considered Douglas unlikely earlier in the week but showed enough in the training room to be in uniform, warmup and begin in the starting lineup. The sixth-year senior needed help to leave the field after one play but returned. Douglas made one mistake – he jumped offsides on fourth down to start the second quarter – which led to a Northwestern field goal. But he made four tackles on the Wildcats’ last drive, the one that ended with a sack of quarterback Cole Freeman.

Another close gameDefense preserves victory, brings Purdue on verge of program achievement

Kydran Jenkins: Another defensive player dealing with the lingering effects of a lower-body injury. Jenkins plays the program’s LEO position and left the Wisconsin loss needing help to reach the sidelines. Purdue had its off week, giving him time to recover and returned for the loss to Iowa. Against Northwestern, Jenkins registered two tackles for loss – giving him a team-high 7.5 – and one quarterback hurry. He made plays off the edge, helping funnel plays back toward the middle. He’s had a steady and productive season. Jenkins isn’t flashy but he’s produced an MVP-type season for the defense.

Kobe Lewis: Has been hanging around third or fourth on the running back depth chart, trying to take advantage of every opportunity. But as the room has dwindled, first with the departure of King Doerue and then losing Devin Mockobee in the first quarter Saturday, the Central Michigan transfer seized his chance. The numbers weren’t eye-popping but steady. Lewis gained 42 rushing yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, but added 26 receiving yards on two catches and contributed 29 yards on kickoff returns. His 97 all-purpose yards were needed since the offense struggled with the elements for the second straight home game. Showed bursts of speed in the open field and wasn’t shy about lowering his head and fighting for extra yards. Lewis and Dylan Downing could be the main running backs against Indiana depending on Mockobee’s status.

Jack Sullivan: Sealed the victory with a 5-yard sack of Freeman on fourth down near midfield. Also forced a fumble on the same play, creating more havoc. Purdue needed a play in that situation and the defensive end delivered. It was his team-best fifth sack and added a quarterback hurry earlier in the game. Sullivan is part of a defensive line that keeps improving because of the depth across the board. The Boilermakers didn’t have tackle Branson Deen but still came through with big plays.

Gus Hartwig: Need to recognize the starting center who is done for the season after suffering a leg injury. Brohm said Hartwig will be out “quite a while,” keeping him away from the Old Oaken Bucket and the bowl matchup. He’s a leader on the offensive line – and the team. Saturday was his 27th consecutive start. He’s played with two broken hands this season, bypassing practice to be ready for each Saturday. A big part of the running game’s success and is nearly irreplaceable but the Boilermakers will have to march forward.

4 KEY PLAYS

Sullivan’s sack. After 10 straight running plays, the Wildcats attempted a pass on their next-to-last drive. It only left Freeman’s when Sullivan blew up the play. Game over.

Fourth-and-1: Fourth quarter with the Boilermakers leading 14-9 and needing points to extend the lead after the Wildcats had just scored. With the ball at the 11-yard line, Downing carries for 2 yards and a first down. Brohm could’ve kicked a field goal but opted to keep the offense on the field. The drive stalled and Mitchell Fineran added a 26-yard field to stretch the lead to eight.

Purdue 17, Northwestern 9Grading the Boilers

Non-pick-six. All Jalen Graham had to do was sprint into the end zone with his interception and Purdue would’ve easily won this game. But Graham high-stepped his way over the goal line, prompting the officials to throw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. Like it or not, it’s the rule and it’s been that way for more than a decade. Erase the TD and a 21-3 lead. Instead, the offense goes nowhere and Fineran misses a 47-yard field goal into the wind and Purdue comes up empty. The Boilermakers must lead the nation in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Durham’s 27-yard catch. Second quarter facing third-and-11 from its own 29, O’Connell connects with Durham over the middle for 27 yards. The quarterback-tight end combination had trouble getting going early but this one sparked the duo. It led to a 3-yard TD pass to Durham and a 14-3 lead for the Boilermakers with 4:12 before halftime.

3 NUMBERS

0: Interceptions by O’Connell, who snapped a streak of seven straight games with at least one.

2007: The last time Purdue beat Northwestern at Ross-Ade Stadium, a span of five consecutive games.

299: Fewest total yards generated by the Boilermakers in a victory since 2018 against Iowa (294).

2 QUESTIONS

▶ Is there enough on the roster to get Purdue through the rest of the season?

▶ Are Boilermaker fans rooting for Nebraska to beat Iowa or are they content with sharing the Big Ten West title and focusing on the bowl game?

1 FINAL THOUGHT

Saturday marked the seventh time this season Purdue has played a one-score game. To its credit, it’s won five times and lost two. Both of the losses came in the first three games to Penn State and Syracuse. Since then, the Boilermakers have beaten Florida Atlantic, Maryland, Nebraska, Illinois and Northwestern by a combined 25 points. The victory, though, over the Wildcats was more of a reflection of what Purdue did to put itself in another close game. Graham’s penalty was the biggest factor but only 34 yards of offense in the third quarter played a role in not putting away the Wildcats. The defense played well enough not to be in the position it was at the end, needing to make a play to keep Northwestern from potentially tying the score. Get ready for another down-to-the-wire finish in Bloomington where the battled-tested Boilermakers will once again find themselves in a fight for survival and a share of the Big Ten West.

Mike Carmin covers Purdue sports for the Journal & Courier and USA Today Sports Network. Email mcarmin@gannett.com and follow on Twitter and Instagram @carmin_jc

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Northwestern at Purdue football: Big Ten West Old Oaken Bucket Indiana