Wallace's big rushing day leads Penn State over Purdue 31-17, 1st Big Ten win under Matt Campbell
Cam Wallace ran for 135 yards with a touchdown, and Penn State beat Purdue 31-17 on Saturday for its first Big Ten win of the Matt Campbell era
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Cam Wallace never doubted he’d be able to return from a grisly injury that could’ve cost him his career.
Although it took a little longer than he would’ve hoped, Wallace finally had his breakout moment for Penn State two years after broken bones in both of his legs kept him sidelined with surgeries and rehab for the better part of two seasons.
The junior Nittany Lion ran for 135 yards with a touchdown, and Penn State beat Purdue 31-17 on Saturday for its first Big Ten win of the Matt Campbell era.
“I’ve been through a lot in my career, so everything is just falling into place for the work that I put in,” Wallace said. “I’m just happy for myself and this team.”
Rocco Becht and Carson Hansen ran for scores, and Becht threw a touchdown to Andrew Rappleyea for the Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten), who snapped a four-game losing streak with their 12th straight win in the series.
Penn State took advantage of a leaky Purdue defense that ranked 119th in the country entering the game. The Nittany Lions, which hadn’t eclipsed 100 yards rushing since registering 119 in their Big Ten opening loss to Wisconsin, racked up 269 yards on the ground with 5.3 yards per carry against the Boilermakers.
Wallace, who ran patiently and forcefully all night, had just 22 carries for 125 yards so far this season.
Campbell had a feeling his seldom-used back would add to those numbers in a big way after two weeks of standout practices where Wallace became the focus of the team’s inside running game.
“In the bye week, this guy was the shining star,” Campbell said. “I said it Wednesday in our team meeting, and then you went out to practice again on Thursday and he was the shining star.”
Rappleyea capped Penn State’s opening drive after hauling in a short touchdown pass from Becht. A 48-yard burst from Wallace on Penn State’s next possession set Becht up to scamper around Purdue’s defense for a six-yard score that put Penn State up 14-7.
The Boilermakers (3-5, 2-3), looking for their first win against Penn State since 2004, answered the Nittany Lions’ opening points with quarterback Ryan Browne’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Townshend.
Jalil Hall tied it at 14-14 when he returned a blocked punt 31 yards toward Penn State’s Halloween-decorated student section with 8:52 left in the first half.
The Boilermakers, though, couldn’t get another stop, and Penn State’s offense drove 65 yards before Hansen burst over the goal line from a yard out to make it 21-14 heading into halftime.
Penn State’s defense took control in the third quarter when Jamison Patton intercepted Browne at midfield. Barker turned it into a 44-yard field goal and a 24-14 lead late in the third.
Wallace kept his legs churning on Penn State’s next possession to help seal the game. He racked up 40 of the offense’s 85 yards and made it 31-14 with just under 10 minutes to play.
“Cam’s resiliency, who he is, what he’s about, I think that is kind of the spirit of what we need on our football team and need more of,” Campbell said.
Jacobo Echeverria Lozano hit a 49-yard field goal to cut the lead to 31-17, but Purdue wouldn’t come any closer as the Penn State reserves closed out the game.
Historically, Penn State defenses have sacked quarterbacks in bunches and stuffed opposing rushers.
It’s been tough this season, however. The Nittany Lions entered with just nine sacks and had allowed 218 rushing yards per game through four Big Ten games.
D’Anton Lynn’s defense finally notched its first sack in conference play and held the Boilermakers to just 33 rushing yards.
“I knew going into it their front seven is difficult, and that proved to be true tonight,” Purdue coach Barry Odom said. “We weren’t good enough to overcome that.”
Purdue: The Boilermakers couldn’t run the ball and couldn’t really throw it either. They didn’t get many opportunities to tweak their game plan early as Penn State ran 20 more first-half plays and possessed the ball for 22:05 to Purdue’s 7:55 over the first two quarters.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions, who entered the game with the Big Ten’s 13th-ranked offense, needed a confidence booster. They’ve played without star wideout Koby Howard since Big Ten play started and were also without current leading receiver Chase Sowell for this one. It didn’t matter, as offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser turned to the running game where Wallace broke out.
Purdue: Hosts Maryland on Saturday.
Penn State: Visits Washington on Saturday
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