After Long Delay Virginia Tech Loses Tough Battle To Purdue 24-17 (9-9-23)

By: Joey Raymond

Headline Photo Courtesy: Virginia Tech Athletics

Blacksburg, VA–After what started as a beautiful sunny day turned into a rainstorm in a matter of minutes, the Hokies and the Boilermakers got ready to battle in a soaking-wet Lane Stadium. The rain didn’t deter fans though as Lane Stadium is filled up and raring to go for this 12:15 pm kickoff. The student section was full even through the delay, screaming and dancing, waiting for this game to start. The Purdue Boilermakers are looking to get their first win of the season after suffering a tough home loss to Fresno State. The Hokies are looking to keep up the momentum, as they won at home last week against Old Dominion.

First Quarter Recap:
​We start this game with rain pouring down onto the field, as the Hokies kick off to the Boilermakers. The fans are singing acapella to ‘Enter Sandman’ as the kick goes into the end zone for a touchback. The first drive for the Boilermakers would be a good one. Purdue rocks their way into the endzone after a 9-play, 60-yard drive. The touchdown from running back Devin Mockobee gives the Boilermakers a 7-0 lead after the extra point. The Hokies would take a turn after a touchback from Purdue. The Hokies start the drive on the 25-yard line. The drive for the Hokies does go somber when Ali Jennings gets an apparent leg injury and gets helped off the field. The rest of the drive for the Hokies stalls out, as the Hokies can’t get anything going and punt it away. The punt is a really good one, as the ball gets downed at the 4-yard line. As the rain turns from sprinkle to downpour, Purdue drives down the field. On the ground or in the air, it seems Purdue can’t be stopped. The Boilermakers work their way down and the drive is stopped. The game gets delayed because of the weather.

After the Delay:
The Hokies and the Boilermakers headed into their respective locker rooms approximately five and a half hours ago. The Boilermakers were in the middle of a lengthy drive when they got stopped on the 48-yard line. They start with a 3rd down and 7 yards to go and 5 minutes and 50 seconds left on the clock. ‘Enter Sandman’ bellows throughout a half-empty stadium as Purdue and the Hokies set to start again. Purdue starts with a penalty, getting a false start right out of the gate. The Hokies then get a massive sack from Tisdale, bringing us to fourth down. The Hokies turn now, as the drive starts hot, with a first down pass to Gosnell. The Hokies get to third down, then fumble, causing them to punt. The Boilermakers would then put together a solid drive, however, they do get stopped at the 26-yard line by the Hokies’ defense.

Second Quarter Recap:
Purdue attempts and drills a field goal, bringing the score to 10-0, with the Boilermakers in the lead. The Hokies begin the drive and on the first play, Grant Wells throws an interception. Purdue gets the ball and starts their drive on the Virginia Tech 20. They take full advantage of the interception, scoring a touchdown on the second play of the drive. This brings the score to 17-0. The following drives for both the Hokies and the Boilermakers would result in three outs. The Hokies would be the next team to start driving, as they work their way down to the 30-yard line. The Hokies would get to 4th down when they went for it. Grant Wells would throw a dart to Tuten who would muscle his way into the end zone for a Hokies touchdown. That brings the score to 17-7 as the Hokies try to mount a comeback. Purdue would turn it over on downs in their next drive, giving the Hokies the ball at the 34-yard line. The Hokies can’t get much out of the turnover though as a couple of missed passes from Wells forces the Hokies to kick. Love drills the field goal, bringing the score to 17-10. The Hokies would force the Boilermakers into another fourth-down situation the next drive. Purdue would punt, giving the Hokies 1:19 left on the clock. The Hokies would get a call their way as the Boilermakers got called for roughing the passer, bringing the Hokies to the 37-yard line. Virginia Tech would get into the red zone, thanks to a pass reception from Dae’quan Wright. The Boilermakers would commit another roughing the passer penalty, giving the Hokies another first down. The Hokies take full advantage, scoring on the next play off a touchdown pass from Wells. The score is all tied up after the score at 17-17. That would be the score going into halftime.

Third Quarter Recap:
​Virginia Tech starts with the ball to start the second half, after a 10-minute halftime due to the delay. The Hokies would throw an interception to start the half, giving Purdue the ball at the 40-yard line. Purdue would go three and out on the drive after the interception. Virginia Tech doesn’t do much better, getting a first down before having to punt it away. Virginia Tech would continue their dominance on third down, getting another stop, their 7th stop in a row on third down. The Hokies get a turn to have the ball and take quick momentum after a 39-yard pass to Stephen Gosnell. Virginia Tech would then stall out there though, having to punt it back to Purdue. The punt does put Purdue deep into their zone, as the ball gets spotted at the 5-yard line. Purdue does get a really big play, off a 36-yard pass to Sheffield, but gets stopped shortly after on third down, forcing Purdue to attempt a field goal. That would be Virginia Tech’s 8th straight stop on third down. Purdue missed the field goal, keeping the score tied at 17-17, and giving the Hokies the ball at the 33-yard line with 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Virginia Tech would run a couple of plays, picking up a first down before the clock expired, ending the quarter, with the score still tied at 17-17.

Fourth Quarter Recap:
​Virginia Tech attempted to keep up the momentum they had when the third quarter ended, starting with a deep pass that ultimately fell incomplete. After the play the Hokies get called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, killing any momentum the Hokies had. Virginia Tech ends up having to punt on the drive, giving the ball back to Purdue. Purdue puts together a hard-nosed, tough-fought drive, ending in a touchdown run by Hudson Card. This gives Purdue a 24-17 lead. The Hokies had to try and answer the Purdue score, starting their drive at the 35-yard line. Purdue’s defense would come up big, forcing the Hokies into a three-and-out. Purdue would work their way down to the 34-yard line and get to fourth down. They attempt to go for it, but they get called for a false start and are forced to punt it away. The Hokies would have 2:30 left on the clock to make a drive in an attempt to tie this ball game. Kyron Drones is the quarterback to start the drive. Kyron shows some flashes of brilliance early in the drive, making some quick passes and a big run, but is stopped at the 40-yard line, as Purdue works the Hokies into fourth down. With only 1:23 left on the clock, the Hokies will be forced to go for it, to keep any hope of winning this game. Unfortunately for the Hokies, Kyron Drones threw an incomplete pass, giving the ball back to Purdue. Purdue would get a big first down on the ground, causing Virginia Tech to use all of their timeouts. The Boilermakers would go into victory formation for the rest of the game, sealing the score. The final score in this one would be 24-17, with Purdue pulling out the victory.

What’s Next?
​After a hard-fought battle and a lengthy rain delay, Purdue reigns victorious in this one. The Boilermakers pulled ahead at the end and never looked back. This win moves them to 1-1 on the season. The Hokies stalled often on offense today and definitely will have a lot to work on heading into a tough road game next week. This loss puts the Hokies at 1-1 on the year as well. The Boilermakers are heading back home next week where they will play Syracuse under the lights, in a prime-time matchup. That game will kick off at 7:30 pm, something Purdue is looking forward to. The Hokies will get their first road test of the season, traveling to New Jersey to take on Rutgers. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m.