If you’re a ranked Big Ten team, you probably don’t want to see Purdue coming up on the schedule anytime soon.
Two weeks ago, Purdue knocked off No. 2 Ohio State in one of the biggest upsets of the 2018 season. Saturday night, Purdue played host to No. 16 Iowa and, for the second time in as three games, picked up the upset as the Boilermakers knocked off the Hawkeyes in a 38-36 thriller.
Trailing 35-23 early in the fourth quarter, a pair of Mekhi Sargent one-yard touchdown runs and a missed two-point conversion combined to give the visiting Hawkeyes a 36-35 lead with 10:19 remaining. The teams then traded punts on their next possessions, with the Boilermakers getting another opportunity with just over four minutes left on the clock and the ball well-positioned at midfield.
A fourth-down conversion at the Iowa 30-yard line kept the drive moving, while a critical pass interference call against the Hawkeyes moved the ball well within field-goal range at the 16. Another first down on a DJ Knox 11-yard run set the ball up at the 5-yard line.
With eight seconds left, Spencer Evans connected on what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.
David Blough passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Terry Wright was responsible for 146 of the yards and caught three of the touchdowns.
In addition to Iowa and Ohio State, Purdue also knocked off then-No. 23 Boston College in Week 4. This marks the first time since 2003 that the Boilermakers, now 5-4 on the season, have beaten three ranked teams in the same season.
The loss for Iowa, meanwhile, puts a serious dent in their Big Ten West hopes. Now sitting at 3-3 in conference play, Hawkeyes find themselves behind Northwestern (5-1) and Wisconsin (4-2). Iowa has already lost to Wisconsin, while they face Northwestern next weekend in Iowa City.