Redd, defense lead Penn State past Purdue, 23-18

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Running back Silas Redd (Norwalk, Conn.) collected his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season and the Nittany Lion defense generated a season-high three interceptions, as No. 25 Penn State downed Purdue, 23-18, Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions improved to 6-1 overall (3-0 Big Ten) with their Homecoming win.

Redd, who tallied his fifth touchdown of the season, powered the Penn State rushing attack with 131 yards on 28 attempts. Curtis Dukes (Evan Mills, N.Y.) added his first touchdown of the season, while Anthony Fera (Cypress, Texas) connected on all three of his field goal attempts.

Quarterbacks Rob Bolden (Orchard Lake, Mich.) and Matt McGloin (Scranton) each orchestrated a touchdown drive for the Nittany Lions. Bolden finished 2-for-6 for 40 yards, while McGloin connected on 8-for-17 attempts for 145 yards and an interception. Justin Brown (Wilmington, Del.) led the air attack with four catches for 86 yards.

The Nittany Lions outgained the Boilermakers by a 367-344 margin and scored on four-of-five red-zone possessions.

Gerald Hodges (Paulsboro, N.J.) led the Nittany Lions with eight tackles, including 3.0 for loss, while Sean Stanley (Rockville, Md.) recorded a sack. Nate Stupar (State College) and Nick Sukay (Mt. Pleasant) recorded two and one interceptions, respectively.

The Nittany Lions took a 7-0 lead with 4:38 left in the opening quarter after Dukes capped off a seven-play, 73-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. During Penn State’s second drive of the game, Redd rushed three times for 26 yards, while Bolden connected with Brandon Moseby-Felder (Fort Washington, Md.) for 19 and 21 yards, the latter setting up Dukes’ scoring run.

Purdue responded the following series as Carson Wiggs connected on a 28-yard field goal to make it a 7- 3 contest. The drive was highlighted by Caleb TerBush’s second down, 50-yard pass completion to Justin Siller, who brought the ball down to the Penn State 30 yard line.

The Boilermakers inched closer in the second half, as they cut the deficit to a single point with 8:30 remaining in the opening half. With Robert Marve playing his first series under center, the senior completed passes to Ralph Bolden and Antavian Edison before Bolden broke loose for a 39-yard run. Three plays later, Wiggs secured a 32-yard field goal, his second of the game.

With time winding down in the half, Stupar corralled his third career interception to help set up the Nittany Lion scoring drive. Penn State’s defensive line forced Marve to his right, where he threw the ball down the middle of the field. The attempt was intercepted by Stupar, who returned it 24 yards. Three plays later, Fera kicked a 29-yard field goal as time expired to give Penn State the 10-6 halftime lead.

In the second half, Penn State took a 13-6 lead with 5:57 left in the third quarter when Fera connected on a career-long 40-yard field goal. The Nittany Lions opened the drive on the Purdue 31 yard line after Justin Brown returned a punt 33 yards, Penn State’s longest return of the season.

After Purdue’s Raheem Mostert returned the ensuing kickoff 71 yards, TerBush threw a 14-yard touchdown reception to O.J. Ross with 4:02 left in the third quarter to make it a 13-12 game. Penn State kept the one-point lead when Wiggs’ extra-point attempt banged off the right upright.

The Nittany Lions grabbed a 20-12 advantage 1:23 later with Redd’s nine-yard touchdown run. After Penn State opened the drive at its 40 yard line following an out-of-bounds kick, McGloin completed consecutive passes to Devon Smith (White Plains, Md., 22 yards), Brown (20 yards) and Joe Suhey (Deerfield, Ill., nine yards). Redd then tallied his fifth rushing touchdown of the season to cap off the four-play, 60-yard drive.

With Purdue driving into Penn State territory the following series, Sukay made a diving interception on TerBush’s third-down attempt. TerBush, who was hit on the throw, had his pass to Ross knocked in the air by Chaz Powell (New Freedom). Sukay then dove to collect his eighth-career interception at the 15 yard line.

The Boilermakers closed the gap to 20-18 when Akeem Shavers leaped for a one-yard touchdown run with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. After Albert Evans intercepted McGloin’s pass in the end zone and returned it 55 yards, Shavers capped off the eight-play, 45-yard drive with the touchdown run. During the two-point conversion attempt, TerBush rolled to his right and attempted to run it in but was stopped by a trio of Nittany Lion linebackers.

Powell returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards before Fera connected on a 29-yard field goal attempt with 6:24 left to give Penn State a 23-18 lead.

Later in the game, Purdue attempted a fourth-down conversion with just over two minutes to play, but Stupar collected his second interception of the contest. With less than two minutes remaining and Purdue with no timeouts remaining, McGloin executed a five-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down to give Penn State the first down and the win.

The Nittany Lions will return to action Saturday, Oct. 22 when they face Northwestern at 7 p.m. The game will air on the Big Ten Network and the Penn State Sports Network.

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