Big Second Half Helps No. 24 Nittany Lions Romp
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Saquon Barkley ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns, Trace McSorley threw three scoring passes, and No. 24 Penn State used a 24-point third quarter as the centerpiece of its 62-24 victory against Purdue on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions (6-2, 4-1 in the Big Ten) converted an interception, a fumbled punt and a failed onside kick into third-quarter touchdowns on their way to a fourth consecutive victory, They snapped a seven-game road losing streak dating to 2014.
Tied at 17 through two quarters, the Nittany Lions outscored Purdue (3-5, 1-4) 24-7 in the pivotal third quarter. McSorley threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin and for 21 yards to Miles Sanders for another.
Barkley extended the Penn State lead to 48-24 with 13:56 remaining on a career-best 81-yard run along the right sideline. It was the longest touchdown run by a Nittany Lion since Larry Johnson's 84-yarder in 2002 against Illinois.
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Purdue, which got two touchdown passes from David Blough, including a 62-yarder to DeAngelo Yancey, led 14-7 and 17-14 in the second quarter.
McSorley finished 12 of 23 of 228 yards and the career-best three TDs. Blough completed 34 of 50 passes for 281 yards. He was intercepted once, which set up a third-quarter TD.
TAKEAWAYS
Penn State: After upsetting then-No. 2 Ohio State last Saturday, the Nittany Lions started slowly, but completely dominated the second half, winning for the fourth consecutive time in October. McSorley and Barkley gave Penn State the perfect mix of passing and running, helping the Nittany Lions amass 511 yards of offense.
Purdue: In consecutive losses to Nebraska and Penn State, the Boilermakers have been outscored a collective 62-7 during second-half action. Purdue's margin for error is slim to begin with, but the second-half miscues against Penn State produced a brutal outcome.
UP NEXT
Penn State: The Lions host Iowa next Saturday.
Purdue: The Boilermakers play next Saturday at Minnesota
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