University of Toledo
Purdue
Toledo Upsets Purdue, 31-20; Third Straight Road Win for Rockets
9/25/2010 5:50:00 PM | Football
West Lafayette, IN - Sophomore quarterback Austin Dantin threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and senior linebacker Archie Donald came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter as the Rockets knocked off Purdue, 31-20, in West Lafayette Saturday afternoon.
The victory was the third straight for Toledo (3-1, 2-0 MAC), all on the road. It was the sixth time that the Rockets have defeated a Big Ten opponent and evened their record against the Boilermakers at 3-3.
Dantin finished the game 24-of-31 for 209 yards. His favorite target, sophomore wide receiver Eric Page, caught 10 passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. Donald led the defense with 16 sacks and picked off a pass with 2:57 left to play that sealed the win.
Toledo held a 17-0 lead at halftime and moved the score to 24-3 when Dantin bolted 58 yards for the score early in the third quarter. But the Boilermakers stormed back with a pair of quick third quarter touchdowns, and then kicked a field goal with 8:07 left in the game to pull within four points, 24-20.
That's when Page stepped up and made a big play for UT, returning the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Purdue 47-yard line. Dantin finished off the seven-play touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge to put Toledo up 31-20 with 5:24 to play.
Purdue's last chance to get back in the game was thwarted when Donald tore the ball out of the hands of a Boilermaker receiver and returned the interception to the Purdue 23-yard line with just 2:57 to play.
Toledo jumped out early, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter and adding a field goal in the second. Dantin was brilliant in leading UT to a score on an 85-yard drive on its first possession, connecting on 6-of-7 passes for 68 yards and running for 21 yards. The drive culminated on a five-yard TD pass to Page.
Toledo's second score was set up by a turnover. Purdue quarterback Robert Marve coughed up the ball when his knee buckled and Eliah Jones recovered for the Rockets at the Purdue 13-yard line. Three plays later Dantin hit junior tight end Danny Noble for a seven-yard score to make it 14-0 Toledo.
The Rockets added a 34-yard Ryan Casano field goal in the second quarter after a 14-play drive stalled on the Purdue 17-yard line.
Purdue's best chance to score in the first half went for naught when Carson Wiggs' 35-yard attempt went wide right with 12 seconds left. It was the only sustained drive of the half for Purdue, which was limited to just 95 yards of total offense in the first 30 minutes.
The Rockets (3-1, 2-0 MAC) return home to face Wyoming in their Homecoming game next week.
