TOP PERFORMER: WEEK 8
D. J . KNOX , PURDUE
Now and again you get a huge upset, but I don’t know
how many people saw Purdue not only beating undefeated
and second-ranked Ohio State, but manhandling them,
making them look like Ohio State so often makes other
teams look—bad. We could just as easily pick Purdue
quarterback David Blough with his three touchdown passes
and general leadership, or we could pick the entire Purdue
defense that held the Buckeyes without a touchdown
through three quarters. But running back D.J. Knox is the
player whose legs put the game away in the second half,
with two lightning-like touchdown runs of 40 and 42 yards
that took this potential upset out of the realm of potential
into the realm of, “wow, this is really happening.” Both
these runs featured Knox gashing right up the middle,
barely touched by Ohio State players en route to the end
zone. Knox also had a 1-yard score that put Purdue up
21-6. In summary, 16 carries for 128 yards—averaging a
healthy 8 yards per carry—and three key scores in one of
the biggest wins in school history. A Purdue squad that
started 0-3 with tight losses to Northwestern, Eastern
Michigan and Missouri, now had their fourth win in a row
and destroyed one of the best teams in the country in the
process, and Knox and the Boilermakers shook the college
football playoff landscape to its foundation.
PHOTO: PURDUE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS