Purdue did it again.
For the second time in four years, the unranked Boilermakers upset the No. 2 team in the country as Purdue beat Iowa on Saturday, 24-7, to hand the second-ranked Hawkeyes their first loss of the year.
Much like when Rondale More went off as Purdue upset second-ranked Ohio State in 2018, the Boilermakers were led by a spectacular performance by their star wide receiver, as David Bell carved up the Hawkeyes – who allowed just 274.2 total yards per game in their first six games of the season – for 240 receiving yards and a touchdown on 11 catches.
This time, however, the Boilermakers upset the No. 2 team in the country on the road, beating the Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium just one week after Iowa defeated Penn State, 23-20, in a battle of top-five-ranked teams in Iowa City.
With Saturday's win, Purdue has now beaten a team ranked in the top two of the AP Top 25 as an unranked team for the ninth time in program history – more than twice as many as any other school. As either a ranked or an unranked team, Purdue now has the fifth-most wins over AP top-2 teams of any school.
I believe we can safely change Purdues number to 13 https://t.co/Yio32tRWaR
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownCFB) October 16, 2021
The Boilermakers improved to 4-2 and 2-1 in Big Ten play with Saturday's win, while the Hawkeyes fell to 6-1 and 3-1 in Big Ten play, leaving just two unbeaten teams in the conference through seven weeks: Michigan and Michigan State. Purdue and Iowa are now two of three one-loss teams atop the Big Ten, along with Minnesota.
