WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With his team leading comfortably in the fourth quarter, Oregon senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher watched from the sideline the entirety of a late Purdue drive that got all the way to the Ducks ‘ 23-yard-line.
Facing a chance to record the program’s first shutout in over a decade, coaches told Boettcher to re-enter the game on a key down to preserve the shutout.
“Coach was like ‘Hey, get your butt in the game, we can’t give up any points right here,'” Boettcher recollected. “It’s huge. It’s definitely good momentum to build off of anytime you can get a shutout as a defense. It’s huge for the offense and the momentum of the team.”
The Boilermakers would turn it over on downs on that drive, and fail to score in a 35-0 thumping Friday night at Ross-Ade Stadium.
It was Oregon’s first shutout since 2012 in a 49-0 win over Arizona.
Purdue managed 301 total yards, including just 93 through the air. The Boilermakers were 4 for 12 on third down and a pivotal 0 for 3 on fourth downs.