Jarvion Franklin had his coming out party in the first half, but the Broncos still trail the Boilermakers 23-14 at the half in West Lafayette.
Franklin, a true freshman, has 92 yards on just 9 carries and both Bronco touchdowns, and has looked powerful with each touch of the ball. However, he's getting very little help from his fellow offensive teammates, with Zach Terrell off to a terrible start to his season. Terrell is 6-for-15, but started off much worse. He only has 48 yards and threw a costly interception that led to Purdue regaining the lead mid-way through the 2nd quarter.
Purdue, meanwhile, has been able to exploit a shaky Bronco run defense and multiple holes in the zone defense. Raheem Mostert has 92 yards on 11 carries, leading a strong Boilermaker run game. Sophomore quarterback Danny Etling is 13-for-30, missing often on deep throws, but has 124 yards through the air. He also scored on a 4-yard run after the interception, giving him a hand in both Purdue touchdowns.
Receiving wise, Justin Sinz leads all receivers with 6 catches for 60 yards and the lone receiving touchdown. Daniel Braverman leads the Broncos with 2 catches for 16 yards, while also being a jet sweep threat early and often (3 carries for 23 yards). Corey Davis, the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, has just one catch - a 10-yard snag on 3rd and long late in the half.
Here is the scoring breakdown:
1st Quarter:
7:45 - PU - Sinz 11 yd TD catch (7-0 Purdue)
3:03 - WMU - Franklin 5 yd TD run (7-7)
2nd Quarter:
12:53 - PU - Paul Griggs 35 yd FG (10-7 Purdue)
11:16 - WMU - Franklin 61 yd TD run (14-10 WMU)
8:58 - PU - Griggs 51 yd FG (14-13 WMU)
5:16 - PU - Etling 4 yd TD rush (20-14 Purdue)
0:16 - PU - Griggs 44 yd FG (23-14 Purdue)