WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue did almost everything right on Saturday. It erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, forced overtime twice, got a career day from its quarterback and a record-setting one from its running back, and still found itself on the wrong end of a 38-36 double-overtime classic against Wake Forest, undone in the end by a few inches, a replay booth and a Demon Deacon who simply would not leave the field without the ball in his hands.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Defensive End Breeon Ishmail (58) celebrates a stop during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium
(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) running free towards the end zone in the 1st quarter of the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium
(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
The margin was that thin. On fourth-and-15 in the second overtime, with Purdue needing one more stop to win it, Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez found Carlos Hernandez underneath, and the play was initially ruled a yard short of the sticks. Replay disagreed, spotting the ball at the 2-yard line and handing Wake Forest new life. Lopez took it from there himself, first punching in the tying touchdown, then keeping it again on the two-point try that decided the game. "I didn't want to let the team down, so I just tried to go score that thing," he said afterward.
It was a cruel way for Purdue to lose a game it controlled for long stretches. The Boilermakers struck first, riding an eight-play, 75-yard opening drive to a 14-yard touchdown run from Fame Ijeboi and a 7-0 lead before the crowd had settled in. Wake Forest matched that immediately, needing 13 plays and 73 yards to get Ty Clark III into the end zone from four yards out and tie it at 7-7 with under five minutes gone. From there, the Demon Deacons took over the first half: a missed Purdue field goal — set up by a third-down pass breakup from Wake Forest's Davaughn Patterson — gave way to a Connor Calvert field goal, and Lopez capped a nearly perfect drive, going 4-for-4 through the air, with a 1-yard sneak that made it 17-7. Purdue clawed back a field goal before the break to trail 17-10 at halftime, a margin that only grew after Wake Forest tacked on another Calvert kick in the third quarter and a fourth early in the fourth to push the lead to 23-13 with just over nine minutes to play.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Football Head Coach Barry Odom running out of the Tiller Tunnel with the team before the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Freshman Running Back Travis Terrell Jr. (20) ready to take ther opening kick of the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) getting sacked by Wake Forest University Defensive Lineman Kadear Dembele (55) and barely holding onto the ball during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) escapes the grasp of Wake Forest University Linebacker Frank Cusano (43) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) running free towards the end zone in the 1st quarter of the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) smiling after scoring the first Purdue touchdown of the game during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) gets pushed into the air by Purdue University Freshman Offensive Lineman Jude McCoskey (72) after scoring a touchdown during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Wide Receiver Kam Shanks (5) makes a wid open catch during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Linebacker Jojo Hayden (0) celebrates a defensive stop during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Quarterback Corin Berry (14)running towards the end zone after a catch during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Running Back Ty Clark III (4) slipping out of the hands of Purdue University Senior Defensive End Trey Smith (23) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Running Back Ty Clark III (4) rolls back into the end zone for a touchdown out of the grasp of Purdue University Sophomore Defensive Back Justin Denson Jr. (21) during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue’s defensive line prepares to try and block an extra point attempt before the Wake Forest snap during the Purdue Boilermaker Football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Senior Wide Receiver Chauncey Magwood (5) makes a circus catch over the top of Wake Forest University Defensive Back Travon West (27) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Senior Wide Receiver Chauncey Magwood (5) just after making a first down catch during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Wide Receiver Kam Shanks (5) geets sadnwiched between Purdue University Junior Defensive Back John Slaughter (13) and Purdue University Junior Defensive Back Smiley Bradford (1) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Defensive Back John Slaughter (13) trying too tackle Wake Forest University Wide Receiver Kam Shanks (5) during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Quarterback Gio Lopez (3) takes the shotgun snap during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Football Head Coach Barry Odom intently watches his defense during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) jukes Wake Forest University Defensive Back Deuce Blades II (2) out of his shoes during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Freshman Tight End Ar'Mari Towns (6) stiff arming Wake Forest University Linebacker Aiden Hall (21) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Freshman Tight End Ar'Mari Towns (6) gets sandwiched between Wake Forest University Linebacker Aiden Hall (21) and Wake Forest University Defensive Back Braylon Johnson (8) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Wide Receiver Asaad Waseem (19) getting past Wake Forest University Linebacker Aiden Hall (21) after making a catch during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) throwing towards the end zone as Sophomore Offensive Lineman Nuku Mafi (68) keeps Wake Forest University Defensive Lineman Langston Hardy (11) at bay during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) stiff arming Wake Forest University Defensive Back Davaughn Patterson (5) during at run at the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Wide Receiver De'Nylon Morrissette (8) reaches for a pass at the backend of the end zone during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Defensive Back Hudauri Hines (4) tells the crowd "not on my watch" during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Defensive Back Hudauri Hines (4) and Purdue University Senior Defensive Back Donovan Saunders (7) celebrating a defensive stop during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Defensive Back John Slaughter (13) celebrting a defense stop during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) rolling out looking for an open receiver near the end zone during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Wide Receiver Jaylan Hornsby (0) spins out of the grasp of Wake Forest University Defensive Back Rushaun Tongue (6) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) escapes the pocket and defensive pressure during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Senior Defensive Back Donovan Saunders (7) downs the Purdue punt inside the 3 during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Running Back Deuce Lawrence (22) hands off the reverse to Wake Forest University Wide Receiver Drayden Dickmann (18) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Freshman Defensive End Jeremy Lewis (33) sacking Wake Forest University Quarterback Gio Lopez (3) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Wide Receiver Asaad Waseem (19) catches an open pass in the middle of the field during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Wide Receiver De'Nylon Morrissette (8) celebrates a Purdue Touchdown during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) races past the outstreched arms of Wake Forest University Linebacker Frank Cusano (43) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Sophomore Running Back Fame Ijeboi (2) tries to shake off Wake Forest University Defensive Back Rushaun Tongue (6) during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Ross-Ade Brigade celebrates a Purdue first down during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Freshman Punter Dylan Drennan (42) holds the ball as Purdue University Freshman Kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano (92) kicks the tieing field goal with no time on the clock during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Wide Receiver De'Nylon Morrissette (8) jumps towards the ball as he makes a fourth down TD catch to help extend the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) throws a pass while being protected from his offensive line during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Junior Linebacker Charles Correa (5) gets the crowd going before a 4th and 15 game deciding play during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Wide Receiver Carlos Hernandez (8) barely gets the 15 yards needed for a first down while Purdue University Junior Defensive Back John Slaughter (13) tries to stop him during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Quarterback Gio Lopez (3) dives into the end zone for a two point conversion to win the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
That's when Purdue's afternoon turned into something else entirely. Ijeboi, a Minnesota transfer who had rushed for 87 yards and a score in his Boilermaker debut a week earlier, bulldozed in from seven yards out to cut the deficit to 23-20 with 3:53 remaining, part of a night in which he finished with a career-high 114 rushing yards and 42 more through the air on 27 combined touches. Purdue's defense then forced a three-and-out, and freshman kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano calmly drilled a 20-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to send the game to overtime tied at 23.
Wake Forest struck fast to open the extra session, needing only two plays before Lopez found Bryce Kania for a 24-yard touchdown to make it 30-23. Purdue answered in kind, facing fourth down and converting on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Browne to De'Nylon Morrissette — his third career touchdown catch and first of the season — to force a second overtime tied at 30. In the second extra period, Purdue got the ball first and Ijeboi punched in his third touchdown of the day from three yards out, but the two-point try failed, leaving the door open at 36-30. Wake Forest walked through it, riding the overturned fourth-and-15 conversion to the tying score and Lopez's game-sealing two-point run.
The individual numbers, lost a bit in the chaos of the finish, were extraordinary on both sides. Browne set career highs in completions (32-of-42) and passing yards (329) for the second straight week, completing 76.2 percent of his throws and spreading the ball to nine different targets — his fifth career 300-yard game and second of this season alone. "He just keeps getting better and better," coach Barry Odom said of his junior quarterback. Ijeboi's three rushing touchdowns made him the first Boilermaker to reach that mark in a single game since D.J. Knox did it against No. 2 Ohio State in the program's iconic 2018 upset, and with four total touchdowns through two games, he became the first Purdue running back to open a season that way since at least 1995. His 201 rushing yards over those same two games are the most by a Boilermaker to start a season since Ralph Bolden in 2009.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Purdue University Quarterback Ryan Browne (15) sets to make a pass downfield while being protected by Purdue University Freshman Offensive Lineman Jude McCoskey (72) during the Purdue Boilermaker Football vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium
(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - SEPTEMBER 12, 2026: Wake Forest University Quarterback Gio Lopez (3 makes a back foot heave as Purdue University Senior Defensive End Keyshawn Burgos (11) and Purdue University Sophomore Defensive Lineman T.J. Lindsey (9) provide extreme pressure during the Purdue Boilermakers football game vs the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Ross-Ade Stadium
(Photo by Steve Bowen / Northern Indiana Sports Report)
