Purdue Football’s Ryan Walters explains fourth-down decision on overtime loss

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football coach Ryan Walters said he calculated the odds on his controversial decision to go fourth down in overtime against Northwestern, and the odds said it was.

The Boilermakers faced No. 4 and No. 5 at the Northwestern 20 on the first possession of the extra period. Wildcats defenseman Damon Walters broke up Hudson Card’s pass intended for C.J. Smith, preserving the tie at 20-20.

Northwestern scored two plays later to leave Ross-Ade Stadium with a 26-20 victory and extend Purdue’s losing streak to seven games.

Purdue and Northwestern varieties: Coaching fails, Boilers lose in OT

Freshman kicker Spencer Porath would be asked to kick a 42-yard field goal from the right hash as a right-handed kicker – typically a tougher angle. Earlier this season, he kicked a 46-yard field goal against Nebraska from the left sideline. Earlier in that game, he missed a 39-yard attempt from the right hash.

Walters said a simple hit down the left sideline might have been enough to convince him to try for a field goal.

“With that … distance and that kind of hash, we had a hard time in the kicking game,” Walters said. “So we had a discussion – and that’s why we called a time out to carefully think about the situation and what decision we should make.

“I just felt like, from a percentage standpoint, we had a better chance of scoring first than scoring a field goal.”

Purdue entered the game 1 of 8 on fourth down, the worst conversion rate in the country. He took it on 4th-and-4 from his own inside the 50 in the second quarter on Saturday and couldn’t convert. Later in the quarter, Card and Jaron Tibbs connected on a 17-yard pass on 4th-and-1. This allowed the Boilermakers to survive the first touchdown.

Card said he thought Walters’ putt in the fourth was good.

“CJ was running a corner route and I let him get past that defender and tried to give him a chance and DB made a good play on it,” Card said. “It stings.”

It was the second overtime loss of the season after a 50-49 loss to Illinois. Walters also had to make a crucial decision in this game, choosing to score two points and win instead of tying the extra point. Illinois grabbed Ryan Braun to end the game.

This article originally appeared on the Indianapolis Star: Purdue’s Ryan Walters explains fourth-down decision in overtime