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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 2:08 p.m., Saturday, September 13, 2008

Blount's TD in second OT leads Oregon past Purdue

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — LaGarrette Blount ran 3 yards for a touchdown in the second overtime to give No. 16 Oregon a come-from-behind 32-26 win over Purdue today.

Oregon (3-0) trailed 20-3 early in the second quarter, but tied the game late in the third, and Purdue's Chris Summers missed a 44-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

Oregon got the ball first in overtime, and quarterback Justin Roper was stopped on a third-and-2 at the Purdue 17. Matt Evensen made a 33-yard field goal to give Oregon its first lead, 26-23.

On Purdue's first play of the first overtime, Curtis Painter threw down the sideline for Greg Orton, and Oregon's Walter Thurmond was called for pass interference to give Purdue the ball at the Oregon 10. Summers made a 22-yard field goal to force a second overtime.

Painter fumbled on the first play of the second overtime, but Justin Pierce recovered for the Boilermakers. Summers was forced into a 47-yard field goal, and he missed wide right to set up Oregon's winning drive.

Blount finished with 12 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Kory Sheets ran 29 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns for Purdue (1-1), which lost its 15th consecutive game against a ranked team.

Trailing by 14, Oregon got back in the game when Jairus Byrd returned a punt 87 yards to make it 20-13 with 4:41 left in the third quarter.

Oregon broke another big play, with Blount rumbling 74 yards up the middle. to get into scoring range. Roper kept on a fourth-and-1 at the Purdue 16 and went 11 yards, and Blount finished the drive with a 5-yard run that tied the score at 20 with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.

Summers made a 27-yard field goal to give Purdue a 23-20 lead with 7:30 to play, but Evensen answered with a 38-yard field goal to tie the score at 23 with 5:06 left.

Sheets broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game to give the Boilermakers a 7-0 lead. Sheets took a handoff to the right, bounced outside, stiff-armed rover Patrick Chung at the Purdue 40-yard line, and outran the Ducks to the end zone.

Oregon answered quickly. Its no-huddle spread offense moved right down the field, but stalled, and Evensen's 23-yard field goal cut Purdue's lead to 7-3.

Summers came right back with a 29-yard field goal for the Boilermakers to make it 10-3.

Oregon drove into the red zone again before Purdue's Brandon King picked off a pass by Roper and returned it 60 yards to set the Boilermakers up at the Oregon 26. Summers made a 38-yard field goal to increase Purdue's lead to 13-3.

Oregon failed to cover the kickoff, and Purdue's Dan Dierking recovered at the Oregon 22. Sheets scored his second touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, to give Purdue a 20-3 lead.

Purdue was looking for more late in the first half when Byrd intercepted a pass by Painter and returned it to the Purdue 41, 39 seconds before halftime. The Ducks settled for a 22-yard field goal by Evensen.