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Western Michigan Vs. Purdue, 2011 Little Caesars Bowl: Recap And Score

Purdue's return to the postseason after a four your absence was a success. The Boilermakers forced seven turnovers, four of them coming via interception of Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder. That led to a 37-32 victory over the Broncos.

Western Michigan had one last chance to earn the victory when it took over on its own 12 yard line with 2:09 left. After Carder completed a first down pass to Brian Fields he fumbled on the second play. The loose ball was recovered by Ryan Russell for Purdue to seal the win.

SB Nation's Hustle Belt points out this game was an aberration from the norm for Carder:

This was only the second time Alex Carder threw four interceptions in a game. He's usually not this erratic (28 touchdowns and 10 INTs this season) but really made some bad choices and appeared to try and be the first quarterback ever to throw a football through a defender. Not only do physics disallow such throws, it'd be abnormally painful to the defender.

One of the better plays on the day was his early flea flicker pass to Jordan White for a 49-yard touchdown:


Jordan White completed his collegiate career by establishing a bevy of new records. His 13 catches for 265 yards established a new Western Michigan single-game mark, while his 306 career receptions is now tied for the MAC record.