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WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- Though not as dramatic as last week, Brandon Hance engineered another fourth-quarter comeback for Purdue. The freshman scored on a four-yard keeper with 12:07 remaining as the 18th-ranked Boilermakers overcame a sluggish effort on offense for three quarters to post a 23-14 Big Ten Conference victory over Iowa. In last week's 35-28 overtime win over Minnesota, Purdue gained 448 yards, tying the contest on a field goal as time expired before Hance tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to John Standeford in the extra session. Against Iowa (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten), Purdue was held to under 100 yards entering the final period and no offensive touchdowns until Hance's score gave the Boilermakers a 20-14 lead. "We came out and completed the first pass of the game and then fumbled it," said Hance, who finished 17-of-33 for 147 yards with an interception. "That got us started off on the wrong foot. The inability to get started quickly on offense can be a big key to the game. I think that guys might have lost confidence early on." Purdue (4-0, 2-0) got its first touchdown on Ashante Woodyard's 86-yard interception return in the first period, while Travis Dorsch had a big day with a school-record 79-yard punt and three field goals. Dorsch converted kicks of 39 and 42 yards in the second quarter, then clinched the victory with a 37-yarder with 1:38 remaining in the contest. "I think sepcial teams is a part of our game we really value as a squad," Dorsch said. "We've got a lot of guys working hard to get their jobs accomplished. And when we come through in a game like this, it feels good." Purdue finished with 217 yards of total offense while holding Iowa to 207. "So much of this football team, from offense to defense to the kicking game, is based on emotion," Hance said. "When we're flying around, tackling, catching passes and getting interceptions, we will start to execute effectively." Nine of Purdue's 37 wins under coach Joe Tiller have been in come-from-behind fashion. "We were out of sync offensively today," Tiller said. "We dropped balls early in the game when the passes were on. We cannot do those things with this offense and be productive. Brandon got off rhythm later in the game." Iowa, which was seeking its first 4-0 start since 1997, had all kinds of problems in its kicking game, allowing Purdue to start three straight drives in the second quarter in Iowa territory. David Bradley averaged 33.7 yards on 11 punts, but just over 26 yards on his first six kicks. "This is a tough game to lose," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "We didn't cope with pressure well. We can do better on offense. The one bright spot for the day was our defensive play." However, the Boilermakers could only manage the two field goals and a 13-7 halftime lead. It almost came back to haunt Purdue as Iowa drove 79 yards in eight plays in the third quarter following Desmond Sanders' interception. Purdue appeared to stop Iowa and the Hawkeyes set up for a 31-yard field goal, but an offsides penalty resulted in a 1st-and-goal at the 9. Two plays later, Kyle McCann threw a six-yard TD pass to Kahlil Hill, giving Iowa a 14-13 lead with 6:38 remaining in the third period. McCann completed 21-of-32 for 167 yards, also throwing an eight-yard TD pass to Jeremy Allen that tied the contest, 7-7, with 4:41 remaining in the first period. Hance finally got the Purdue offense going on its first possession of the fourth quarter, finding Seth Morales for completions of 25 and 14 yards that gave the Boilermakers a 1st-and-goal at the 4. After two incompletions, Hance avoided a sack and scored up the middle on third down.
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