Despite being a popular preseason pick to win the Big 12, Brock Purdy‘s career at Iowa State has been fascinating, as he’s been at the helm for some of the program’s biggest moments in recent memory. However, he struggled (along with the rest of the team) with lofty expectations this season, as the Cyclones stumbled to a 7-5 record.
Purdy has an uncanny ability to make something out of nothing, yet this can lead to him forcing plays when they aren’t available, resulting in turnovers. Purdy has a habit of attracting chaos, for better or worse, and on Wednesday night against Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl, he threw one of the season’s most bizarre pick-sixes on a play where he actually attempted to do the right thing and it all went tragically wrong.
After a quick out got tipped back towards him, Purdy wanted to do the right thing and knock the ball to the turf for an incompletion rather than trying to catch the ball and make something out of nothing. Unfortunately, he batted the ball forward and into the air right to the waiting arms of a Clemson defender, who took off and rumbled his way into the end zone.
It is, truly, one of the most ridiculous plays of the season, and poor Purdy found himself punished by the football gods for trying to make the right decision. The touchdown gave Clemson a 20-3 lead, which seemed insurmountable for an Iowa State offense that couldn’t move the ball much at all up to that point.
UPDATE: This play, an interception thrown by the Cyclones on a double pass that was subsequently fumbled by Clemson and Iowa State had 15 yards tacked on for a roughing the passer penalty, set up Iowa State’s first touchdown of the game.
