Iowa Banks on Thein This Time

IOWA CITY, Iowa —  Reserve running back Rob Thein has no reason to doubt his ability.

Thein came off the bench to score three touchdowns and No. 15 Iowa shut down No. 18 Purdue’s vaunted passing attack to beat the Boilermakers, 35-17, Saturday in a Big Ten Conference game.

Thein, who had carried 22 times for 137 yards and a touchdown before Saturday, had 56 yards in 11 carries and caught three passes for 61 more.

“I was really happy to get a chance to get in there today,” said Thein, a sophomore from Iowa City. “I’ve been waiting a long time to come in and make a contribution.”

The Iowa defense also made quite a contribution in holding Purdue, fourth nationally and leading the Big Ten in total offense, to 324 yards--156 below its average. The Boilermakers also had the Big Ten’s top-ranked passing attack at 287 yards a game, but quarterback Billy Dicken completed only 14 of 35 for 269 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

The Hawkeyes, 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten, won their second consecutive game while Purdue (6-2, 4-1) lost for the first time in seven games and fell out of a first-place tie with Michigan.

Iowa’s starting tailback Tavian Banks, one of the nation’s top rushers, had 126 yards and a touchdown in 24 carries.