Purdue Blocks Punt for Touchdown vs. Penn State
Purdue tied Penn State 14-14 with a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Football
Jalil Hall scooped up a punt blocked by Bisi Owens and returned it 31 yards for a Purdue touchdown, tying the game at 14-14 with 8:52 remaining in the second quarter. The play ended a long stretch without a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Purdue.
Why it matters
It was Purdue's first blocked punt returned for a touchdown in 18 years, a play that swung momentum in a game where Penn State had led 14-7. Owens's blocked punt was his second of the season.
The 31-yard return by Jalil Hall came 18 years after Purdue's last blocked punt returned for a touchdown, an 11-yard return by Mike Conway against Northern Colorado. The extraction does not report the final score or the game's outcome.
The players
Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue University's NCAA Division I football program, based in West Lafayette, Indiana, competing in the Big Ten Conference.
Penn State Nittany Lions
Pennsylvania State University's NCAA Division I football program, based at University Park, Pennsylvania, competing in the Big Ten Conference.
The details
Grad transfer Bisi Owens, formerly of Penn, blocked a punt by Penn State's Nathan Tiyce at University Park. Jalil Hall, a Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania native, recovered the loose ball and carried it into the end zone.
Timeline
September 6, 2008: Mike Conway returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Northern Colorado, Purdue's previous such score.
October 31, 2026: Purdue's blocked punt return touchdown against Penn State tied the game at 14-14.
Season Trajectory
The score tied a Big Ten game against Penn State, a rare blocked punt return for a touchdown that ended a gap dating to Mike Conway's 2008 play. The extraction does not describe standings or playoff impact.
The touchdown moved the score from Penn State's 14-7 lead to a 14-14 tie, changing the game's momentum in the second quarter. Fans following the game can track Purdue's special teams plays in the box score.
The takeaway
Special teams can shift a game quickly, as a single blocked punt returned for a touchdown erased a Penn State lead in the second quarter. Readers following Big Ten football should watch how such plays affect momentum in close games.
Further reading
For more on the state's teams, see Football coverage across Pennsylvania.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Star Press.
