Purdue unwraps its 131st season against Northwestern on Aug. 30. The Boilermakers are opening with a Big Ten Conference game for the first time since 1996 at Michigan State and for the first time with a league home game since 1979 against Wisconsin.
Series History- Purdue leads 50-31-1
- Northwestern has won the last four meetings
- In West Lafayette, Purdue leads 22-12
- First Meeting: Nov. 2, 1885 – Northwestern won 24-6 at home
- Last Meeting: Nov. 11, 2017 – Northwestern won 23-13 at home
Noteworthy: Purdue and Northwestern faced one another merely 13 times from 1951 to 1974 – a span of 25 seasons – with Purdue posting an 11-2 record. The Boilermakers subsequently won 15 of 18 meetings between 1975 and 1992.
History in Season Openers"It's going to be a tough, physical football game. They're not going to give us anything.
"When I got here and studied every team in the conference, Northwestern was the team that played the hardest."#Week1 #BoilerUp #OnlyTheStrong pic.twitter.com/p3mqvpWyom — Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) August 27, 2018
Purdue boasts a 76-48-6 record in season-opening games.
Northwestern has been the Boilermakers' season-opening opponent four times previously – 1935, 1949, 1975 and 1976 – with both schools winning two games. Purdue has opened the season with a conference game 16 times previously:
- Oct. 8, 1892 – at Illinois, W 12-6*
- Oct. 14, 1893 – Indiana, W 64-0*
- Oct. 20, 1906 – at Chicago, L 0-39
- Oct. 3, 1908 – at Chicago, L 0-39
- Oct. 2, 1909 – at Chicago, L 0-40
- Oct. 5, 1935 – at Northwestern, W 7-0
- Sept. 27, 1947 – at Wisconsin, L 14-32
- Sept. 24, 1949 – at Northwestern, L 6-20
- Sept. 15, 1973 – at Wisconsin, W 14-13
- Sept. 14, 1974 – Wisconsin, L 14-28
- Sept. 13, 1975 – at Northwestern, L 25-31
- Sept. 11, 1976 – Northwestern, W 31-19
- Sept. 10, 1977 – at Michigan State, L 14-19
- Sept. 16, 1978 – Michigan State, W 21-14
- Sept. 8, 1979 – Wisconsin, W 41-20
- Aug. 31, 1996 – at Michigan State, L 14-52
The opener vs. Northwestern is the Boilermakers' Hammer Down Cancer Game. The players are honoring cancer survivors by wearing a neon yellow cancer awareness ribbon on the back of their helmets. Neon yellow – nicknamed "volt" – is the color the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research uses to represent survivors of all types of cancer. Additionally, season-ticket holders who have beaten cancer or currently are fighting the fight and their guests will form the pregame fan tunnel.
?? Gear Up for Hammer Down Cancer at the Purdue Team Store Only The StrongSix of Purdue's 12 opponents are ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll: Wisconsin (4), Ohio State (5), Michigan State (11), Boston College (RV) Northwestern (RV) and Nebraska (RV).
Team CaptainsEight Boilermakers were voted captains by their teammates for the 2018 season: junior linebacker Markus Bailey, fifth-year center Kirk Barron, fifth-year quarterback David Blough, fifth-year running back D.J. Knox, junior defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal, senior punter Joe Schopper, junior quarterback Elijah Sindelar and fifth-year safety Jacob Thieneman. Barron and Blough were voted captain for a second consecutive season.
Home OpenersMeet your 2018 Team Captains! @KirkBarron73 @david_blough10 @ElijahSindelar @blockknox1 @mb_boiler21 @loneal40 Jake Thieneman & Joe Schopper #BoilerUp #LetsPlayFootball pic.twitter.com/nEQJLiOLSS
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) August 1, 2018
The Boilermakers are 89-36-4 in home-opening games. They have won 14 in a row and 20 of their last 21, including last season's 44-21 primetime victory over Ohio.
On This Date: August 30- Record: 1-1
- First Game: 1998 – Lost at USC 27-17
- Last Game: 2014 – Won vs. Western Michigan 43-34
Noteworthy: On this date in 1998, sophomore quarterback Drew Brees made his first start when the Boilermakers faced USC in the Pigskin Classic at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Brees completed 30 of 52 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns. A star was born.
Under The LightsPurdue has played 10 night games previously at Ross-Ade Stadium:
Oct. 18, 1986 – Ohio State, L 11-39 Sept. 10, 1994 – Toledo, W 51-17 Sept. 21, 1996 – West Virginia, L 6-20 Oct. 1, 2005 – Notre Dame, L 28-49 Oct. 6, 2007 – Ohio State, L 7-23 Sept. 26, 2009 – Notre Dame, L 21-24 Oct. 1, 2011 – Notre Dame, L 10-38 Sept. 14, 2013 – Notre Dame, L 24-31 Sept. 8, 2017 – Ohio, W 44-21 Oct. 28, 2017 – Nebraska, L 24-25 Ross-Ade was fitted with permanent lights prior to the 2017 season. All other night games were played under portable lighting fixtures. The Boilermakers are 17-23 all-time in games played at night. Thursday ThrowbacksThe 2018 opener is the eighth on a Thursday at home in Purdue history but the first since 1904. All told, the Boilermakers have played on Thursday 14 times previously (all day games and 11 of them on Thanksgiving) with a 6-6-2 record:
- Nov. 27, 1890 – at Butler, L 10-12*
- Nov. 26, 1891 – at Butler, W 58-0*
- Nov. 24, 1892 – at DePauw, W 32-6*
- Nov. 29, 1894 – vs. DePauw (at Indianapolis), W 28-0*
- Sept. 26, 1895 – Iowa State, W 6-0 (forfeit)
- Nov. 25, 1897 – Alumni, T 0-0*
- Nov. 24, 1898 – Oberlin, L 0-10*
- Nov. 30, 1899 – Indiana, L 5-17*
- Nov. 29, 1900 – Indiana, L 5-24*
- Nov. 28, 1901 – Northwestern, L 5-10*
- Nov. 27, 1902 – Notre Dame, T 6-6*
- Oct. 1, 1903 – at Wabash, W 18-0
- Nov. 24, 1904 – Notre Dame, W 36-0*
- Jan. 1, 2004 – vs. Georgia (Capital One Bowl) L 27-34 (OT)
Purdue is opening the season in August for the seventh time in school history (also 1985, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2013 and 2014). The 1985 game at Pittsburgh is the Boilermakers' only previous August night game. The Aug. 30 lid-lifter equals the earliest ever (also 1998 and 2014).
Looking Back at 2017Head coach Jeff Brohm's first season at Purdue caught the eye of the college football world. Taking over a program coming off of a 3-9 overall record and seven straight losses to close out the 2016 campaign, Brohm's initial Boilermaker squad went 7-6 overall and 4-5 in Big Ten games. Needing to win the final two regular season games to become bowl eligible, the Boilermakers pulled off a road win at Iowa and knocked off Indiana to pull to 6-6 and earn a berth in the Foster Farms Bowl in California. Squaring off against the Pac-12's Arizona, Purdue rallied for a 38-35 win over the Wildcats with the go-ahead touchdown coming with 1:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. The bowl appearance was Purdue's first since 2012 and the first postseason victory since 2011. The modest four wins in conference play don't appear to be anything worth noting, but when one considers the Boilermakers won three combined Big Ten games in the previous four year, the jump is significant.
| Statistic | 2016 | 2017 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards/Game | 96.2 | 151.5 | +55.3 |
| Total Offense | 4,693 | 5,240 | +647 |
| INT Thrown | 25 | 11 | -14 |
| Redzone Scoring | 76% | 89% | +13 |
| Redzone TDs | 19 | 27 | +8 |
| Statistic | 2016 | 2017 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points Allowed | 459 | 267 | -192 |
| Points Allowed/Game | 38.2 | 20.5 | -17.7 |
| Rushing Yards/Game | 238.4 | 132.9 | -105.5 |
| Total Offense/Game | 445.8 | 375.5 | -70.3 |
| Fumbles Forced | 1 | 10 | +9 |
| Fumbles Recovered | 4 | 11 | +7 |
| Sacks By | 21 | 29 | +8 |
| Tackles For Loss | 67 | 81 | +14 |
| Pass Breakups | 23 | 40 | +17 |
The Boilermakers return 13 full or part-time starters from the 2017 offense. Graduate student David Blough (102-157-4, 1,103 yards 9 TDs) and junior Elijah Sindelar (187-329-7, 2,099 yards, 18TDs) return at quarterback. The duo split time last season, both by design and injury. Due to a rash of injuries, the running backs split time during last season and the Boilermakers return their top four rushers this year in Markell Jones (113-566, 1 TD), D.J. Knox (90-561, 2 TDs), Tario Fuller (43-261, 2 TDs) and Richie Worship (53-257, 3 TDs). At wide receiver, the Boilermakers will miss departed seniors Anthony Mahoungou and Gregory Phillips, bu a whole host of pass catchers return as well. Jackson Anthrop (44-423, 5 TDs) led Purdue in receptions last year as a redshirt freshman, while juco transfers Terry Wright and Isaac Zico appear to be more comfortable in Jeff Brohm's offense in their second season at Purdue. Senior Jarrett Burgess, a former minor league baseball player, heads into his final year looking to make an impact, while true freshman Rondale Moore has flashed his athleticism, shiftiness and strength from the moment he stepped on campus this summer. The tight end position will be a big asset for Purdue with senior Cole Herdman (20-331, 3 TDs), junior Brycen Hopkins (25-349, 3 TDs) and sophomore Darius Pittman all back in 2018. Senior Kirk Barron achors an offensive line that features five full or part-time starters from last season.
On DefenseUnlike the offense, graduation hit the defensive side of the ball hard. The Boilermakers lost seven full-time starting defenders from what many considered the strength of last year's team. Despite the losses, the Boilermakers still feature a number of top-notch athletes. Up front, Lorenzo Neal is the lone returning starter for Purdue, but Anthony Watts, Kai Higgins and Giovanni Reviere appear poised to take on larger roles this season. Head coach Jeff Brohm has said that junior linebacker Markus Bailey is the best player on the team and it wold be hard to argue that point after the two-year starter led the team in tackles as a redshirt freshman (97 TT) in 2016 and finished second on the team last year (89 TT). Sophomore linebackers Cornel Jones and Derrick Barnes both played as true freshmen last year and are looking to take on bigger roles this season. The safety positions will be held down by fifth-year senior Jacob Thieneman and junior Navon Mosley, while the cornerback position features a number of veterans in Antonio Blackmon, Tim Cason and Kamal Hardy battling redshirt freshmen Dedrick Mackey and Kenneth Major for field time.
Special TeamsSenior Joe Schopper returns as the nation's top passing punter. The three-year starter completed all three of his passing attempts on fakes last season and rushed for anther first down on a fourth fake. Kidding aside, the Ray Guy Award nominee averaged 40.5 yards per punt, place 30 kicks inside the opposition's 20-yard line and had 16 boots of 50 or more yards. Kickers J.D. Dellinger (9 of 13) and Spencer Evans (8 of 11) each return after splitting time on both field attempts and PATs last season. Senior Ben Makowski returns as the nation's leader in receiving yards by a long snapper (1-22 yards).
Developing Champions / Developing Scholars / Developing CitizensPurdue football and the entire athletics department support the educational mission of the university in its pursuit of academic achievement and graduation.
The mission is "Developing Champions / Developing Scholars / Developing Citizens." We place value in the intercollegiate athletics experience, believing that students learn self-discipline, build self-confidence and develop competitive skills. Our student-athletes learn practical life skills such as teamwork, sportsmanship, winning and losing, and hard work.
Through the spring 2018 semester, the football program boasted a composite grade-point average of 2.84. Last season, 27 football players earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Seven current Boilermakers have earned their bachelor's degrees: Kirk Barron, David Blough, Kamal Hardy, Cole Herdman, Ryan Sadkowski and graduate transfers Dennis Edwards and Shane Evans.
"Academics will never take a backseat in our program," head coach Jeff Brohm says. "We want to win games and championships, but our ultimate goal is for each of our players to earn his degree and be prepared for life after football."