The Boilermakers are on the road for the first time in 2018. Purdue visits Nebraska, who sit 0-3 after a 56-10 loss to Michigan last week, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Revisiting HomecomingPurdue sent No. 23 Boston College to its first loss of the season and booted it out of the AP Top 25 with a 30-13 win Sept. 22. The victory marked the Boilermakers' first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 23 Illinois 21-14 on Oct. 22, 2011. Purdue has defeated 35 teams in school history when the opposition is ranked and the Boilermakers are not. It was the first triumph over a ranked opponent in the last 20 tries, and the 17-point edge was the largest margin of victory over a top 25 team since beating No. 5 Michigan State 52-28 on Oct. 16, 1999.
On This Date: September 29Purdue's largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent since 1999. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/8YomqWWxHQ
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) September 22, 2018
- Record: 8-3
- First Game: 1900 – Won vs. Illinois Wesleyan, 39-0
- Last Game: 2012 – Won vs. Marshall, 51-41
Noteworthy: On this date in 2001, 24th-ranked Purdue trailed at Minnesota 28-25 with 19 seconds to go and had the ball at its own 3-yard line with no timeouts. Brandon Hance completed back-to-back passes to John Standeford for 27 yards and Taylor Stubblefield for 39 yards. With the ball at the Golden Gopher 31-yard line and the clock stopped temporarily with one second remaining, Purdue sent out its field goal unit, and Travis Dorsch calmly drilled a 48-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Hance then threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Standeford in overtime, and Stuart Schweigert intercepted a pass in the end zone for a remarkable 35-28 victory.
Rewriting the Record BookThrough the first four games of the season, Jeff Brohm's offense has rewritten decades-old records both at Purdue and in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers have established new high water marks four different times this season alone. See the notes below for more details on the record-setting feats.
| Record | New Record | Old Record |
|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Yards | 313, Rondale Moore vs. Northwestern | 312, Otis Armstrong vs. IU, 11/25/72 |
| Passing Yards | 572, David Blough vs. Missouri | 546, Curtis Painter vs. CMU, 12/26/07 |
| Total Offense | 590, David Blough vs. Missouri | 540, Curtis Painter vs. CMU, 12/26/07 |
| Completion Pct. (50-59 att.) |
.709, David Blough vs. Missouri | .702, Drew Brees vs. MSU, 10/16/99 |
The Boilermakers have been very successful when playing in front of the chains this season. Purdue is converting 79 percent of its third downs (19 of 24) when facing four or less yards (including a perfect 8 for 8 on third-and-one). Overall, the Boilers are converting on third down 46 percent of the time, a figure that ranks 33rd nationally.
Standing TallStanding 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9, respectively, D.J. Knox and Rondale Moore have been two of the Boilermakers most productive players this season. Combined, the duo have accounted for 30 of Purdue's 79 non-penalty first downs (38 percent), eight of Purdue's 13 touchdowns (62 percent), 435 of 661 rushing yards (66 percent) and 381 of 1,273 receiving yards (30 percent).
Bloughing ThroughAgainst Missouri, senior quarterback David Blough set the Purdue game passing yards record (572) and the Big Ten game total offense mark (590). The previous standards were 546 passing yards by Curtis Painter against Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl on Dec. 26, 2007, and 585 yards of total offense by Dave Wilson of Illinois against Ohio State on Nov. 8, 1980. Blough's passing yards rank second in Big Ten history, trailing only Wilson's 621 in that game (he had -36 yards rushing).
Behind Enemy LinesSophomore linebacker Cornel Jones, who led the FBS in tackles for loss through the first two weeks and is currently ninth nationally, is tied for first in the Big Ten with 8.0 TFLs for the year.
Jones' 2018 TFL Tally- 3.0 vs. Northwestern
- 3.5 vs. Eastern Michigan
- 1.0 vs. Missouri
- 0.5 vs. Boston College
Senior running back Markell Jones' seven-yard touchdown reception against Eastern Michigan was the 17th total touchdown of his career (15 rushing, two receiving). That mark leaves him just outside of the top 20 all-time in school history.
| Career Touchdowns | ||
|---|---|---|
| 19. | Jimmy Smith (1979-81) | 18 |
| Calvin Williams (1986-89) | 18 | |
| Antavian Edison (2009-12) | 18 | |
| 22. | Markell Jones (2015-P) | 17 |
With 12 carries for 109 yards against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 8, senior running back Markell Jones moved past two-time consensus All-American and 1968 Heisman Trophy runner up Leroy Keyes on Purdue's career rushing yardage list. Jones has rushed for 2,238 yards in his four-year Boilermaker career and currently sits 10th all-time.
| Career Rushing Yards | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8. | Corey Rogers (1991-95) | 2,436 |
| 9. | Jerod Void (2002-05) | 2,429 |
| 10. | Markell Jones (2015-P) | 2,238 |
| Career Rushing Attempts | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10. | Harry Szulborski (1946-49) | 478 |
| 11. | John Macon (1977-80) | 471 |
| 12. | Markell Jones (2015-P) | 463 |
| Career Rushing Touchdowns | ||
|---|---|---|
| 10. | Otis Armstrong (1970-72) | 17 |
| 11. | Wally Jones (1978-81) | 16 |
| Tony Butkovich (1943) | 16 | |
| 13. | Markell Jones (2015-P) | 15 |
David Blough's school-record performance against Missouri ranked among the top five individual efforts in the history of Jeff Brohm's head coaching career. A look at where it stands:
Passing Yards- 593, Brandon Doughty at Middle Tennessee (Sept. 13, 2014)
- 572, David Blough vs. Missouri (Sept. 15, 2018)
- 569, Brandon Doughty vs. Bowling Green (Aug. 29, 2014)
- 517, Mike White vs. Rice (Sept. 1, 2016)
- 491, Brandon Doughty at Marshall (Nov. 28, 2014)
- 46, Brandon Doughty vs. Bowling Green (Aug. 29, 2014)
- 43, Brandon Doughty at Middle Tennessee (Sept. 13, 2014)
- 39, David Blough vs. Missouri (Sept. 15, 2018)
- 38, Brandon Doughty at Navy (Sept. 27, 2014)
- 37, Brandon Doughty at LSU (Oct. 24, 2015)
- 37, Elijah Sindelar at Northwestern (Oct. 11, 2017)
- 66, Brandon Doughty at Middle Tennessee (Sept. 13, 2014)
- 61, Brandon Doughty at LSU (Oct. 24, 2015)
- 60, Elijah Sindelar at Northwestern (Nov. 11, 2017)
- 56, Brandon Doughty vs. Bowling Green (Aug. 29, 2014)
- 55, David Blough vs. Missouri (Sept. 15, 2018)
When D.J. Knox (152) and Markell Jones (109) both topped the century mark in rushing yards against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 8, it was the first time a pair of Boilermakers went for 100-plus yards in the same game since 2002 (Brandon Jones, 131, and Joey Harris, 102). It was merely the 27th time in school history that the feat has been accomplished and only the fifth time in the last 35 years. Please see page 101 of the Purdue Records Book for the entire list of the previous 26 100-yard rushing duos. It was the fifth time Jones rushed for over 100 yards in a game in his career and the third, and also a career-high, for Knox.
100-Yard Rushing Duos Since 1984- Sept. 17, 1994 vs. Ball State - Mike Alstott (156) and Corey Rogers (124)
- Nov. 4, 1995 vs. Wisconsin- Mike Alstott (204) and Edwin Watson (194)
- Oct. 26, 2002 at Northwestern - Brandon Jones (165) and Joey Harris (132)
- Nov. 23, 2002 vs. Indiana - Brandon Jones (131) and Joey Harris (102)
- Sept. 8, 2018 vs. Eastern Michigan - D.J. Knox (152) and Markell Jones (109)
True freshman Rondale Moore became a household name when he electrified the nation with a record-breaking performance in his collegiate debut against Northwestern on Aug. 30. With a (still) FBS-best 313 all-purpose yards against the Wildcats (79 rushing, 109 receiving, 125 kickoff return), Moore eclipsed Otis Armstrong's single game school record of 312 yards set Nov. 25, 1972. Moore had a huge first half, racking up 302 all-purpose yards in the initial 30 minutes. That alone would have placed him third in the Purdue record book. With the Boilermakers trailing 14-0 in the first 10 minutes of the opening quarter, Moore hauled in a 32-yard touchdown reception from Elijah Sindelar and ripped off a 76-yard scoring run to even the score before the quarter ended.
More on MooreQuestion 1: Rondale Moore
— Purdue On BTN (@PurdueOnBTN) September 24, 2018
Question 2: Follow up on Rondale Moore
Question 3: Another one about Rondale Moore
Question 4: Follow up on Rondale Moore
Add it up, and the first 4:23 of @JeffBrohm's presser was all about @BoilerFootball's sensational @Rondale_Moore03. pic.twitter.com/rBd1uKkwyu
Rondale Moore is the first freshman (true or redshirt) in school history to make his Boilermaker debut with a 100-yard receiving game. Moore hauled in a game-high 11 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in his first collegiate game against Northwestern, finished with … His reception total was the highest by any player in the Big Ten on the opening week of college football and his yardage tally was second to only Ohio State's Terry McLaurin's 121 vs. Oregon State … Moore's 76-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter against Northwestern was the longest run by a Boilermaker since Akeem Hunt went 82 yards to the house at Indiana on Nov. 29, 2014 … It is also the second-longest rush by a Big Ten player through the first four weeks of the season … Moore's average of 8.3 receptions per game is fourth in the FBS and first in the Big Ten … Moore ranks fifth in the FBS and first in the Big Ten with an average of 183.0 all-purpose yards per game ... Moore ranks sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten with 33 receptions on the year … His 372 receiving yards for the season are 19th nationally and tops among all Big Ten players.
Don't BlinkFreshman Rondale Moore has held the football 53 times in his four-game collegiate career and is averaging 13.8 yards per touch. He has caught a Big Ten-high 33 passes for 372 yards, six carries for 132 yards, 10 kick returns for 201 yards and four punt returns for 27 yards entering the Nebraska game. Moore has 13 plays of 20 or more yards this season, including a 76-yard touchdown rush and a 70-yard scoring reception.
Moving Up The ChartsFifth-year senior David Blough continues to climb further into the Purdue career record book.
| Passing Attempts | |||
| 3. | Kyle Orton (2001-04) | 1,336 | |
| 4. | Mark Herrmann (1977-80) | 1,309 | |
| 5. | David Blough (2015-P) | 1,076 | |
| Completions | |||
| 3. | Kyle Orton (2001-04) | 786 | |
| 4. | Mark Herrmann (1977-80) | 772 | |
| 5. | David Blough (2015-P) | 644 | |
| Passing Yards | |||
| 5. | Scott Campbell (1980-83) | 7,636 | |
| 6. | Jim Everett (1981-85) | 7,411 | |
| 7. | David Blough (2015-P) | 7,019 | |
| Passing Touchdowns | |||
| 3. | Curtis Painter (2005-08) | 67 | |
| 4. | Kyle Orton (2001-04) | 63 | |
| 5. | David Blough (2015-P) | 50 | |
| Total Offense | |||
| 5. | Scott Campbell (1980-83) | 7,526 | |
| 6. | Jim Everett (1981-85) | 7,284 | |
| 7. | David Blough (2015-P) | 7,256 |
The Boilermakers achieved their longest and shortest touchdown drives of the season last week vs. Boston College. The opening scoring drive, a one-yard rush by D.J. Knox, lasted a season-high 12 plays and took 5:58 off the clock. Rondale's Moore's amazing 70-yard score to open the second quarter lasted all of one play and took merely 13 seconds. For the year, Purdue is averaging 69.5 yards, 5.2 plays and 2:00 on its 13 touchdown drives.
Road WarriorsAfter hosting the first four games of the season at home, the Boilermakers will play five of their remaining eight games away from Ross-Ade Stadium. This season marks the first since 2006 to have Purdue's first true road game come as the fifth contest of the year.
Weekly Big Ten HonorsRondale Moore was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for a second time this season after his performance against No. 23 Boston College on Sept. 22. Moore, who was selected as the B1G Freshman of the Week after posting a school-record 313 all-purpose yards in the opener against Northwestern on Aug. 30, finished with eight receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles. His current weekly honor marks the third time in four weeks a Boilermaker has been recognized by the conference, and the first time a Purdue player has been feted twice in the same season since Frankie Williams was honored as the freshman of the week twice in 2012. Quarterback David Blough was named the B1G Offensive Player of the Week after breaking the school record for passing yards (572) and the Big Ten record for total offense (590) against Missouri on Sept. 15.
Weekly B1G Honors
- Sept. 3 - Rondale Moore (Freshman)
- Sept. 17 - David Blough (Offense)
- Sept. 24 - Rondale Moore (Freshman)
Eight 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.
Seeing TripleFor just the fifth time school history, Purdue had three different players reach the century mark in receiving yards in the same game. Freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore, junior tight end Brycen Hopkins and senior wide receiver Isaac Zico pulled off the rare feat against Missouri on Sept. 15. It was the first occurrence for the Boilermakers in 11 years.
100-Yard Receiving Trios- Oct. 3, 1998 vs. Minnesota - Randall Lane (137), Gabe Cox (133) and Cliff Jackson (101)
- Oct. 28, 2000 vs. Ohio State - Vinny Sutherland (142), Seth Morales (115) and Tim Stratton (100)
- Nov. 20, 2004 vs. Indiana - Kyle Ingraham (209), Taylor Stubblefield (138) and Dorien Bryant (131)
- Dec. 26, 2007 vs. Central Michigan - Dustin Keller (150), Greg Orton (136) and Jake Standeford (112)
- Sept. 15, 2018 vs. Missouri - Rondale Moore (137), Brycen Hopkins (136) and Isaac Zico (100)
The 1,220 combined yards amassed by Purdue and Missouri on Sept. 15 were the most shared with a Boilermaker opponent in school history.
1,000-Plus Combined Yard Performances| 1. | 1,222 | Purdue (614) vs. Missouri (608), Sept. 15, 2018 |
| 2. | 1,208 | Purdue (516) at Indiana (692), Nov. 30, 2013 |
| 3. | 1,145 | Purdue (486) vs. Indiana (659), Nov. 28, 2015 |
| 4. | 1,135 | Purdue (514) vs. Notre Dame (621), Oct. 1, 2005 |
| 5. | 1,225 | Purdue (472) at Hawaii (653), Nov. 25, 2006 |
David Blough's one-yard touchdown rush against Missouri on Sept. 15 improved his career total to 11. He needs five more in his final season in the Old Gold and Black to overtake Mark Vitali as the program's leader among quarterbacks.
Purdue Quarterback Career Rushing Touchdowns| Mark Vitali, 1974-76 | 15 |
| Bob Griese, 1964-66 | 14 |
| Drew Brees, 1997-2000 | 14 |
| Curtis Painter, 2005-08 | 13 |
| Bo Bobrowski, 1972-73 | 12 |
| Eric Hunter, 1989-92 | 12 |
| David Blough, 2015-Present | 11 |