Game Notes
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PURDUE-WISCONSIN SERIES DATA
Wisconsin leads 49-29-8 all-time.
Current Streak: Wisconsin has won the last 13 meetings.
In Madison: Wisconsin leads 22-16-3
First Meeting: Oct. 19, 1892 – Purdue won 34-6 at home.
Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 2018 – Wisconsin won 47-44 in triple overtime on the road.
Noteworthy: Wisconsin outlasted Purdue 47-44 in a triple-overtime thriller in Ross-Ade Stadium last season. The overtime featured five touchdowns and a field goal on merely 15 combined plays between the two schools. Wisconsin (545) and Purdue (462) combined for 1,007 yards of total offense in the contest. Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor rushed 33 times for 321 yards and three touchdowns, including two in overtime. Purdue's David Blough completed 31 of 48 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. Rondale Moore caught nine of Blough's passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns for the Boilermakers.
CENTURY MARK
Including five times this season, at least one Purdue player has gone over 100 yards receiving in a game 18 times in the tenure of head coach Jeff Brohm (there have been four games with multiple players eclipsing the mark). In total, the 22 times that at a player has hauled in 100 or more yards receiving has been done in 36 games under Brohm's leadership at Purdue. As perspective, one would need to go back to the Minnesota game on Oct. 10, 2009, for Purdue receivers to equal that mark prior to Brohm's arrival (93 games).
Yards Player and Opponent, Date (Receptions)
220 - Rondale Moore vs. Vanderbilt, 9/9/2019 (13)
197 - David Bell at Iowa, 10/19/2019 (13)
170 - Rondale Moore vs. Ohio State, 10/20/2018 (12)
149 - Gregory Phillips vs. Arizona, 12/27/2017 (14)
146 - Terry Wright vs. Iowa, 11/3/2018 (6)
141 - Rondale Moore at Indiana, 11/24/2018 (12)
140 - Brycen Hopkins vs. Maryland, 10/12/2019 (10)
138 - David Bell vs. Maryland, 10/12/2019 (9)
137 - Rondale Moore vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (11)
136 - Brycen Hopkins vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (5)
135 - Anthony Mahoungou vs. Iowa, 11/18/2017 (7)
130 - Jared Sparks at Northwestern, 11/11/2017 (11)
127 - Isaac Zico at Illinois, 10/13/2018 (5)
124 - Rondale Moore at Nevada, 8/30/2019 (11)
118 - Anthony Mahoungou vs. Arizona, 12/27/2017 (6)
115 - David Bell at Northwestern, 11/9/2019 (14)
114 - Rondale Moore vs. Wisconsin, 11/17/2018 (9)
110 - Rondale Moore vs. Boston College 9/22/2018 (8)
109 - Rondale Moore vs. Northwestern, 8/30/2018 (11)
103 - Brycen Hopkins at Nebraska, 9/29/2018 (5)
101 - Rondale Moore at Illinois, 10/13/2018 (4)
100 - Isaac Zico vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (4)
BELLWETHER WIDE RECEIVER
True frosh David Bell has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week a school-record-tying three times this season (also Rondale Moore last year). The Indianapolis native leads the Big Ten in receptions (65), is fourth in the conference in receiving yards (791) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (5). He has caught at least one pass in all 10 of his collegiate games thus far, including a career-high 14 at Northwestern on Nov. 9. His four 100-yard receiving games in 2019 is merely one shy of tying for the third-most in a season in school history. His 197 yards receiving at Iowa on Oct. 19 were the most by a true freshman in school history.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Rondale Moore (3.74, selling and sales management) and Eric Miller (3.85, management) have been named CoSIDA Academic All-District 5, making the pair are eligible for Academic All-America honors.
GAME-WINNER
Sophomore quarterback Aidan O'Connell has engineered game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter of Purdue's last two games. Against Nebraska on Nov. 2, O'Connell went 6 for 6 passing for 62 yards that helped lead to a nine-yard game-winning touchdown rush by David Bell. At Northwestern on Nov. 9, he completed 4 of 6 passes on the final drive for 26 yards, which culminated in a J.D. Dellinger game-winning 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining. Combined, O'Connell is 10 of 12 for 88 yards on the two drives. O'Connell is merely the third Boilermaker signal caller to put together game-winning drives in the final two minutes of a game in the same season since 2000 (also Drew Brees in 2000 vs. Michigan and Ohio State and Elijah Sindelar in 2017 vs. Minnesota and Arizona).
DANDY DELLINGER DATA
In the Boilermakers' 24-22 win at Northwestern on Nov. 9, junior kicker J.D. Dellinger drilled the second game-winning field goal of his career and the eighth for Purdue since 2000.
Game-Winning Field Goals (Since 2000)
* Travis Dorsch (33 yards) vs. Michigan, Oct. 7, 2000 (0:04)
* Ben Jones (18 yards) at Wisconsin, Oct. 18, 2003 (0:03)
* Casey Welch (18 yards) at Michigan State, Nov. 4, 2006 (4:49)
* Chris Summers (40 yards) vs. Central Michigan (Motor City Bowl), Dec. 26, 2007 (0:00)
* Paul Griggs (46 yards) at Iowa, Nov. 10, 2012 (0:00)
* J.D. Dellinger (28 yards) at Illinois, Oct. 8, 2016 (OT)
* Spencer Evans (25 yards) vs. Iowa, Nov. 3, 2018 (0:08)
* J.D. Dellinger (39 yards) at Northwestern, Nov. 9, 2019 (0:03)
Dellinger was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, just as he was for his game-winner at Illinois on Oct. 8, 2016.
Dellinger currently shares the Purdue season record with an .833 field goal percentage (also Ben Jones in 2003), having made 10 of 12 attempts.
On the school career lists, Dellinger ranks third in field goal percentage (.732) and seventh in field goals (30).
Dellinger is 26 of 30 for his career on field goals inside of 39 yards.
Purdue Career Field Goal Percentage
.765 (26-34) – Spencer Evans, 2017-18
.765 (56-76) – Carson Wiggs, 2008-11
.732 (30-41) – J.D. Dellinger, 2016-
.701 (68-97) – Travis Dorsch, 1998-2001
Purdue Career Field Goals
68 – Travis Dorsch, 1998-2001
56 – Carson Wiggs, 2008-11
43 – Ben Jones, 2003-05
36 – Jonathan Briggs, 1985-87
31 – Chris Summers, 2006-09
31 – Paul Griggs, 2012-15
30 – J.D. Dellinger, 2016-
MACKEY MANIA
Named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, senior tight end Brycen Hopkins is turning in a fine final season at Purdue. The Nashville native is tied for third nationally among all tight ends in total receptions (45), second in receptions per game by tight ends (4.5), fourth in total receiving yards by the position (561) and second among TEs in receiving yards per game (56.1). His 10-game totals thus far are the most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end at Purdue since Dustin Keller finished the 2007 season with 68 catches for 881 yards. Hopkins hauled in 10 passes for 140 yards against Maryland on Oct. 12, both career highs. His reception total was the most by a Purdue tight end since Tim Stratton finished with 12 against Washington State in the 2001 Sun Bowl and his yardage total the most by a Boilermaker at his position since Dustin Keller had 150 vs. Central Michigan in the 2007 Motor City Bowl. Hopkins' 140 yards receiving vs. the Terrapins are the most in a game by any tight end in the nation, while his 10 receptions are tied for the most by tight ends. The Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation's top tight end. Stratton won the inaugural award in 2000.
NEXT MAN UP
Making his first career start at Northwestern on Nov. 9, Aidan O'Connell became the Boilermakers' third quarterback to start a game this season. Purdue has not started more than two quarterbacks in a season since lining up four different starting signal callers in 2010 (Robert Marve, Rob Henry, Justin Siller and Sean Robinson). O'Connell was Purdue's fourth-string QB last season behind David Blough, Elijah Sindelar and Nick Sipe.
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Boilermakers have put together 30 touchdown drives over the course of the 2019 season and have had to move the ball 70 or more yards on 23 of them before reaching the end zone (76.7percent). The Boilermakers have posted three 99-yard touchdown drives this season (at Nevada, vs. Minnesota and vs. Illinois).
B1G WEEKLY HONORS
J.D. Dellinger's Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week recognition and David Bell's Freshman of the Week honors following the Northwestern game has boosted Purdue season tally to seven in 2019. The Boilermakers had a school-record 10 student-athletes selected Big Ten Players of the Week last year.
2019 Purdue Big Ten Players of the Week
Sept. 9 – Elijah Sindelar (Offensive)
Oct. 14 – Jack Plummer (Offensive) and David Bell (Freshman)
Oct. 21 – David Bell (Freshman)
Nov. 4 – King Doerue (Freshman)
Nov. 11 – J.D. Dellinger (Special Teams) and David Bell (Freshman)
FOUR-MINUTE OFFENSE
The Boilermakers put on a clinic running their"four-minute offense" against Nebraska on Nov. 2, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the first half and the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 left to play in the fourth quarter. Engineered by two different quarterbacks, both Jack Plummer (first half) and Aidan O'Connell (second half) posted impressive numbers during their respective drives. Plummer went 7 for 8 for 53 yards passing, including a16-yard touchdown heave to Payne Durham, and had 19 yards rushing. Meanwhile, O'Connell went 6 for 6 for 62 yards passing on Purdue's 12-play game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
NO PRESSURE
Nebraska picked off two Purdue passes and blocked a pair of punts on Nov. 2 setting up Cornhusker drives that started at the Boilermakers' 2-, 46-, 47- and 34-yard lines. Despite the short fields and adversity, the Boilermaker defense limited Nebraska to a measly three points on the four possessions.
RINGING THE BELL
David Bell earned back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after the Maryland and Iowa games. He had nine receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland on Oct. 12, followed by 13 catches for 197 yards (most by a freshman in school history and eighth-most all-time) and a touchdown at Iowa on Oct. 19. Bell is the third Boilermaker to earn that conference recognition on multiple occasions, following Frankie Williams (twice in 2012) and Rondale Moore (three times in 2018).
Most Receiving Yards by a True Freshman at Purdue
1 David Bell - 197 at Iowa, Oct. 19, 2019
2 Rondale Moore - 170 vs. Ohio State, Oct. 20, 2018
3 DeAngelo Yancey - 146 vs. Nebraska, Oct. 12, 2013
4 Rondale Moore - 141 at Indiana, Nov. 24, 2018
5 David Bell - 138 vs. Maryland, Oct. 12, 2019
LOCKING IT DOWN
After yielding 175 yards and 14 points on Northwestern's first two drives on Nov. 9, Purdue's defense limited the Wildcats merely 260 yards combined and six points on their next 11 offensive possessions.
A PAYNE IN THE END ZONE
Redshirt freshman Payne Durham has made the most of his eight receptions thus far, having scored a touchdown on half of them. His four TD catches places him second behind true freshman David Bell (5) for the most scoring receptions on the team.
FABULOUS FROSH
Purdue has scored 21 touchdowns in its last eight games and the freshman class has had a hand in 20 of them. The lone exception being a seven-yard pass from Jack Plummer (RS-Freshman) to Zander Horvath vs. Minnesota. A freshman has scored 19 consecutive touchdowns for Purdue.
* Consecutive touchdowns scored by a true or redshirt freshman.
YOU GOTTA LIKE THESE KIDS
Redshirt or true freshmen top the Boilermakers or share the team lead in a bushel basket of statistical categories, including rushing yards (King Doerue), passing yards (Jack Plummer), receptions (David Bell), receiving yards (Bell), total offense (Plummer), all-purpose yards (Bell), tackles for loss (George Karlaftis), sacks (Karlaftis) and interceptions (Cory Trice).
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Cory Trice's 37-yard pick-six against Maryland marked the fourth straight season Purdue has returned an interception for a touchdown. Trice also picked off another pass in the contest to become the first Boilermaker to have two interceptions in a game since Markus Bailey had a pair against Indiana in 2016.
Purdue Interceptions Returned for Touchdowns in the Last Four Years
2016 Gelen Robinson 78 yards vs. Eastern Kentucky
2017 Ja'Whaun Bentley 76 yards vs. Minnesota
2018 Markus Bailey 41 yards vs. Ohio State
2019 Cory Trice 37 yards vs. Maryland
KING-SIZE PERFORMANCE
Freshman running back King Doerue made his first start against Minnesota on Sept. 28 and rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries (4.7 average) and two touchdowns to go with four receptions for 32 yards and a score. He became the first true freshman with three touchdowns in a game for the Boilermakers since John Standeford against Northwestern at Northwestern on Oct. 14, 2000 (all receiving). Since then, two redshirt freshman have had three-touchdown games – Kory Sheets at Indiana in 2005 (all rushing) and Rob Henry vs. Minnesota in 2010 (all rushing).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Jeff Brohm's offense has utilized a number of Purdue's talented receivers this season. Paced by David Bell's team-high 65 receptions, 13 different Boilermakers have at least one catch on the year and 10 different players have scored at least one touchdown via the passing game thus far.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Including 13 starters, the Boilermakers have had 33 true or redshirt freshman play in the first seven games. WR Amad Anderson Jr. (R-Fr.), RB Alfred Armour (R-Fr.), WR David Bell (T-Fr.), OL Will Bramel (R-Fr.), RB King Doerue (T-Fr.), TE Payne Durham (R-Fr.), S Jalen Graham (T-Fr.), DT Lawrence Johnson (R-Fr.), DE George Karlaftis (T-Fr.), OL Eric Miller (R-Fr.), QB Jack Plummer (R-Fr.), CB Cory Trice (R-Fr.) and WR Milton Wright (T-Fr.) have started for Purdue. CB Cam Allen (T-Fr.), LB Elijah Ball (R-Fr.), TE Kyle Bilodeau (T-Fr.), WR Jordan Bonner (R-Fr.), P Brooks Cormier (T-Fr.), DL Jack Cravaack (R-Fr.), DE Branson Deen (R-Fr.), S Marvin Grant (T-Fr.), RB Da'Joun Hewitt (T-Fr.) OL Jimmy McKenna (R-Fr.), TE Garrett Miller (T-Fr.), WR Mershawn Rice (T-Fr.), CB Jordan Rucker (R-Fr.), LB Khali Saunders (T-Fr.), WR TJ Sheffield (T-Fr.), LB Jack Smith (R-Fr.), DB Kadin Smith (R-Fr.), DT Jack Sullivan (R-Fr.), WR Kory Taylor (R-Fr.) and LB Jacob Wahlberg (T-Fr.) have seen action in games as reserves and on special teams.
GOOD GOLLY, GEORGE
Freshman defensive end George Karlaftis paces Purdue with 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. His 10-game total for TFLs is already two ahead of Cornel Jones' team-high of 12.5 in 13 games from last season and the most by a Boilermaker since Kawann Short posted 15.5 in 2012, while is sack total is the most by an individual at Purdue since Short finished that same season with 7.0. Karlaftis came up with an interception and a sack against TCU, becoming the first Purdue true freshman to do so in a game since Torri Williams at Iowa on Nov. 6, 2004.
BEN'S BEEN BIG
Graduate transfer Ben Holt has been a revelation. Starting all 10 games thus far, he has led the Boilermakers in tackles in seven contests. His 17 tackles against TCU were the most in a game for a Boilermaker since Willie Fells had 21 in 1997. He currently sits second in the Big Ten and tied for 12th nationally with an average of 9.9 tackles per game.
MOVING THE CHAINS
David Bell and Brycen Hopkins have made the most of their receptions this season. For Bell, 41 of his 65 catches (63 percent) have been for a first down, touchdown or both. Hopkins is at 67 percent, having converted 30 of his 45 receptions into a first down or score.
FOCUS ON FAKASIIEIKI
Prior to this season, Semisi Fakasiieiki had recorded eight career tackles in 12 games (all last season after not playing in 2016 and 2017). Over the last four games, the defensive end-turned-linebacker has totaled 24 stops, including 2.5 for loss and one sack. Fakasiieiki had seven tackles against Illinois on Oct. 26, five stops vs. Nebraska on Nov. 2 and six tackles at Northwestern.
TOUCHDOWN TRIO
Purdue has had three quarterbacks throw a touchdown pass (Elijah Sindelar, Jack Plummer and Aidan O'Connell) for the first time since the 2013 season (Danny Etling, Rob Henry and Austin Appleby).
TRENDING UP IN ATTENDANCE
Purdue's home-opening crowd of 50,506 on Sept. 7 against Vanderbilt was the largest to begin a season since 2008 when 51,476 Black and Gold faithful turned up to see Joe Tiller's Boilermakers knock off Northern Colorado 42-10. The following week against TCU saw a crowd of 60,037 show up to mark the largest crowd to witness a non-conference game at Ross-Ade since 61,127 fans attended the Boilermakers' Sept. 14, 2013, game against Notre Dame. The 52,296 homecoming crowd for the Maryland game Oct. 12 was an increase of 5,177 fans that took in homecoming vs. No. 23 Boston College last year.
In 2018, the Boilermakers attracted two capacity crowds of 60,716 at Ross-Ade Stadium – for the Ohio State and Iowa games – a first since 2007. Purdue's home attendance average of 51,120 was the highest since the 2008 season. Over the last three seasons, the Boilermakers have seen their attendance grow 33 percent (from 34,451 in 2016), tops in the country. Purdue was the only school to see its average increase by 3,000 from both 2016 to 2017 (nation-best 13,433) and from 2017 to 2018 (3,236). The trend appears to be on it's way to extending in 2019, with Purdue's faithful fanatics purchasing over 22,000 season tickets to go along with 10,575 student tickets.
ACADEMICS ARE JOB NO. 1
Five current Boilermakers have earned their bachelor's degrees: Markus Bailey (movement and sport sciences), Danny Carollo (selling and sales management), Matt McCann (building construction management technology), Elijah Sindelar (electrical engineering) and graduate transfer Ben Holt (interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on business at Western Kentucky). Bailey, Holt and McCann each are working on their master's degree in leadership this fall, while Sindelar is working on a master's in electrical engineering and Carollo is pursuing a minor in communication. Through the spring 2019 semester, the Boilermakers boasted a composite grade-point average of 2.93. Last season, a school-record 29 football players earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
#TYLERSTRONG
Prior to the Vanderbilt game Sept. 7, Purdue honored the legacy of Tyler Trent with the opening of the T-Squared Student Gate on the northeast side of Ross-Ade Stadium. Trent, who predicted the Boilermakers' historic 49-20 over No. 2 Ohio State last season, became a national inspiration with his fight for the advocacy of pediatric cancer treatment and research while battling osteosarcoma himself. He passed away Jan. 1, 2019, at the age of 20. Tyler's family, Tony (father), Kelly (mother), Blake (brother) and Ethan (brother), along with his best friend Josh Seals and Tyler Trent Courage and Resilience Award recipient Sean English, were the first to enter Ross-Ade through the re-named Trent Gate. Seals camped out with Tyler prior to the 2017 Michigan game when Tyler's battle with osteosarcoma first came to light.
TYLER TRENT TEAM CAPTAINS
Head coach Jeff Brohm announced the six 2019 Tyler Trent team captains after the first fall camp practice. Voted on by their teammates, offensive lineman Grant Hermanns, tight end Brycen Hopkins and quarterback Elijah Sindelar were named offensive captains, while linebacker Markus Bailey, safety Navon Mosley and tackle Lorenzo Neal were named from the defense. All of the 2019 captains are seniors, with Bailey, Neal and Sindelar voted to represent the team in back-to-back years. Brohm renamed the captaincy during the Boilermakers' spring game in April to honor the legacy of Purdue fan and 2018 captain Tyler Trent. Trent fought for the advocacy of pediatric cancer treatment and research while battling osteosarcoma himself. He passed away Jan. 1, 2019, at the age of 20.
PRO BOILERS
Ten Boilermakers have made National Football League opening-day 53-man rosters:
Ricardo Allen, S - Atlanta Falcons
Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB - New England Patriots
David Blough, QB - Detroit Lions
Drew Brees, QB - New Orleans Saints
Anthony Brown, CB - Dallas Cowboys
Dennis Kelly, T - Tennessee Titans
Ryan Kerrigan, LB - Washington Redskins
Raheem Mostert, RB - San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Pamphile, G - Tennessee Titans
Kawann Short, DT - Carolina Panthers
Old Oaken Bucket Game Tickets
PURDUE-WISCONSIN SERIES DATA
Wisconsin leads 49-29-8 all-time.
Current Streak: Wisconsin has won the last 13 meetings.
In Madison: Wisconsin leads 22-16-3
First Meeting: Oct. 19, 1892 – Purdue won 34-6 at home.
Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 2018 – Wisconsin won 47-44 in triple overtime on the road.
Noteworthy: Wisconsin outlasted Purdue 47-44 in a triple-overtime thriller in Ross-Ade Stadium last season. The overtime featured five touchdowns and a field goal on merely 15 combined plays between the two schools. Wisconsin (545) and Purdue (462) combined for 1,007 yards of total offense in the contest. Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor rushed 33 times for 321 yards and three touchdowns, including two in overtime. Purdue's David Blough completed 31 of 48 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns in the loss. Rondale Moore caught nine of Blough's passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns for the Boilermakers.
CENTURY MARK
Including five times this season, at least one Purdue player has gone over 100 yards receiving in a game 18 times in the tenure of head coach Jeff Brohm (there have been four games with multiple players eclipsing the mark). In total, the 22 times that at a player has hauled in 100 or more yards receiving has been done in 36 games under Brohm's leadership at Purdue. As perspective, one would need to go back to the Minnesota game on Oct. 10, 2009, for Purdue receivers to equal that mark prior to Brohm's arrival (93 games).
Yards Player and Opponent, Date (Receptions)
220 - Rondale Moore vs. Vanderbilt, 9/9/2019 (13)
197 - David Bell at Iowa, 10/19/2019 (13)
170 - Rondale Moore vs. Ohio State, 10/20/2018 (12)
149 - Gregory Phillips vs. Arizona, 12/27/2017 (14)
146 - Terry Wright vs. Iowa, 11/3/2018 (6)
141 - Rondale Moore at Indiana, 11/24/2018 (12)
140 - Brycen Hopkins vs. Maryland, 10/12/2019 (10)
138 - David Bell vs. Maryland, 10/12/2019 (9)
137 - Rondale Moore vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (11)
136 - Brycen Hopkins vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (5)
135 - Anthony Mahoungou vs. Iowa, 11/18/2017 (7)
130 - Jared Sparks at Northwestern, 11/11/2017 (11)
127 - Isaac Zico at Illinois, 10/13/2018 (5)
124 - Rondale Moore at Nevada, 8/30/2019 (11)
118 - Anthony Mahoungou vs. Arizona, 12/27/2017 (6)
115 - David Bell at Northwestern, 11/9/2019 (14)
114 - Rondale Moore vs. Wisconsin, 11/17/2018 (9)
110 - Rondale Moore vs. Boston College 9/22/2018 (8)
109 - Rondale Moore vs. Northwestern, 8/30/2018 (11)
103 - Brycen Hopkins at Nebraska, 9/29/2018 (5)
101 - Rondale Moore at Illinois, 10/13/2018 (4)
100 - Isaac Zico vs. Missouri, 9/15/2018 (4)
BELLWETHER WIDE RECEIVER
True frosh David Bell has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week a school-record-tying three times this season (also Rondale Moore last year). The Indianapolis native leads the Big Ten in receptions (65), is fourth in the conference in receiving yards (791) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (5). He has caught at least one pass in all 10 of his collegiate games thus far, including a career-high 14 at Northwestern on Nov. 9. His four 100-yard receiving games in 2019 is merely one shy of tying for the third-most in a season in school history. His 197 yards receiving at Iowa on Oct. 19 were the most by a true freshman in school history.
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Rondale Moore (3.74, selling and sales management) and Eric Miller (3.85, management) have been named CoSIDA Academic All-District 5, making the pair are eligible for Academic All-America honors.
GAME-WINNER
Sophomore quarterback Aidan O'Connell has engineered game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter of Purdue's last two games. Against Nebraska on Nov. 2, O'Connell went 6 for 6 passing for 62 yards that helped lead to a nine-yard game-winning touchdown rush by David Bell. At Northwestern on Nov. 9, he completed 4 of 6 passes on the final drive for 26 yards, which culminated in a J.D. Dellinger game-winning 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining. Combined, O'Connell is 10 of 12 for 88 yards on the two drives. O'Connell is merely the third Boilermaker signal caller to put together game-winning drives in the final two minutes of a game in the same season since 2000 (also Drew Brees in 2000 vs. Michigan and Ohio State and Elijah Sindelar in 2017 vs. Minnesota and Arizona).
DANDY DELLINGER DATA
In the Boilermakers' 24-22 win at Northwestern on Nov. 9, junior kicker J.D. Dellinger drilled the second game-winning field goal of his career and the eighth for Purdue since 2000.
Game-Winning Field Goals (Since 2000)
* Travis Dorsch (33 yards) vs. Michigan, Oct. 7, 2000 (0:04)
* Ben Jones (18 yards) at Wisconsin, Oct. 18, 2003 (0:03)
* Casey Welch (18 yards) at Michigan State, Nov. 4, 2006 (4:49)
* Chris Summers (40 yards) vs. Central Michigan (Motor City Bowl), Dec. 26, 2007 (0:00)
* Paul Griggs (46 yards) at Iowa, Nov. 10, 2012 (0:00)
* J.D. Dellinger (28 yards) at Illinois, Oct. 8, 2016 (OT)
* Spencer Evans (25 yards) vs. Iowa, Nov. 3, 2018 (0:08)
* J.D. Dellinger (39 yards) at Northwestern, Nov. 9, 2019 (0:03)
Dellinger was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, just as he was for his game-winner at Illinois on Oct. 8, 2016.
Dellinger currently shares the Purdue season record with an .833 field goal percentage (also Ben Jones in 2003), having made 10 of 12 attempts.
On the school career lists, Dellinger ranks third in field goal percentage (.732) and seventh in field goals (30).
Dellinger is 26 of 30 for his career on field goals inside of 39 yards.
Purdue Career Field Goal Percentage
.765 (26-34) – Spencer Evans, 2017-18
.765 (56-76) – Carson Wiggs, 2008-11
.732 (30-41) – J.D. Dellinger, 2016-
.701 (68-97) – Travis Dorsch, 1998-2001
Purdue Career Field Goals
68 – Travis Dorsch, 1998-2001
56 – Carson Wiggs, 2008-11
43 – Ben Jones, 2003-05
36 – Jonathan Briggs, 1985-87
31 – Chris Summers, 2006-09
31 – Paul Griggs, 2012-15
30 – J.D. Dellinger, 2016-
MACKEY MANIA
Named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, senior tight end Brycen Hopkins is turning in a fine final season at Purdue. The Nashville native is tied for third nationally among all tight ends in total receptions (45), second in receptions per game by tight ends (4.5), fourth in total receiving yards by the position (561) and second among TEs in receiving yards per game (56.1). His 10-game totals thus far are the most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end at Purdue since Dustin Keller finished the 2007 season with 68 catches for 881 yards. Hopkins hauled in 10 passes for 140 yards against Maryland on Oct. 12, both career highs. His reception total was the most by a Purdue tight end since Tim Stratton finished with 12 against Washington State in the 2001 Sun Bowl and his yardage total the most by a Boilermaker at his position since Dustin Keller had 150 vs. Central Michigan in the 2007 Motor City Bowl. Hopkins' 140 yards receiving vs. the Terrapins are the most in a game by any tight end in the nation, while his 10 receptions are tied for the most by tight ends. The Mackey Award is presented annually to the nation's top tight end. Stratton won the inaugural award in 2000.
NEXT MAN UP
Making his first career start at Northwestern on Nov. 9, Aidan O'Connell became the Boilermakers' third quarterback to start a game this season. Purdue has not started more than two quarterbacks in a season since lining up four different starting signal callers in 2010 (Robert Marve, Rob Henry, Justin Siller and Sean Robinson). O'Connell was Purdue's fourth-string QB last season behind David Blough, Elijah Sindelar and Nick Sipe.
GOING THE DISTANCE
The Boilermakers have put together 30 touchdown drives over the course of the 2019 season and have had to move the ball 70 or more yards on 23 of them before reaching the end zone (76.7percent). The Boilermakers have posted three 99-yard touchdown drives this season (at Nevada, vs. Minnesota and vs. Illinois).
| Length of Drive | Number of Times |
| 70-79 yards | 14 |
| 80-89 yards | 3 |
| 90-99 yards | 6 |
B1G WEEKLY HONORS
J.D. Dellinger's Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week recognition and David Bell's Freshman of the Week honors following the Northwestern game has boosted Purdue season tally to seven in 2019. The Boilermakers had a school-record 10 student-athletes selected Big Ten Players of the Week last year.
2019 Purdue Big Ten Players of the Week
Sept. 9 – Elijah Sindelar (Offensive)
Oct. 14 – Jack Plummer (Offensive) and David Bell (Freshman)
Oct. 21 – David Bell (Freshman)
Nov. 4 – King Doerue (Freshman)
Nov. 11 – J.D. Dellinger (Special Teams) and David Bell (Freshman)
FOUR-MINUTE OFFENSE
The Boilermakers put on a clinic running their"four-minute offense" against Nebraska on Nov. 2, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the first half and the game-winning touchdown with 1:08 left to play in the fourth quarter. Engineered by two different quarterbacks, both Jack Plummer (first half) and Aidan O'Connell (second half) posted impressive numbers during their respective drives. Plummer went 7 for 8 for 53 yards passing, including a16-yard touchdown heave to Payne Durham, and had 19 yards rushing. Meanwhile, O'Connell went 6 for 6 for 62 yards passing on Purdue's 12-play game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
| Quarter | Starting Time | Yard line | Plays (R/P) | Yards | TOP | Score | Time Remaining |
| 2nd | 4:07 | Own 4 | 12 (4/8) | 96 | 4:00 | 14-10 | 0:14 |
| 4th | 4:21 | Own 18 | 12 (6/6) | 82 | 3:13 | 31-27 | 1:08 |
NO PRESSURE
Nebraska picked off two Purdue passes and blocked a pair of punts on Nov. 2 setting up Cornhusker drives that started at the Boilermakers' 2-, 46-, 47- and 34-yard lines. Despite the short fields and adversity, the Boilermaker defense limited Nebraska to a measly three points on the four possessions.
| Nebraska Obtains Via | Yard Line | Ensuing Drive | How Drive Ended |
| Interception | Purdue 4 | 4 plays, -4 yards | Field Goal |
| Blocked Punt | Purdue 46 | 5 plays, 25 yards | Interception at Purdue 3-yard line |
| Interception | Purdue 47 | 3 plays, 0 yards | Punt |
| Blocked Punt | Purdue 34 | 4 plays, 4 yards | Downs |
RINGING THE BELL
David Bell earned back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after the Maryland and Iowa games. He had nine receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland on Oct. 12, followed by 13 catches for 197 yards (most by a freshman in school history and eighth-most all-time) and a touchdown at Iowa on Oct. 19. Bell is the third Boilermaker to earn that conference recognition on multiple occasions, following Frankie Williams (twice in 2012) and Rondale Moore (three times in 2018).
Most Receiving Yards by a True Freshman at Purdue
1 David Bell - 197 at Iowa, Oct. 19, 2019
2 Rondale Moore - 170 vs. Ohio State, Oct. 20, 2018
3 DeAngelo Yancey - 146 vs. Nebraska, Oct. 12, 2013
4 Rondale Moore - 141 at Indiana, Nov. 24, 2018
5 David Bell - 138 vs. Maryland, Oct. 12, 2019
LOCKING IT DOWN
After yielding 175 yards and 14 points on Northwestern's first two drives on Nov. 9, Purdue's defense limited the Wildcats merely 260 yards combined and six points on their next 11 offensive possessions.
A PAYNE IN THE END ZONE
Redshirt freshman Payne Durham has made the most of his eight receptions thus far, having scored a touchdown on half of them. His four TD catches places him second behind true freshman David Bell (5) for the most scoring receptions on the team.
FABULOUS FROSH
Purdue has scored 21 touchdowns in its last eight games and the freshman class has had a hand in 20 of them. The lone exception being a seven-yard pass from Jack Plummer (RS-Freshman) to Zander Horvath vs. Minnesota. A freshman has scored 19 consecutive touchdowns for Purdue.
| vs. TCU | Jack Plummer to Amad Anderson Jr., 54-yard pass |
| vs. Minnesota | King Doerue, 8-yard rush * |
| King Doerue, 2-yard rush * | |
| Jack Plummer to King Doerue, 13-yard pass * | |
| at Penn State | Jack Plummer to Amad Anderson Jr., 15-yard pass * |
| vs. Maryland | Jack Plummer to David Bell, 23-yard pass * |
| King Doerue, 4-yard rush * | |
| Jack Plummer to Milton Wright, 59-yard pass * | |
| Cory Trice, 37-yard interception return * | |
| Jack Plummer to David Bell, 8-yard pass * | |
| at Iowa | Jack Plummer to David Bell, 7-yard pass * |
| Jack Plummer to Payne Durham, 1-yard pass * | |
| vs. Illinois | Aidan O'Connell to Payne Durham, 11-yard pass * |
| vs. Nebraska | Jack Plummer to King Doerue, 3-yard pass * |
| Jack Plummer to Payne Durham, 16-yard pass * | |
| King Doerue, 7-yard rush * | |
| David Bell, 9-yard rush * | |
| at Northwestern | King Doerue, 12-yard rush * |
| Aidan O'Connell to David Bell, 13-yard pass * | |
| Aidan O'Connell to Amad Anderson Jr., 11-yard pass * |
YOU GOTTA LIKE THESE KIDS
Redshirt or true freshmen top the Boilermakers or share the team lead in a bushel basket of statistical categories, including rushing yards (King Doerue), passing yards (Jack Plummer), receptions (David Bell), receiving yards (Bell), total offense (Plummer), all-purpose yards (Bell), tackles for loss (George Karlaftis), sacks (Karlaftis) and interceptions (Cory Trice).
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Cory Trice's 37-yard pick-six against Maryland marked the fourth straight season Purdue has returned an interception for a touchdown. Trice also picked off another pass in the contest to become the first Boilermaker to have two interceptions in a game since Markus Bailey had a pair against Indiana in 2016.
Purdue Interceptions Returned for Touchdowns in the Last Four Years
2016 Gelen Robinson 78 yards vs. Eastern Kentucky
2017 Ja'Whaun Bentley 76 yards vs. Minnesota
2018 Markus Bailey 41 yards vs. Ohio State
2019 Cory Trice 37 yards vs. Maryland
KING-SIZE PERFORMANCE
Freshman running back King Doerue made his first start against Minnesota on Sept. 28 and rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries (4.7 average) and two touchdowns to go with four receptions for 32 yards and a score. He became the first true freshman with three touchdowns in a game for the Boilermakers since John Standeford against Northwestern at Northwestern on Oct. 14, 2000 (all receiving). Since then, two redshirt freshman have had three-touchdown games – Kory Sheets at Indiana in 2005 (all rushing) and Rob Henry vs. Minnesota in 2010 (all rushing).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Jeff Brohm's offense has utilized a number of Purdue's talented receivers this season. Paced by David Bell's team-high 65 receptions, 13 different Boilermakers have at least one catch on the year and 10 different players have scored at least one touchdown via the passing game thus far.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Including 13 starters, the Boilermakers have had 33 true or redshirt freshman play in the first seven games. WR Amad Anderson Jr. (R-Fr.), RB Alfred Armour (R-Fr.), WR David Bell (T-Fr.), OL Will Bramel (R-Fr.), RB King Doerue (T-Fr.), TE Payne Durham (R-Fr.), S Jalen Graham (T-Fr.), DT Lawrence Johnson (R-Fr.), DE George Karlaftis (T-Fr.), OL Eric Miller (R-Fr.), QB Jack Plummer (R-Fr.), CB Cory Trice (R-Fr.) and WR Milton Wright (T-Fr.) have started for Purdue. CB Cam Allen (T-Fr.), LB Elijah Ball (R-Fr.), TE Kyle Bilodeau (T-Fr.), WR Jordan Bonner (R-Fr.), P Brooks Cormier (T-Fr.), DL Jack Cravaack (R-Fr.), DE Branson Deen (R-Fr.), S Marvin Grant (T-Fr.), RB Da'Joun Hewitt (T-Fr.) OL Jimmy McKenna (R-Fr.), TE Garrett Miller (T-Fr.), WR Mershawn Rice (T-Fr.), CB Jordan Rucker (R-Fr.), LB Khali Saunders (T-Fr.), WR TJ Sheffield (T-Fr.), LB Jack Smith (R-Fr.), DB Kadin Smith (R-Fr.), DT Jack Sullivan (R-Fr.), WR Kory Taylor (R-Fr.) and LB Jacob Wahlberg (T-Fr.) have seen action in games as reserves and on special teams.
GOOD GOLLY, GEORGE
Freshman defensive end George Karlaftis paces Purdue with 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. His 10-game total for TFLs is already two ahead of Cornel Jones' team-high of 12.5 in 13 games from last season and the most by a Boilermaker since Kawann Short posted 15.5 in 2012, while is sack total is the most by an individual at Purdue since Short finished that same season with 7.0. Karlaftis came up with an interception and a sack against TCU, becoming the first Purdue true freshman to do so in a game since Torri Williams at Iowa on Nov. 6, 2004.
BEN'S BEEN BIG
Graduate transfer Ben Holt has been a revelation. Starting all 10 games thus far, he has led the Boilermakers in tackles in seven contests. His 17 tackles against TCU were the most in a game for a Boilermaker since Willie Fells had 21 in 1997. He currently sits second in the Big Ten and tied for 12th nationally with an average of 9.9 tackles per game.
MOVING THE CHAINS
David Bell and Brycen Hopkins have made the most of their receptions this season. For Bell, 41 of his 65 catches (63 percent) have been for a first down, touchdown or both. Hopkins is at 67 percent, having converted 30 of his 45 receptions into a first down or score.
FOCUS ON FAKASIIEIKI
Prior to this season, Semisi Fakasiieiki had recorded eight career tackles in 12 games (all last season after not playing in 2016 and 2017). Over the last four games, the defensive end-turned-linebacker has totaled 24 stops, including 2.5 for loss and one sack. Fakasiieiki had seven tackles against Illinois on Oct. 26, five stops vs. Nebraska on Nov. 2 and six tackles at Northwestern.
TOUCHDOWN TRIO
Purdue has had three quarterbacks throw a touchdown pass (Elijah Sindelar, Jack Plummer and Aidan O'Connell) for the first time since the 2013 season (Danny Etling, Rob Henry and Austin Appleby).
TRENDING UP IN ATTENDANCE
Purdue's home-opening crowd of 50,506 on Sept. 7 against Vanderbilt was the largest to begin a season since 2008 when 51,476 Black and Gold faithful turned up to see Joe Tiller's Boilermakers knock off Northern Colorado 42-10. The following week against TCU saw a crowd of 60,037 show up to mark the largest crowd to witness a non-conference game at Ross-Ade since 61,127 fans attended the Boilermakers' Sept. 14, 2013, game against Notre Dame. The 52,296 homecoming crowd for the Maryland game Oct. 12 was an increase of 5,177 fans that took in homecoming vs. No. 23 Boston College last year.
In 2018, the Boilermakers attracted two capacity crowds of 60,716 at Ross-Ade Stadium – for the Ohio State and Iowa games – a first since 2007. Purdue's home attendance average of 51,120 was the highest since the 2008 season. Over the last three seasons, the Boilermakers have seen their attendance grow 33 percent (from 34,451 in 2016), tops in the country. Purdue was the only school to see its average increase by 3,000 from both 2016 to 2017 (nation-best 13,433) and from 2017 to 2018 (3,236). The trend appears to be on it's way to extending in 2019, with Purdue's faithful fanatics purchasing over 22,000 season tickets to go along with 10,575 student tickets.
ACADEMICS ARE JOB NO. 1
Five current Boilermakers have earned their bachelor's degrees: Markus Bailey (movement and sport sciences), Danny Carollo (selling and sales management), Matt McCann (building construction management technology), Elijah Sindelar (electrical engineering) and graduate transfer Ben Holt (interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis on business at Western Kentucky). Bailey, Holt and McCann each are working on their master's degree in leadership this fall, while Sindelar is working on a master's in electrical engineering and Carollo is pursuing a minor in communication. Through the spring 2019 semester, the Boilermakers boasted a composite grade-point average of 2.93. Last season, a school-record 29 football players earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
#TYLERSTRONG
Prior to the Vanderbilt game Sept. 7, Purdue honored the legacy of Tyler Trent with the opening of the T-Squared Student Gate on the northeast side of Ross-Ade Stadium. Trent, who predicted the Boilermakers' historic 49-20 over No. 2 Ohio State last season, became a national inspiration with his fight for the advocacy of pediatric cancer treatment and research while battling osteosarcoma himself. He passed away Jan. 1, 2019, at the age of 20. Tyler's family, Tony (father), Kelly (mother), Blake (brother) and Ethan (brother), along with his best friend Josh Seals and Tyler Trent Courage and Resilience Award recipient Sean English, were the first to enter Ross-Ade through the re-named Trent Gate. Seals camped out with Tyler prior to the 2017 Michigan game when Tyler's battle with osteosarcoma first came to light.
TYLER TRENT TEAM CAPTAINS
Head coach Jeff Brohm announced the six 2019 Tyler Trent team captains after the first fall camp practice. Voted on by their teammates, offensive lineman Grant Hermanns, tight end Brycen Hopkins and quarterback Elijah Sindelar were named offensive captains, while linebacker Markus Bailey, safety Navon Mosley and tackle Lorenzo Neal were named from the defense. All of the 2019 captains are seniors, with Bailey, Neal and Sindelar voted to represent the team in back-to-back years. Brohm renamed the captaincy during the Boilermakers' spring game in April to honor the legacy of Purdue fan and 2018 captain Tyler Trent. Trent fought for the advocacy of pediatric cancer treatment and research while battling osteosarcoma himself. He passed away Jan. 1, 2019, at the age of 20.
PRO BOILERS
Ten Boilermakers have made National Football League opening-day 53-man rosters:
Ricardo Allen, S - Atlanta Falcons
Ja'Whaun Bentley, LB - New England Patriots
David Blough, QB - Detroit Lions
Drew Brees, QB - New Orleans Saints
Anthony Brown, CB - Dallas Cowboys
Dennis Kelly, T - Tennessee Titans
Ryan Kerrigan, LB - Washington Redskins
Raheem Mostert, RB - San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Pamphile, G - Tennessee Titans
Kawann Short, DT - Carolina Panthers