Game Notes
PURDUE-PENN STATE SERIES DATA
Penn State leads 14-3-1
Current Streak: Penn State has won the last eight meetings.
In State College: Penn State leads 7-1-1
First Meeting: Oct. 3, 1951 – Purdue won 28-0 in West Lafayette.
Last Meeting: Nov. 10, 2016 – Penn State won 62-24 in West Lafayette.
Noteworthy: Backed by 275 yards passing from Kyle Orton, the Boilermakers won their first and, thus far, only match up at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 9, 2004. Orton connected with Taylor Stubblefield on a 40-yard touchdown pass, Bradon Jones added a two-yard scoring rush and Ben Jones booted a pair of long field goals (50 and 46 yards), as the ninth-ranked Boilermakers prevailed 20-13 over the Nittany Lions ... Raheem Mostert returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown at Penn State on Nov. 16, 2013. Mostert's return was the last time a Boilermaker has taken a kick to the house.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Jeff Brohm's offense has utilized a number of Purdue's talented receivers this season. Paced by Rondale Moore's Big Ten-best 7.3 receptions per game, 11 different Boilermakers have at least two catches on the year and nine different players have scored at least one touchdown via the passing game thus far.
YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY
In Jeff Brohm's two-plus season with the Boilermakers he has shown that he is not shy about playing guys, no matter their experience, especially at wide receiver. Jackson Anthrop led the team in receiving as a redshirt freshman in 2017, Rondale Moore exploded onto the college football scene as a true freshman last season and this year true freshman David Bell has already posted impressive numbers in his first four games.
NEXT MAN UP
One was looking to spark Purdue's rushing attack, while two others were called on to step up in place of injured teammates. True freshmen King Doerue and David Bell, along with redshirt freshman Jack Plummer, answered the call against Minnesota last Saturday. Making his first career start, Doerue averaged 4.7 yards per carry, scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground and finished with 94 yards rushing on 20 carries. He added four receptions for 32 yards and another score to amass 126 total yards and three touchdowns on the day. After All-American wide receiver Rondale Moore and quarterback Elijah Sindelar went down with injuries on the same play at the end of the first quarter, Bell and Plummer responded with eight receptions for 114 yards (Bell) and 245 yards passing with two touchdowns (Plummer).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Including nine starters, the Boilermakers have had 25 true or redshirt freshman play in the first three games. WR Amad Anderson Jr. (R-Fr.), WR David Bell (T-Fr.), OL Will Bramel (R-Fr.), RB King Doerue (T-Fr.), TE Payne Durham (R-Fr.), S Jalen Grahm (T-Fr.), DT Lawrence Johnson (R-Fr.), DE George Karlaftis (T-Fr.) and QB Jack Plummer (R-Fr.) have started for Purdue. CB Cam Allen (T-Fr.), RB Alfred Armour (R-Fr.), LB Elijah Ball (R-Fr.), WR Jordan Bonner, P Brooks Cormier (T-Fr.), DE Branson Deen (R-Fr.), S Marvin Grant (T-Fr.), OL Jimmy McKenna (R-Fr.), OL Eric Miller (R-Fr.), CB Jordan Rucker (R-Fr.), WR TJ Sheffield (T-Fr.), LB Jack Smith (R-Fr.), DB Kadin Smith (R-Fr.), DT Jack Sullivan (R-Fr.), CB Cory Trice (R-Fr.) and WR Milton Wright (T-Fr.) have seen action in games as reserves and on special teams.
STEPPING UP
With the loss of fifth-year senior linebacker Markus Bailey to a season-ending knee injury prior to the TCU game, Purdue needed someone to step up. Graduate transfer Nick Holt proved to be that guy with 17 total tackles in the contest against the Horned Frogs. Holt's tackle tally was the most by a Boilermaker since Willie Fells had 20 stops against Iowa in 1997. The following week, against Minnesota, Holt led the Boilermakers with nine total tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Holt leads the Big Ten with an average of 11 tackles per game.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
True freshman George Karlaftis stepped into a starting spot immediately after enrolling early out of high school and has made his prescience felt right from the start. The West Lafayette native paces the Boilermakers with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in four games thus far. He is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.8) and tied for eighth in tackles for loss per game (1.3). 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.
ALREADY AMONG THE TOPS
It has taken standout wide receiver Rondale Moore all of 17 collegiate games to break into a number of the top 20 all-time categories in Purdue history.
Career Receptions
12 Isaac Jones (1995-98) - 154
13 Steve Griffin (1982-85) - 146
14 Rondale Moore (2018-) - 143
Career Receiving Touchdowns
12 Steve Bryant (1980-81) - 15
Chris Daniels (1996-99) - 15
Tim Stratton (1998-2001) - 15
15 Bart Burrell (1977-80) - 14
Rondale Moore (2018-) - 14
Career 100-Yard Receiving Games
3 Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04) - 11
4 Steve Griffin (1982-85) - 9
Dorian Bryant (2004-07) - 9
DeAngelo Yancey (2013-16) - 9
Rondale Moore (2018-) - 9
DELLINGER'S DAY
J.D. Dellinger booted a career-long 53-yard field goal against TCU. It is tied for the third-longest kick in Purdue history. Dellinger has made three of four field goal attempts this season, and his career total of 24 field goals ranks ninth in school annals.
Dellinger also has recorded 19 touchbacks among his 21 kickoffs this season.
Purdue Longest Field Goals
59 – Carson Wiggs vs. Toledo, 2009
55 – Carson Wiggs vs. Ohio State, 2009
53 – Carson Wiggs at Ohio State, 2008
53 – Carson Wiggs vs. Minnesota, 2011
53 – Paul Griggs vs. Wisconsin, 2014
53 – J.D. Dellinger vs. TCU, 2019
Purdue Career Field Goals
1 Travis Dorsch (1998-2001) - 68
2 Carson Wiggs (2008-11) - 56
3 Ben Jones (2003-05) - 43
4 Jonathan Briggs (1985-87) - 36
5 Chris Summers (2006-09) - 31
Paul Griggs (2012-15) - 31
7 Scott Sovereen (1976-78) - 27
8 Spencer Evans (2017-18) - 26
9 J.D. Dellinger (2016-) - 24
SIZZLING SINDELAR
Elijah Sindelar was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt on Sept. 7. In leading the Boilermakers to victory, he became the first Purdue quarterback with 500 passing yards and five passing touchdowns since Kyle Orton against Indiana on Nov. 20, 2004. Sindelar passed for 509 yards, tied for the sixth-most in school history. His 519 yards of total offense rank fifth all-time, while his five touchdown passes are tied for fifth. Sindelar is the first Boilermaker to pass for 400-plus yards in back-to-back games since Drew Brees in 1998 and the first to throw four or more touchdown passes in consecutive games since Curtis Painter in 2007. His 509 yards passing against the Commodores is second in a game in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
Purdue 500-Yard Passing Games
572 – David Blough vs. Missouri, 2018
546 – Curtis Painter vs. Central Michigan, 2007
522 – Drew Brees vs. Minnesota, 1998
522 – Kyle Orton vs. Indiana, 2004
516 – Scott Campbell vs. Ohio State, 1981
509 – Drew Brees vs. Michigan State, 1999
509 – Elijah Sindelar vs. Vanderbilt, 2019
MOVING ON UP
With his performances in the opening two games of the season (68-104-3, 932 yards, nine touchdowns), Elijah Sindelar has raced up the top 20 all-time career passing lists at Purdue.
Career Passing Attempts
11 Bob Griese (1964-66) - 627
12 Billy Dicken (1994-97) - 570
13 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 517
Career Passing Completions
11 Bob Griese (1964-66) - 358
12 Billy Dicken (1994-97) - 308
13 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 299
Career Passing Yards
12 Billy Dicken (1994-1997) - 4,247
13 Brandon Kirsch (2002-05) - 3,532
14 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 3,525
Career Passing Touchdowns
8 Mike Phipps (1967-69) - 37
9 Eric Hunter (1989-92) - 33
10 Len Dawson (1954-59) - 29
Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 29
BACK 4 MOORE
Rondale Moore, who electrified college football as a true freshman in 2018, returns for his second season with the Boilermakers. In 2018, he became merely the third player in Big Ten history to record 100 or more receptions, finishing with 114 catches for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. He broke the school record for all-purpose yards for both a game (313 vs. Northwestern) and in a season (2,215) en route to winning the 2018 Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player. He was named a consensus All-American last season, becoming the first true freshman in Big Ten history to be so honored.
Moore in 2018
• Paul Hornung Award recipient as the nation's most versatile player.
• First true freshman consensus All-American in Big Ten history.
• First-team All-America by the Associated Press.
• First-team All-America by Football Writers Association of America.
• First-team All-America by ESPN.com.
• First-team All-America by Sports Illustrated.
• First-team All-America by CBS Sports.
• Second-team All-America by the Sporting News.
• First-team Freshman All-America by the Associated Press.
• Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year.
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• First-team All-Big Ten (wide receiver and special teams).
• Three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a season (2,215).
• Broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a game (313).
• Tied the school record for most 100-yard receiving games (7).
• Caught 11 or more passes in a game six times.
• Is merely the third player in Big Ten history with 100 or more receptions (114) in a season.
MORE ON MOORE
Rondale Moore, who has hauled in 11 or more receptions eight times in 16 career collegiate contests, leads all of the Football Bowl Subdivision with a career average of 8.41 receptions per game. His closest rival, Justin Hall of Ball State, averages 6.11 catches per game.
Moore's career average of 164.24 all-purpose yards per game is tops among all current FBS players.
STARTING WITH APLOMB
Against TCU, Jack Plummer became the 53rd different Purdue quarterback to start a game since 1960. He was the first redshirt freshman to start at signal-caller for the Boilermakers since David Blough on Sept. 26, 2015, against Bowling Green. Plummer threw his first career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, a 54-yard bomb to Amad Anderson Jr., en route to a 181-yard passing day.
Plummer is merely the second Purdue quarterback to wear uniform No. 13, following Rick Trefzger from 1993 to 1996.
TOUGH SLATE
Purdue is one of four Power 5 Conference schools scheduled to play 11 Power 5 games in 2019. In addition to nine Big Ten games, the Boilermakers also squared off against the SEC's Vanderbilt and the Big 12's TCU. The other three schools that will face a similar schedule are Boston College (Kansas, Rutgers, Notre Dame and eight ACC games), Stanford (Northwestern, Notre Dame and nine Pac-12 games) and West Virginia (Missouri, NC State and nine Big 12 games).
TOUGH SLATE, PART II
Eight of Purdue's 12 opponents in 2019 appeared in bowl games last season and went a combined 6-2 in the postseason.
Nova Home Loans Bowl - Nevada defeated Arkansas State 16-13.
Texas Bowl - Baylor defeated Vanderbilt 45-38.
Cheez-It Bowl - TCU defeated Cal 10-7 in overtime.
Quick Lane Bowl - Minnesota defeated Georgia Tech 34-10.
Citrus Bowl - Kentucky defeated Penn State 27-24.
Outback Bowl - Iowa defeated Mississippi State 27-22.
Holiday Bowl - Northwestern defeated Utah 31-20.
Pinstripe Bowl - Wisconsin defeated Miami (Fla.) 35-3.
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. 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
PURDUE-PENN STATE SERIES DATA
Penn State leads 14-3-1
Current Streak: Penn State has won the last eight meetings.
In State College: Penn State leads 7-1-1
First Meeting: Oct. 3, 1951 – Purdue won 28-0 in West Lafayette.
Last Meeting: Nov. 10, 2016 – Penn State won 62-24 in West Lafayette.
Noteworthy: Backed by 275 yards passing from Kyle Orton, the Boilermakers won their first and, thus far, only match up at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 9, 2004. Orton connected with Taylor Stubblefield on a 40-yard touchdown pass, Bradon Jones added a two-yard scoring rush and Ben Jones booted a pair of long field goals (50 and 46 yards), as the ninth-ranked Boilermakers prevailed 20-13 over the Nittany Lions ... Raheem Mostert returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown at Penn State on Nov. 16, 2013. Mostert's return was the last time a Boilermaker has taken a kick to the house.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Jeff Brohm's offense has utilized a number of Purdue's talented receivers this season. Paced by Rondale Moore's Big Ten-best 7.3 receptions per game, 11 different Boilermakers have at least two catches on the year and nine different players have scored at least one touchdown via the passing game thus far.
YOU'RE GOING TO PLAY
In Jeff Brohm's two-plus season with the Boilermakers he has shown that he is not shy about playing guys, no matter their experience, especially at wide receiver. Jackson Anthrop led the team in receiving as a redshirt freshman in 2017, Rondale Moore exploded onto the college football scene as a true freshman last season and this year true freshman David Bell has already posted impressive numbers in his first four games.
| Year | Player | Through Four Games | Full Season |
| 2017 | Jackson Anthrop (RS) | 18 receptions, 157 yards, 4 TDs | 47 receptions, 423 yards, 5 TDs |
| 2018 | Rondale Moore (T) | 33 receptions, 372 yards, 4 TDs | 114 receptions, 1,258 yards, 12 TDs |
| 2019 | David Bell (T) | 14 receptions, 244 yards, 1 TD |
NEXT MAN UP
One was looking to spark Purdue's rushing attack, while two others were called on to step up in place of injured teammates. True freshmen King Doerue and David Bell, along with redshirt freshman Jack Plummer, answered the call against Minnesota last Saturday. Making his first career start, Doerue averaged 4.7 yards per carry, scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground and finished with 94 yards rushing on 20 carries. He added four receptions for 32 yards and another score to amass 126 total yards and three touchdowns on the day. After All-American wide receiver Rondale Moore and quarterback Elijah Sindelar went down with injuries on the same play at the end of the first quarter, Bell and Plummer responded with eight receptions for 114 yards (Bell) and 245 yards passing with two touchdowns (Plummer).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Including nine starters, the Boilermakers have had 25 true or redshirt freshman play in the first three games. WR Amad Anderson Jr. (R-Fr.), WR David Bell (T-Fr.), OL Will Bramel (R-Fr.), RB King Doerue (T-Fr.), TE Payne Durham (R-Fr.), S Jalen Grahm (T-Fr.), DT Lawrence Johnson (R-Fr.), DE George Karlaftis (T-Fr.) and QB Jack Plummer (R-Fr.) have started for Purdue. CB Cam Allen (T-Fr.), RB Alfred Armour (R-Fr.), LB Elijah Ball (R-Fr.), WR Jordan Bonner, P Brooks Cormier (T-Fr.), DE Branson Deen (R-Fr.), S Marvin Grant (T-Fr.), OL Jimmy McKenna (R-Fr.), OL Eric Miller (R-Fr.), CB Jordan Rucker (R-Fr.), WR TJ Sheffield (T-Fr.), LB Jack Smith (R-Fr.), DB Kadin Smith (R-Fr.), DT Jack Sullivan (R-Fr.), CB Cory Trice (R-Fr.) and WR Milton Wright (T-Fr.) have seen action in games as reserves and on special teams.
STEPPING UP
With the loss of fifth-year senior linebacker Markus Bailey to a season-ending knee injury prior to the TCU game, Purdue needed someone to step up. Graduate transfer Nick Holt proved to be that guy with 17 total tackles in the contest against the Horned Frogs. Holt's tackle tally was the most by a Boilermaker since Willie Fells had 20 stops against Iowa in 1997. The following week, against Minnesota, Holt led the Boilermakers with nine total tackles, including a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Holt leads the Big Ten with an average of 11 tackles per game.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
True freshman George Karlaftis stepped into a starting spot immediately after enrolling early out of high school and has made his prescience felt right from the start. The West Lafayette native paces the Boilermakers with 5.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in four games thus far. He is tied for fourth in the Big Ten in sacks per game (0.8) and tied for eighth in tackles for loss per game (1.3). 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.
ALREADY AMONG THE TOPS
It has taken standout wide receiver Rondale Moore all of 17 collegiate games to break into a number of the top 20 all-time categories in Purdue history.
Career Receptions
12 Isaac Jones (1995-98) - 154
13 Steve Griffin (1982-85) - 146
14 Rondale Moore (2018-) - 143
Career Receiving Touchdowns
12 Steve Bryant (1980-81) - 15
Chris Daniels (1996-99) - 15
Tim Stratton (1998-2001) - 15
15 Bart Burrell (1977-80) - 14
Rondale Moore (2018-) - 14
Career 100-Yard Receiving Games
3 Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04) - 11
4 Steve Griffin (1982-85) - 9
Dorian Bryant (2004-07) - 9
DeAngelo Yancey (2013-16) - 9
Rondale Moore (2018-) - 9
DELLINGER'S DAY
J.D. Dellinger booted a career-long 53-yard field goal against TCU. It is tied for the third-longest kick in Purdue history. Dellinger has made three of four field goal attempts this season, and his career total of 24 field goals ranks ninth in school annals.
Dellinger also has recorded 19 touchbacks among his 21 kickoffs this season.
Purdue Longest Field Goals
59 – Carson Wiggs vs. Toledo, 2009
55 – Carson Wiggs vs. Ohio State, 2009
53 – Carson Wiggs at Ohio State, 2008
53 – Carson Wiggs vs. Minnesota, 2011
53 – Paul Griggs vs. Wisconsin, 2014
53 – J.D. Dellinger vs. TCU, 2019
Purdue Career Field Goals
1 Travis Dorsch (1998-2001) - 68
2 Carson Wiggs (2008-11) - 56
3 Ben Jones (2003-05) - 43
4 Jonathan Briggs (1985-87) - 36
5 Chris Summers (2006-09) - 31
Paul Griggs (2012-15) - 31
7 Scott Sovereen (1976-78) - 27
8 Spencer Evans (2017-18) - 26
9 J.D. Dellinger (2016-) - 24
SIZZLING SINDELAR
Elijah Sindelar was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Vanderbilt on Sept. 7. In leading the Boilermakers to victory, he became the first Purdue quarterback with 500 passing yards and five passing touchdowns since Kyle Orton against Indiana on Nov. 20, 2004. Sindelar passed for 509 yards, tied for the sixth-most in school history. His 519 yards of total offense rank fifth all-time, while his five touchdown passes are tied for fifth. Sindelar is the first Boilermaker to pass for 400-plus yards in back-to-back games since Drew Brees in 1998 and the first to throw four or more touchdown passes in consecutive games since Curtis Painter in 2007. His 509 yards passing against the Commodores is second in a game in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
Purdue 500-Yard Passing Games
572 – David Blough vs. Missouri, 2018
546 – Curtis Painter vs. Central Michigan, 2007
522 – Drew Brees vs. Minnesota, 1998
522 – Kyle Orton vs. Indiana, 2004
516 – Scott Campbell vs. Ohio State, 1981
509 – Drew Brees vs. Michigan State, 1999
509 – Elijah Sindelar vs. Vanderbilt, 2019
MOVING ON UP
With his performances in the opening two games of the season (68-104-3, 932 yards, nine touchdowns), Elijah Sindelar has raced up the top 20 all-time career passing lists at Purdue.
Career Passing Attempts
11 Bob Griese (1964-66) - 627
12 Billy Dicken (1994-97) - 570
13 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 517
Career Passing Completions
11 Bob Griese (1964-66) - 358
12 Billy Dicken (1994-97) - 308
13 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 299
Career Passing Yards
12 Billy Dicken (1994-1997) - 4,247
13 Brandon Kirsch (2002-05) - 3,532
14 Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 3,525
Career Passing Touchdowns
8 Mike Phipps (1967-69) - 37
9 Eric Hunter (1989-92) - 33
10 Len Dawson (1954-59) - 29
Elijah Sindelar (2016-) - 29
BACK 4 MOORE
Rondale Moore, who electrified college football as a true freshman in 2018, returns for his second season with the Boilermakers. In 2018, he became merely the third player in Big Ten history to record 100 or more receptions, finishing with 114 catches for 1,258 yards and 12 touchdowns. He broke the school record for all-purpose yards for both a game (313 vs. Northwestern) and in a season (2,215) en route to winning the 2018 Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player. He was named a consensus All-American last season, becoming the first true freshman in Big Ten history to be so honored.
Moore in 2018
• Paul Hornung Award recipient as the nation's most versatile player.
• First true freshman consensus All-American in Big Ten history.
• First-team All-America by the Associated Press.
• First-team All-America by Football Writers Association of America.
• First-team All-America by ESPN.com.
• First-team All-America by Sports Illustrated.
• First-team All-America by CBS Sports.
• Second-team All-America by the Sporting News.
• First-team Freshman All-America by the Associated Press.
• Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year.
• Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
• First-team All-Big Ten (wide receiver and special teams).
• Three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a season (2,215).
• Broke the school record for most all-purpose yards in a game (313).
• Tied the school record for most 100-yard receiving games (7).
• Caught 11 or more passes in a game six times.
• Is merely the third player in Big Ten history with 100 or more receptions (114) in a season.
MORE ON MOORE
Rondale Moore, who has hauled in 11 or more receptions eight times in 16 career collegiate contests, leads all of the Football Bowl Subdivision with a career average of 8.41 receptions per game. His closest rival, Justin Hall of Ball State, averages 6.11 catches per game.
Moore's career average of 164.24 all-purpose yards per game is tops among all current FBS players.
STARTING WITH APLOMB
Against TCU, Jack Plummer became the 53rd different Purdue quarterback to start a game since 1960. He was the first redshirt freshman to start at signal-caller for the Boilermakers since David Blough on Sept. 26, 2015, against Bowling Green. Plummer threw his first career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, a 54-yard bomb to Amad Anderson Jr., en route to a 181-yard passing day.
Plummer is merely the second Purdue quarterback to wear uniform No. 13, following Rick Trefzger from 1993 to 1996.
TOUGH SLATE
Purdue is one of four Power 5 Conference schools scheduled to play 11 Power 5 games in 2019. In addition to nine Big Ten games, the Boilermakers also squared off against the SEC's Vanderbilt and the Big 12's TCU. The other three schools that will face a similar schedule are Boston College (Kansas, Rutgers, Notre Dame and eight ACC games), Stanford (Northwestern, Notre Dame and nine Pac-12 games) and West Virginia (Missouri, NC State and nine Big 12 games).
TOUGH SLATE, PART II
Eight of Purdue's 12 opponents in 2019 appeared in bowl games last season and went a combined 6-2 in the postseason.
Nova Home Loans Bowl - Nevada defeated Arkansas State 16-13.
Texas Bowl - Baylor defeated Vanderbilt 45-38.
Cheez-It Bowl - TCU defeated Cal 10-7 in overtime.
Quick Lane Bowl - Minnesota defeated Georgia Tech 34-10.
Citrus Bowl - Kentucky defeated Penn State 27-24.
Outback Bowl - Iowa defeated Mississippi State 27-22.
Holiday Bowl - Northwestern defeated Utah 31-20.
Pinstripe Bowl - Wisconsin defeated Miami (Fla.) 35-3.
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. 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