WEST LAFAYETTE - One of the biggest weeks and weekend's of the Purdue Football season has arrived at Ross-Ade Stadium, as the Boilermakers will host Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 2, with kickoff vs. Minnesota scheduled for Noon ET on the Big Ten Network. For visiting fans, alumni and the general public, Purdue Homecoming information and a schedule of campus events for the entire week can be found here.
HOMECOMING WEEKEND AT PURDUE
• The Boilermakers have proudly staged a Homecoming game at Purdue University since 1921, when the Old Gold & Black defeated Northwestern, 3-0, on Nov. 5, 1921.
• Purdue holds an all-time record of 52-42-4 in its Homecoming games, including a 7-2 advantage against Minnesota in such contests. Head coach Jeff Brohm has gone 2-2 in his previous four seasons on Homecoming.
• The Boilermakers have won two of their last three Homecoming games. In 2018, Purdue defeated No. 23 Boston College, 30-13 (Sept. 22, 2018). In 2019, Purdue turned away Maryland, 40-14 (Oct. 12, 2019).
• Brohm's crew will be looking to get back to its winning Homecoming ways after surrendering a 27-20 result to No. 23 Northwestern last season (Nov. 14, 2020).
PURDUE-MINNESOTA SERIES HISTORY
• Purdue is 33-40-3 all-time against Minnesota in a series that dates back to 1894. The Boilermakers have only four regularly scheduled opponents with earlier first meetings than 1894: Illinois (1890), Michigan (1890), Indiana (1891) and Wisconsin (1892).
• In West Lafayette, Purdue holds a solid 21-7 series advantage over the visiting Golden Gophers. Inside Ross-Ade Stadium, which opened in 1924, that home record is 19-7.
OPENING UP
• Purdue won its Big Ten Conference opener in a traditional season (excluding 2020) for the first time since 2011, and the Boilermakers have won back-to-back Big Ten openers (including 2020) for the first time since 2010-11.
• Excluding the nontraditional 2020 campaign, a victory on Saturday against Minnesota would give the Boilermakers a 2-0 start in league play for the first time since 2010. Purdue began its 2010 conference slate with back-to-back wins at Northwestern (20-17, Oct. 9, 2010) and vs. Minnesota (28-17, Oct. 16, 2010).
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
• Head coach Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers out to their best season start since 2012. Purdue's 3-1 start matches the school's 2012 group and is the best since Purdue's 5-0 start to the 2007 season.
• The 2012 squad, led by former head coach Danny Hope, started 3-1 on the year with wins over Eastern Kentucky (48-6, Sept. 1, 2012), Eastern Michigan (54-16, Sept. 15, 2012) and Marshall (51-41, Sept. 29, 2012).
SECOND HALF AID FROM AIDAN
• Fifth-year senior QB Aidan O'Connell had a monster second half coming off the bench to power Purdue to its 13-9 win over Illinois (Sept. 25), throwing for 182 yards and one touchdown toss on 12-19-2 passing. He led the game-winning touchdown drive of 10 plays for 94 yards, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter to sophomore WR T.J. Sheffield.
• O'Connell's presence helped Purdue's offense gain 186 yards in the second half compared to the 129 gained in the first half.
• O'Connell started the first three games of the 2020 season before missing the remainder of the year due to injury. For his career, he has a .640-percentage pass completion rate, as well as an 18-10 touchdown-interception ratio.
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
• With the effort by the Boilermakers in the 13-9 win over Illinois (Sept. 25), the Purdue defense did not allow a touchdown for the second time in four games this season, which is the first time since 2007 that feat has been achieved.
• The Purdue defense had a season-best nine tackles-for-loss in the victory (65 total tackles) and held Illinois to 5-of-16 on third down, including 0-for-6 in the first half.
COMING SOON - MR. 2,000
• Junior WR David Bell will soon cross the 2,000-yard barrier in receiving production for his Purdue career; a significant milestone in and of itself, but especially noteworthy when considering the Boilermaker star has only played in 21 games.
• Notably, Bell heads into Saturday's Purdue-Minnesota matchup just 21 receiving yards shy of the 2,000-yard mark for his career. Bell has 160 receptions for 1,979 yards in his 21 career games.
• As it currently stands, Bell will be the fastest active FBS receiver to crack 2,000 receiving yards. Western Kentucky's Ben Ratzlaff (18 career games) would pose a threat to accomplish the feat in 22 games if he were to produce 442 receiving yards in the Hilltoppers' next four contests.
• Bell would be the 12th 2,000-yard receiver in school history, and the first to do so since WR Greg Orton during the 2008 season. Orton finished his career (2005-08) with 2,356 receiving yards.
BIG 1-0 START CONFERENCE OPENERS
• Purdue won its second-straight Big Ten Conference opener with its win against Illinois. Last season, the Boilermakers started conference play with a 24-20 victory vs. Iowa on Oct. 24, 2020.
• The Boilermakers are 11-11 in Big Ten openers since 2000. Claiming the Big Ten opener has boded well for Purdue postseason aspirations in recent memory. Since 1997, which was former head coach Joe Tiller's opening campaign as the leader of the Boilermakers, Purdue has advanced to a bowl game every time it has won its league opener but twice, in 2010 and 2020.
HAVE YOU SEEN YASEEN?
• Purdue redshirt freshman WR Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, who hails from Southfield, Michigan, had a breakout game in his first action of 2021, hauling in three catches for 77 yards in the win against Illinois (Sept. 25).
• Those 77 yards included a massive 43-yard snag in the third quarter, the very first reception of Yaseen's career.
• Yaseen played in one game in 2020 before redshirting for the year.
BATTLED FOR (AND WON) THE CANNON
• The Cannon Game has a long and rich history, and the Boilermakers now stand at the front of that history with their most recent win over Illinois (Sept. 25). Purdue now leads the all-time series 46-45-6.
• Since the Cannon Trophy was first awarded in 1943, Purdue has posted a 38-30-2 record against the Fighting Illini.
• The Boilermakers have won two in a row in the series, five of six and 13 of 17 since 2003.
• Uniquely enough, home teams are just 2-8 in the series since 2012, with both victories by Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium, in 2017 and 2021.
HOMECOMING WEEKEND AT PURDUE
• The Boilermakers have proudly staged a Homecoming game at Purdue University since 1921, when the Old Gold & Black defeated Northwestern, 3-0, on Nov. 5, 1921.
• Purdue holds an all-time record of 52-42-4 in its Homecoming games, including a 7-2 advantage against Minnesota in such contests. Head coach Jeff Brohm has gone 2-2 in his previous four seasons on Homecoming.
• The Boilermakers have won two of their last three Homecoming games. In 2018, Purdue defeated No. 23 Boston College, 30-13 (Sept. 22, 2018). In 2019, Purdue turned away Maryland, 40-14 (Oct. 12, 2019).
• Brohm's crew will be looking to get back to its winning Homecoming ways after surrendering a 27-20 result to No. 23 Northwestern last season (Nov. 14, 2020).
PURDUE-MINNESOTA SERIES HISTORY
• Purdue is 33-40-3 all-time against Minnesota in a series that dates back to 1894. The Boilermakers have only four regularly scheduled opponents with earlier first meetings than 1894: Illinois (1890), Michigan (1890), Indiana (1891) and Wisconsin (1892).
• In West Lafayette, Purdue holds a solid 21-7 series advantage over the visiting Golden Gophers. Inside Ross-Ade Stadium, which opened in 1924, that home record is 19-7.
OPENING UP
• Purdue won its Big Ten Conference opener in a traditional season (excluding 2020) for the first time since 2011, and the Boilermakers have won back-to-back Big Ten openers (including 2020) for the first time since 2010-11.
• Excluding the nontraditional 2020 campaign, a victory on Saturday against Minnesota would give the Boilermakers a 2-0 start in league play for the first time since 2010. Purdue began its 2010 conference slate with back-to-back wins at Northwestern (20-17, Oct. 9, 2010) and vs. Minnesota (28-17, Oct. 16, 2010).
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER
• Head coach Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers out to their best season start since 2012. Purdue's 3-1 start matches the school's 2012 group and is the best since Purdue's 5-0 start to the 2007 season.
• The 2012 squad, led by former head coach Danny Hope, started 3-1 on the year with wins over Eastern Kentucky (48-6, Sept. 1, 2012), Eastern Michigan (54-16, Sept. 15, 2012) and Marshall (51-41, Sept. 29, 2012).
SECOND HALF AID FROM AIDAN
• Fifth-year senior QB Aidan O'Connell had a monster second half coming off the bench to power Purdue to its 13-9 win over Illinois (Sept. 25), throwing for 182 yards and one touchdown toss on 12-19-2 passing. He led the game-winning touchdown drive of 10 plays for 94 yards, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter to sophomore WR T.J. Sheffield.
• O'Connell's presence helped Purdue's offense gain 186 yards in the second half compared to the 129 gained in the first half.
• O'Connell started the first three games of the 2020 season before missing the remainder of the year due to injury. For his career, he has a .640-percentage pass completion rate, as well as an 18-10 touchdown-interception ratio.
DEFENSE! DEFENSE!
• With the effort by the Boilermakers in the 13-9 win over Illinois (Sept. 25), the Purdue defense did not allow a touchdown for the second time in four games this season, which is the first time since 2007 that feat has been achieved.
• The Purdue defense had a season-best nine tackles-for-loss in the victory (65 total tackles) and held Illinois to 5-of-16 on third down, including 0-for-6 in the first half.
COMING SOON - MR. 2,000
• Junior WR David Bell will soon cross the 2,000-yard barrier in receiving production for his Purdue career; a significant milestone in and of itself, but especially noteworthy when considering the Boilermaker star has only played in 21 games.
• Notably, Bell heads into Saturday's Purdue-Minnesota matchup just 21 receiving yards shy of the 2,000-yard mark for his career. Bell has 160 receptions for 1,979 yards in his 21 career games.
• As it currently stands, Bell will be the fastest active FBS receiver to crack 2,000 receiving yards. Western Kentucky's Ben Ratzlaff (18 career games) would pose a threat to accomplish the feat in 22 games if he were to produce 442 receiving yards in the Hilltoppers' next four contests.
• Bell would be the 12th 2,000-yard receiver in school history, and the first to do so since WR Greg Orton during the 2008 season. Orton finished his career (2005-08) with 2,356 receiving yards.
BIG 1-0 START CONFERENCE OPENERS
• Purdue won its second-straight Big Ten Conference opener with its win against Illinois. Last season, the Boilermakers started conference play with a 24-20 victory vs. Iowa on Oct. 24, 2020.
• The Boilermakers are 11-11 in Big Ten openers since 2000. Claiming the Big Ten opener has boded well for Purdue postseason aspirations in recent memory. Since 1997, which was former head coach Joe Tiller's opening campaign as the leader of the Boilermakers, Purdue has advanced to a bowl game every time it has won its league opener but twice, in 2010 and 2020.
HAVE YOU SEEN YASEEN?
• Purdue redshirt freshman WR Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, who hails from Southfield, Michigan, had a breakout game in his first action of 2021, hauling in three catches for 77 yards in the win against Illinois (Sept. 25).
• Those 77 yards included a massive 43-yard snag in the third quarter, the very first reception of Yaseen's career.
• Yaseen played in one game in 2020 before redshirting for the year.
BATTLED FOR (AND WON) THE CANNON
• The Cannon Game has a long and rich history, and the Boilermakers now stand at the front of that history with their most recent win over Illinois (Sept. 25). Purdue now leads the all-time series 46-45-6.
• Since the Cannon Trophy was first awarded in 1943, Purdue has posted a 38-30-2 record against the Fighting Illini.
• The Boilermakers have won two in a row in the series, five of six and 13 of 17 since 2003.
• Uniquely enough, home teams are just 2-8 in the series since 2012, with both victories by Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium, in 2017 and 2021.