WEST LAFAYETTE - Purdue Football (6-4, 4-3) will head to "The Friendly Confines" on Saturday, Nov. 20, for a Big Ten Conference matchup against Northwestern (3-7, 1-6), with kickoff set for Noon ET/11 a.m. CT on the Big Ten Network. The Boilermakers won their last away trip to face the Wildcats, claiming a 24-22 victory in Evanston (Nov. 9, 2019).
Head coach Jeff Brohm's Boilermakers are looking for a possible fifth league win for the first time since 2018 and just the fifth time since the 2000 season.
The Boilermakers are also hunting for a possible fourth away game victory. To find the last Purdue team to win four road games, one must dig back in the record book to 1943, when Elmer Burnham's band of Boilermakers went 9-0 on the season with a 5-0 away record.
With its sixth win of the season against Michigan State (Nov. 6), Purdue is bowl eligible for first time since 2018 and the third time of the Brohm era.
NUMBERS TO KNOW DOWN THE STRETCH
• The Boilermakers have made their presence known all across the college football landscape this season.
• The following numbers are the most important to remember:
1: QB Aidan O'Connell is No. 1 in Big Ten in comp. pct. at 72.4.
2: Purdue has two Top-5 wins for the first time since 1960.
3: Bowl-eligible for third time under head coach Jeff Brohm.
3: Three, again, #3 WR David Bell is a Biletnikoff semifinalist.
4: O'Connell with 74.0+ pct. comp. in four-straight games.
5: DE George Karlaftis, #5, is a Bednarik semifinalist.
10: S Cam Allen, #10, tied for first in Big Ten for INTs (4).
12: Past 5 games: 12 takeaways. Two total in first 5 games.
40: Bell has 40 catches against Top-25 teams this season.
624: Bell has 624 receiving yards in those games, as well.
1,106: Bell is at 1,106 rec. yards in 2021, 6th in Purdue history.
GRIDIRON GAMES AT THE BALL PARK
• Purdue Football will makes its first appearance in school history at Wrigley Field, a venue that has existed for more than 100 years (1914), mainly as the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs.
• This will be the 10th Boilermaker Football game in school history played within a baseball stadium, and first since the 1947 season.
PURDUE FOOTBALL IN BASEBALL STADIUMS
Oct. 29, 1932, vs. New York U. (Yankee Stadium), W 34-9
Nov. 7, 1936, vs. #3 Fordham (Polo Grounds), L 0-15
Nov. 6, 1937, vs. #5 Fordham (Polo Grounds), L 3-21
Oct. 15, 1938, vs. Fordham (Polo Grounds), T 6-6
Nov. 9, 1940, vs. #17 Fordham (Polo Grounds), L 7-13
Nov. 1, 1941, vs. #3 Fordham (Polo Grounds), L 0-17
Oct. 16, 1943, vs. Ohio State (Cleveland Municipal), W 30-7
Nov. 18, 1944, vs. #3 Navy (Baltimore Municipal), L 0-32
Oct. 18, 1947, vs. Boston U. (Fenway Park), W 62-7
• Additionally, Purdue met Northwestern at Soldier Field in Chicago during the 1931 season, winning that game 7-0 (Nov. 28, 1931).
• Wrigley Field was the home of the National Football League's Chicago Bears up through 1970, who moved to Solider Field for the 1971 NFL season. Wrigley hosted Northwestern Football during the 2010 season for a game against Illinois, which the Wildcats lost to the Fighting Illini, 48-27 (Nov. 20, 2010).
AIR IT OUT, AIDAN
• The most accurate passer, currently, in the Big Ten Conference is Purdue signal caller, Aidan O'Connell. The fifth-year senior QB is completing 72.8 percent of his throws in league play (214-294) and 72.4 percent overall (234-323), both numbers standing atop the conference. His overall mark ranks fifth nationally.
• Over his last five games, O'Connell is completing more than 75.0 percent of his pass attempts (.753, 168-223). Since the 2000 season, O'Connell is the only Purdue quarterback to string together three consecutive games above the 74.0-percent mark, let alone the current five-game span.
• In games against Top 5 competition (at No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State, and at No. 4 Ohio State), O'Connell has thrown for 1,301 passing yards (433.7 avg.) and completed 110-of-146 pass attempts (.753). For those three games, O'Connell has a 9-0 TD-INT ratio.
PURDUE-NORTHWESTERN HISTORY
• Purdue leads the all-time series against Northwestern at 51-33-1, dating back to 1895. The Boilermaker-Wildcat series is Purdue's sixth-oldest regular matchup. Earlier first meetings include: Illinois (1890), Michigan (1890), Indiana (1891), Wisconsin (1892) and Minnesota (1894).
• Between 1951 and 2003, Purdue built up a remarkable 33-7 record against the Wildcats. In recent years, Northwestern has struck back, as the Boilermakers are just 2-8 against NU in the last 10 matchups.
BILETNIKOFF SEMIFINALIST FOR DAVID
• Junior WR David Bell was named a semifinalist for the prestigious Biletnikoff Award on Monday, Nov. 15, an honor annually "received" by college football's outstanding FBS receiver.
• Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. With the season the Bell is having (75 receptions, 1,106 yards, five touchdowns), he is certainly eligible.