WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After kicking off the season with two games at home, Purdue Football hits the road for the first time this season. The Boilermakers face an undefeated Syracuse team (Sept. 17) at noon on ESPN2.
Purdue won the only other meeting between the two programs, a 51-0 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 5, 2004).
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is an even .500 against ACC teams, going 15-15-1.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• The last time the Boilermakers played an ACC team, they upset No. 23 Boston College 30-13 at home (Sept. 22, 2018).
NEW YORK BOILERS
• Two of Purdue's leading tacklers hail from the state of New York, both on the defensive side of the ball.
• In the Purdue secondary, junior Sanoussi Kane is from Harlem; while also playing football at Blair Academy, he also wrested at the school.
• Defensive end Khordae Sydnor is a native of New Rochelle, New York and attended Iona Preparatory School.
• Kane paces Purdue with 10 tackles on the season, while Sydnor ranks third on the team with seven.
• Sydnor tallied four tackles in the win over Indiana State, which included his first career sack.
• On the first play of the Indiana State game, Kane popped the ball loose that was recovered by teammate Cam Allen and gave the Purdue offense great field position for its opening drive.
ON THE ROAD
• The 2021 Boilermakers not only protected their home turf with a 4-2 record, but they found success away from Ross-Ade Stadium as well.
• Purdue went 5-2 in 2021, the most wins away from home since 1943 when Elmer Burnham's band of Boilermakers went 9-0 on the season with a 5-0 away record.
ROAD OPENERS
• The Boilermakers boast a 4-1 record in their first road game of each season under head coach Jeff Brohm.
• Prior to Brohm's arrival, Purdue lost of eight of its previous nine road openers.
• Brohm is the only head coach in Purdue history to win four of his first five opening road contests.
CHUCK'S SIZZLIN' START
• Wide receiver Charlie Jones has gotten his Purdue career off to a strong start, leading the Big Ten in receptions (21), receiving yards (286) and receiving touchdowns (4) through the first two games of the season.
• Jones' 286 receiving yards were the third most by a Big Ten player through the first two games of a season over the past decade, trailing only fellow Boilermaker Rondale Moore (344 yards, 2019) and Michigan State's Tony Lippett (300 yards, 2014).
• Jones ranks among the nation's best in several statistical categories, including leading the country in receptions per game (10.5).
RECEIVER U
• With 21 receptions through two games, Charlie Jones joined some elite company to start a season.
• Since 2000, only four Big Ten wide receivers caught at least 21 passes through the first two games of a season, all of them being Purdue Boilermakers. Now, Jones is one of them.
• Rondale Moore, an All-American currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, hauled in 24 receptions to kick off the 2019 season.
• Taylor Stubblefield made 23 catches in 2003 before becoming a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award at the end of the 2004 campaign.
• David Bell (Cleveland Browns), also a finalist for the Biletnikoff in 2021, caught 22 passes to start the 2020 season before ending his Purdue career as an All-American.
THE RECONNECTION
• Playing youth football together, Aidan O'Connell and Charlie Jones were reunited at Purdue this offseason. Years passed since they were teammates, but you would not have known it in the season opener versus Penn State.
• O'Connell found Jones 12 times in his Purdue debut, and the duo connected for 153 yards through the air, both career highs.
• A week later, the pair connected nine times for 133 yards and three scores against Indiana State.
• It's safe to say Jones enjoys the Purdue offense. After making 21 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns during the entire 2021 season, he has already matched his reception total, surpasses his touchdowns and is nearing his total yardage.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DEFENSE
• While a Jeff Brohm team is usually known for its offense, the Purdue defense is making its presence felt this season.
• Out of the eight quarters Purdue has played in 2022, the defense has kept the opposition scoreless in six of them.
• The Boilermakers have forced four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
• Purdue is one of six teams nationwide with multiple defensive touchdowns.
• The Purdue defense ranks 16th nationally in red zone defense, while allowing only 74.5 rushing yards per game to rank 18th in the country.
PICK SIX CITY
• The Purdue defense has returned interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010 when Ricardo Allen had a pair of pick sixes against Michigan and Michigan State.
• Chris Jefferson's 72-yard pick six against Penn State (Sept. 1) was the longest by a Boilermaker since Ja'Whaun Bentley went 76 yards versus Minnesota (Oct. 7, 2017).
• In the shutout victory over Indiana State (Sept. 10), Cam Allen's eighth career interception became his first pick six as he scampered 65 yards to the end zone.
• Purdue joins USC and Western Kentucky as the only teams in the nation that have taken multiple interceptions back for touchdowns.
• Allen's interception return for a touchdown was the 55th by a Boilermaker since 1950.
SMILE FOR THE CAM
• Senior safety Cam Allen factored in two of Indiana State's three turnovers, recovering a fumble on the first play of the game before returning an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter.
• The interception was Allen's eighth of his career, but his first pick six.
• Allen became the first Boilermaker to record an interception and fumble recovery since Anthony Brown accomplished the feat, also against Indiana State (Sept. 12, 2015).
SYCAMORE SHUTOUT
• Purdue's 56-0 win over Indiana State was the largest margin of victory since beating Southeast Missouri 59-0 in 2011.
• The victory was the second shutout of the Jeff Brohm era, joining the 49-0 win over UConn last season.
• Purdue allowed only 145 yards of total offense, the lowest output by an opponent since Oregon mustered just 143 yards in 1979.
• The Boilermakers held the Sycamores to just 51 yards on the ground, the third time in the Brohm era that Purdue has held an opponent to less than 60 rushing yards (Nov. 11, 2021 vs. Indiana, 58; Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Nebraska, 40).
ROOKIE SIDELINE REPORTER
• The Purdue Sports Radio Network will feature a newbie on the sidelines this weekend at Syracuse as normal reporter and former Purdue offensive lineman Kelly Kitchel will not be able to make the trip due to his assistant coaching duties with West Lafayette High School.
• Filling in for Kitchel will be College Football Hall of Fame inductee Mark Herrmann.
• Herrmann had a legendary career behind center at Purdue that featured 33 wins, three Bowl victories, MVP awards for the 1980 Liberty Bowl, 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl and 1978 Peach Bowl, the 1980.Sammy Baugh Trophy and an induction to the Purdue (1997) and College Football (2010) Hall of Fames.
• He rejoined Purdue Athletics in 2020 as the John Purdue Club Director of Leadership and Alumni Engagement.
Purdue won the only other meeting between the two programs, a 51-0 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 5, 2004).
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is an even .500 against ACC teams, going 15-15-1.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• The last time the Boilermakers played an ACC team, they upset No. 23 Boston College 30-13 at home (Sept. 22, 2018).
NEW YORK BOILERS
• Two of Purdue's leading tacklers hail from the state of New York, both on the defensive side of the ball.
• In the Purdue secondary, junior Sanoussi Kane is from Harlem; while also playing football at Blair Academy, he also wrested at the school.
• Defensive end Khordae Sydnor is a native of New Rochelle, New York and attended Iona Preparatory School.
• Kane paces Purdue with 10 tackles on the season, while Sydnor ranks third on the team with seven.
• Sydnor tallied four tackles in the win over Indiana State, which included his first career sack.
• On the first play of the Indiana State game, Kane popped the ball loose that was recovered by teammate Cam Allen and gave the Purdue offense great field position for its opening drive.
ON THE ROAD
• The 2021 Boilermakers not only protected their home turf with a 4-2 record, but they found success away from Ross-Ade Stadium as well.
• Purdue went 5-2 in 2021, the most wins away from home since 1943 when Elmer Burnham's band of Boilermakers went 9-0 on the season with a 5-0 away record.
ROAD OPENERS
• The Boilermakers boast a 4-1 record in their first road game of each season under head coach Jeff Brohm.
• Prior to Brohm's arrival, Purdue lost of eight of its previous nine road openers.
• Brohm is the only head coach in Purdue history to win four of his first five opening road contests.
CHUCK'S SIZZLIN' START
• Wide receiver Charlie Jones has gotten his Purdue career off to a strong start, leading the Big Ten in receptions (21), receiving yards (286) and receiving touchdowns (4) through the first two games of the season.
• Jones' 286 receiving yards were the third most by a Big Ten player through the first two games of a season over the past decade, trailing only fellow Boilermaker Rondale Moore (344 yards, 2019) and Michigan State's Tony Lippett (300 yards, 2014).
• Jones ranks among the nation's best in several statistical categories, including leading the country in receptions per game (10.5).
RECEIVER U
• With 21 receptions through two games, Charlie Jones joined some elite company to start a season.
• Since 2000, only four Big Ten wide receivers caught at least 21 passes through the first two games of a season, all of them being Purdue Boilermakers. Now, Jones is one of them.
• Rondale Moore, an All-American currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals, hauled in 24 receptions to kick off the 2019 season.
• Taylor Stubblefield made 23 catches in 2003 before becoming a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award at the end of the 2004 campaign.
• David Bell (Cleveland Browns), also a finalist for the Biletnikoff in 2021, caught 22 passes to start the 2020 season before ending his Purdue career as an All-American.
THE RECONNECTION
• Playing youth football together, Aidan O'Connell and Charlie Jones were reunited at Purdue this offseason. Years passed since they were teammates, but you would not have known it in the season opener versus Penn State.
• O'Connell found Jones 12 times in his Purdue debut, and the duo connected for 153 yards through the air, both career highs.
• A week later, the pair connected nine times for 133 yards and three scores against Indiana State.
• It's safe to say Jones enjoys the Purdue offense. After making 21 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns during the entire 2021 season, he has already matched his reception total, surpasses his touchdowns and is nearing his total yardage.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE DEFENSE
• While a Jeff Brohm team is usually known for its offense, the Purdue defense is making its presence felt this season.
• Out of the eight quarters Purdue has played in 2022, the defense has kept the opposition scoreless in six of them.
• The Boilermakers have forced four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
• Purdue is one of six teams nationwide with multiple defensive touchdowns.
• The Purdue defense ranks 16th nationally in red zone defense, while allowing only 74.5 rushing yards per game to rank 18th in the country.
PICK SIX CITY
• The Purdue defense has returned interceptions for touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since 2010 when Ricardo Allen had a pair of pick sixes against Michigan and Michigan State.
• Chris Jefferson's 72-yard pick six against Penn State (Sept. 1) was the longest by a Boilermaker since Ja'Whaun Bentley went 76 yards versus Minnesota (Oct. 7, 2017).
• In the shutout victory over Indiana State (Sept. 10), Cam Allen's eighth career interception became his first pick six as he scampered 65 yards to the end zone.
• Purdue joins USC and Western Kentucky as the only teams in the nation that have taken multiple interceptions back for touchdowns.
• Allen's interception return for a touchdown was the 55th by a Boilermaker since 1950.
SMILE FOR THE CAM
• Senior safety Cam Allen factored in two of Indiana State's three turnovers, recovering a fumble on the first play of the game before returning an interception for a touchdown in the third quarter.
• The interception was Allen's eighth of his career, but his first pick six.
• Allen became the first Boilermaker to record an interception and fumble recovery since Anthony Brown accomplished the feat, also against Indiana State (Sept. 12, 2015).
SYCAMORE SHUTOUT
• Purdue's 56-0 win over Indiana State was the largest margin of victory since beating Southeast Missouri 59-0 in 2011.
• The victory was the second shutout of the Jeff Brohm era, joining the 49-0 win over UConn last season.
• Purdue allowed only 145 yards of total offense, the lowest output by an opponent since Oregon mustered just 143 yards in 1979.
• The Boilermakers held the Sycamores to just 51 yards on the ground, the third time in the Brohm era that Purdue has held an opponent to less than 60 rushing yards (Nov. 11, 2021 vs. Indiana, 58; Oct. 28, 2017 vs. Nebraska, 40).
ROOKIE SIDELINE REPORTER
• The Purdue Sports Radio Network will feature a newbie on the sidelines this weekend at Syracuse as normal reporter and former Purdue offensive lineman Kelly Kitchel will not be able to make the trip due to his assistant coaching duties with West Lafayette High School.
• Filling in for Kitchel will be College Football Hall of Fame inductee Mark Herrmann.
• Herrmann had a legendary career behind center at Purdue that featured 33 wins, three Bowl victories, MVP awards for the 1980 Liberty Bowl, 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl and 1978 Peach Bowl, the 1980.Sammy Baugh Trophy and an induction to the Purdue (1997) and College Football (2010) Hall of Fames.
• He rejoined Purdue Athletics in 2020 as the John Purdue Club Director of Leadership and Alumni Engagement.