WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After closing out the home slate with a win over Northwestern, Purdue Football travels south to face Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket and a chance to win the Big Ten West. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on BTN.
The Boilermakers won last season's matchup 44-7 in West Lafayette, the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
Purdue enters Saturday's contest tied atop the B1G West with Iowa at 5-3. A win would secure a share of the first divisional crown in program history, and if the Hawkeyes lose to Nebraska Friday, a victory would advance the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis.
The Boilermakers limited Northwestern to only 240 yards of total offense, their fewest allowed in a B1G game since holding Indiana to 205 yards in last year's Bucket game.
OLD OAKEN BUCKET HISTORY
• While Saturday's game will be the 124th meeting between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers, this year's matchup will be just the 97th edition of the Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• Since 1925, Purdue and Indiana have played annually for the Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers lead the Bucket portion of the all-time series 61-32-3, including 16 wins in the last 24 showdowns.
• Purdue has won three of the four matchups under head coach Jeff Brohm (game was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19).
• The Chicago alumni groups of both schools came up with the idea for a traveling trophy, and Russell Gray of Purdue and Clarence Jones of Indiana were given the task of finding an appropriate object. They recommended that "an old oaken bucket would be a most typical trophy from this state and should be taken from a well somewhere in Indiana." Purdue's Fritz Ernst and Whiley J. Huddle of Indiana found the fabled bucket, in a bad state of repair, covered with moss and mold, on the Bruner farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana.
• The Bruner farm was settled in the 1840s, and family lore suggests the bucket might have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his soldiers during their incursion into Indiana in 1863 during the Civil War.
• George Ade, distinguished humorist from Purdue, and Harry Kurrie, president of the Monon Railroad, representing Indiana, formally introduced the Old Oaken Bucket in 1925. The Boilermakers and Hoosiers subsequently battled to a 0-0 tie Nov. 21 at Ross-Ade Stadium, resulting in an "I-P" link being attached to the bucket.
• Throughout its history, the bucket has been kidnapped by partisans from both schools – a couple of times missing so long that it was given up as lost, only to turn up mysteriously just before or after the annual game.
LAST TIME WE MET
• The Old Oaken Bucket returned to its rightful home, as Purdue cruised to a 44-7 victory over Indiana in front of a sellout crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium.
• The Boilermakers won for the third time in the past four rivalry matchups with the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
• Aidan O'Connell threw for 278 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, completing 26 of his 31 passes for the best completion percentage (.839) by a Boilermaker in an Old Oaken Bucket game.
• The Boilermakers limited Indiana to just 205 yards of total offense and recorded 10 tackles for loss, including a career-high 3.0 TFL by defensive tackle Branson Deen.
B1G OUTLOOK
• With one game remaining, the Boilermakers find themselves tied with Iowa atop the Big Ten West at 5-3.
• A victory over Indiana would secure a share of the divisional title for the first time in program history since the conference went to the divisional format in 2011.
• The Boilermakers have finished second in the Big Ten West twice under head coach Jeff Brohm (2018, 2021).
• An Iowa loss and a Purdue win would make the Boilermakers outright B1G West champions, sending them to the conference championship game for the first time ever.
BIG WINS AWAY FROM HOME
• Playing on the road in Big Ten play hasn't fazed Purdue lately. The Boilermakers have won six of their past eight conference games away from home, including the three this season against No. 21 Minnesota (Oct. 1), Maryland (Oct. 8) and No. 21 Illinois (Nov. 12).
• Three of those victories were over ranked teams. Purdue beat No. 2 Iowa 24-7 last season (Oct. 16, 2021), knocked off No. 21 Minnesota this October and took down No. 21 Illinois two weeks ago.
• Last season, Purdue went 3-1 in B1G games away from home, which included a neutral site win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. The Boilermakers ended the 2021 campaign with five victories away from Ross-Ade Stadium, their most since 1943.
CHASING RECORDS
• Charlie Jones is 252 yards away from setting a new Purdue single-season record for receiving yards; John Standeford's 1,307 yards have stood for 20 years (2002).
• Devin Mockobee is 126 yards from passing Markell Jones (875) for the most yards by a Boilermaker freshman in a single season; Jones' 2015 campaign set a new Purdue standard.
• Payne Durham is two touchdowns away from becoming the first Boilermaker tight end since 1980 (Dave Young) to catch nine TDs in a single season; Young owns the season touchdown record by a tight end with 10 in 1979.
• Aidan O'Connell is 166 yards away from becoming the fifth quarterback in Purdue history to throw for more than 3,000 passing yards in multiple seasons, joining some elite company. Drew Brees produced three 3,000-yard seasons, while David Blough, Jim Everett and Curtis Painter did it twice over their careers.
MAINTAINING SUCCESS
• With back-to-back wins over teams from the Prairie State, the Boilermakers have won at least seven games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
• The victories over Illinois and Northwestern also secured a winning conference record for Purdue, the first time that has happened in back-to-back seasons since 1997-98.
• Purdue has won at least seven games in three different seasons under Jeff Brohm (2017, 2021, 2022), out of a possible five years due to the 2020 season shortened to only six games.
PILOT SACKS
• Senior defensive end Jack Sullivan leads the Boilermakers with five sacks this season, ranking seventh in the conference.
• Four of his five sacks have come in league games, the fourth-most in the B1G.
• Sullivan had a crucial strip sack in the win over Northwestern, forcing a turnover late in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
• Graduating with a degree in Professional Flight Technology and Aviation Management, Sullivan plans to become a commercial pilot following his playing career.
RED ZONE, END ZONE
• The Boilermakers have been successful in the red zone this season, scoring 42 out of 45 times for a 93 percent rate and ranking sixth in the country.
• Thirty-two of those 42 red zone scores have been touchdowns (76%).
• In conference play, Purdue only trails Ohio State as the highest scoring team in the red area. The Boilermakers are 30-of-32 in conference action with 20 touchdowns and 10 field goals.
FOURTH QUARTER DEFENSE
• The Purdue defense steps up in the fourth quarter, allowing only 28 points (4.0 ppg) in the final quarter over the past seven games.
• In the past five games, the Boilermakers have surrendered only two touchdowns and one field goal in fourth quarters to finish strong.
CHUCK'S SIZZLIN'
• Biletnikoff Award semifinalist Charlie Jones has made an immediate impact since transferring to Purdue from Iowa, ranking third nationally in receptions (93) and receiving touchdowns (11) as well as sixth in receiving yards (1,056). Jones is one of only two receivers to rank in the top 10 of all three categories.
• Jones has recorded six 100-yard games this season, including four in B1G play, to become the sixth Boilermaker to accomplish the feat in a single year.
• In B1G action, Jones has hauled in a conference-best 8.0 receptions per game to go along with 84.5 receiving yards per league contest.
• With a 32-yard touchdown in the win over No. 21 Illinois, Jones became the eighth Boilermaker in Purdue history to record 10 touchdowns and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
• 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, it only took him three games to surpass last year's totals with the Hawkeyes.
O'CONNELL = BURLSWORTH TROPHY FINALIST
• Awarded to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on, Aidan O'Connell joined Stetson Bennett (Quarterback – Georgia) and Carlton Martial (Linebacker – Troy) as the three finalists up for the Burlsworth Trophy.
• The Burlsworth Trophy was named after Brandon Burlsworth, who went from a walk-on to an All-American at Arkansas. Finalists will be honored and the winner of the 2022 Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on December 5 at 8 p.m. ET at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.
• O'Connell began his career as a walk-on listed eighth on the depth chart before becoming one of the best quarterbacks in Purdue history.
• O'Connell already ranks in the program's Top 10 in several career categories: completion percentage (1st – 66.8%), 500-yard games (T1st – 2), 400-yard games (2nd – 5), 300-yard games (2nd – 13), touchdown passes (5th – 63), passing completions (5th – 776) and passing yards (6th – 8,563).
• Aidan O'Connell paces the Big Ten in passing yards and total offense. Completing 27 passes per game, he sits fifth in the country. His 283.4 passing yards per game rank 14th nationally.
• O'Connell has kept up his game against conference opponents, throwing for an average of 274.9 yards in B1G games to lead the league.
• With three multi-touchdown games, Jones is just the sixth Purdue receiver since 2000 to have three-or-more multi-touchdown games in a season.
BRING ON THE PAYNE
• A semifinalist for the Mackey Award (college football's most outstanding tight end), Payne Durham has been an important piece of the Purdue offense with 50 catches for 511 yards and seven touchdowns to rank second among Boilermakers in all three categories.
• The redshirt-senior ranks among the top tight ends nationwide, cracking the Top 10 in touchdowns (2nd-7), receptions (5th-50) and receiving yards (8th-511).
• Durham hauled in his 20th career touchdown reception in the win over Northwestern, tying DeAngelo Yancey (2013-16) for eighth on Purdue's all-time list. He ranks second among tight ends, trailing Dave Young (27, 1977-80), and is just one touchdown away from sitting alongside three of the best receivers in Purdue history: former teammate David Bell (2019-21), Dorien Bryant (2004-07) and Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04).
ROSS-ADE BRIGADE
• With a win over Northwestern in the home finale, Purdue finished 4-2 at Ross-Ade Stadium for the second straight season.
• Purdue fans, including the Ross-Ade Brigade student section, packed the stadium nearly to capacity (57,282) all season long; an average of 57,129 came to Ross-Ade Stadium throughout the fall, the highest average home attendance since 2007 (59,326).
• Purdue sold out games against Nebraska (Oct. 15) and Iowa (Nov. 5).
The Boilermakers won last season's matchup 44-7 in West Lafayette, the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
Purdue enters Saturday's contest tied atop the B1G West with Iowa at 5-3. A win would secure a share of the first divisional crown in program history, and if the Hawkeyes lose to Nebraska Friday, a victory would advance the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis.
The Boilermakers limited Northwestern to only 240 yards of total offense, their fewest allowed in a B1G game since holding Indiana to 205 yards in last year's Bucket game.
OLD OAKEN BUCKET HISTORY
• While Saturday's game will be the 124th meeting between the Boilermakers and Hoosiers, this year's matchup will be just the 97th edition of the Old Oaken Bucket Game.
• Since 1925, Purdue and Indiana have played annually for the Old Oaken Bucket. The Boilermakers lead the Bucket portion of the all-time series 61-32-3, including 16 wins in the last 24 showdowns.
• Purdue has won three of the four matchups under head coach Jeff Brohm (game was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19).
• The Chicago alumni groups of both schools came up with the idea for a traveling trophy, and Russell Gray of Purdue and Clarence Jones of Indiana were given the task of finding an appropriate object. They recommended that "an old oaken bucket would be a most typical trophy from this state and should be taken from a well somewhere in Indiana." Purdue's Fritz Ernst and Whiley J. Huddle of Indiana found the fabled bucket, in a bad state of repair, covered with moss and mold, on the Bruner farm between Kent and Hanover in southern Indiana.
• The Bruner farm was settled in the 1840s, and family lore suggests the bucket might have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his soldiers during their incursion into Indiana in 1863 during the Civil War.
• George Ade, distinguished humorist from Purdue, and Harry Kurrie, president of the Monon Railroad, representing Indiana, formally introduced the Old Oaken Bucket in 1925. The Boilermakers and Hoosiers subsequently battled to a 0-0 tie Nov. 21 at Ross-Ade Stadium, resulting in an "I-P" link being attached to the bucket.
• Throughout its history, the bucket has been kidnapped by partisans from both schools – a couple of times missing so long that it was given up as lost, only to turn up mysteriously just before or after the annual game.
LAST TIME WE MET
• The Old Oaken Bucket returned to its rightful home, as Purdue cruised to a 44-7 victory over Indiana in front of a sellout crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium.
• The Boilermakers won for the third time in the past four rivalry matchups with the largest margin of victory in the series since a 62-10 win in 2008.
• Aidan O'Connell threw for 278 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, completing 26 of his 31 passes for the best completion percentage (.839) by a Boilermaker in an Old Oaken Bucket game.
• The Boilermakers limited Indiana to just 205 yards of total offense and recorded 10 tackles for loss, including a career-high 3.0 TFL by defensive tackle Branson Deen.
B1G OUTLOOK
• With one game remaining, the Boilermakers find themselves tied with Iowa atop the Big Ten West at 5-3.
• A victory over Indiana would secure a share of the divisional title for the first time in program history since the conference went to the divisional format in 2011.
• The Boilermakers have finished second in the Big Ten West twice under head coach Jeff Brohm (2018, 2021).
• An Iowa loss and a Purdue win would make the Boilermakers outright B1G West champions, sending them to the conference championship game for the first time ever.
BIG WINS AWAY FROM HOME
• Playing on the road in Big Ten play hasn't fazed Purdue lately. The Boilermakers have won six of their past eight conference games away from home, including the three this season against No. 21 Minnesota (Oct. 1), Maryland (Oct. 8) and No. 21 Illinois (Nov. 12).
• Three of those victories were over ranked teams. Purdue beat No. 2 Iowa 24-7 last season (Oct. 16, 2021), knocked off No. 21 Minnesota this October and took down No. 21 Illinois two weeks ago.
• Last season, Purdue went 3-1 in B1G games away from home, which included a neutral site win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. The Boilermakers ended the 2021 campaign with five victories away from Ross-Ade Stadium, their most since 1943.
CHASING RECORDS
• Charlie Jones is 252 yards away from setting a new Purdue single-season record for receiving yards; John Standeford's 1,307 yards have stood for 20 years (2002).
• Devin Mockobee is 126 yards from passing Markell Jones (875) for the most yards by a Boilermaker freshman in a single season; Jones' 2015 campaign set a new Purdue standard.
• Payne Durham is two touchdowns away from becoming the first Boilermaker tight end since 1980 (Dave Young) to catch nine TDs in a single season; Young owns the season touchdown record by a tight end with 10 in 1979.
• Aidan O'Connell is 166 yards away from becoming the fifth quarterback in Purdue history to throw for more than 3,000 passing yards in multiple seasons, joining some elite company. Drew Brees produced three 3,000-yard seasons, while David Blough, Jim Everett and Curtis Painter did it twice over their careers.
MAINTAINING SUCCESS
• With back-to-back wins over teams from the Prairie State, the Boilermakers have won at least seven games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
• The victories over Illinois and Northwestern also secured a winning conference record for Purdue, the first time that has happened in back-to-back seasons since 1997-98.
• Purdue has won at least seven games in three different seasons under Jeff Brohm (2017, 2021, 2022), out of a possible five years due to the 2020 season shortened to only six games.
PILOT SACKS
• Senior defensive end Jack Sullivan leads the Boilermakers with five sacks this season, ranking seventh in the conference.
• Four of his five sacks have come in league games, the fourth-most in the B1G.
• Sullivan had a crucial strip sack in the win over Northwestern, forcing a turnover late in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
• Graduating with a degree in Professional Flight Technology and Aviation Management, Sullivan plans to become a commercial pilot following his playing career.
RED ZONE, END ZONE
• The Boilermakers have been successful in the red zone this season, scoring 42 out of 45 times for a 93 percent rate and ranking sixth in the country.
• Thirty-two of those 42 red zone scores have been touchdowns (76%).
• In conference play, Purdue only trails Ohio State as the highest scoring team in the red area. The Boilermakers are 30-of-32 in conference action with 20 touchdowns and 10 field goals.
FOURTH QUARTER DEFENSE
• The Purdue defense steps up in the fourth quarter, allowing only 28 points (4.0 ppg) in the final quarter over the past seven games.
• In the past five games, the Boilermakers have surrendered only two touchdowns and one field goal in fourth quarters to finish strong.
CHUCK'S SIZZLIN'
• Biletnikoff Award semifinalist Charlie Jones has made an immediate impact since transferring to Purdue from Iowa, ranking third nationally in receptions (93) and receiving touchdowns (11) as well as sixth in receiving yards (1,056). Jones is one of only two receivers to rank in the top 10 of all three categories.
• Jones has recorded six 100-yard games this season, including four in B1G play, to become the sixth Boilermaker to accomplish the feat in a single year.
• In B1G action, Jones has hauled in a conference-best 8.0 receptions per game to go along with 84.5 receiving yards per league contest.
• With a 32-yard touchdown in the win over No. 21 Illinois, Jones became the eighth Boilermaker in Purdue history to record 10 touchdowns and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season.
• 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, it only took him three games to surpass last year's totals with the Hawkeyes.
O'CONNELL = BURLSWORTH TROPHY FINALIST
• Awarded to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on, Aidan O'Connell joined Stetson Bennett (Quarterback – Georgia) and Carlton Martial (Linebacker – Troy) as the three finalists up for the Burlsworth Trophy.
• The Burlsworth Trophy was named after Brandon Burlsworth, who went from a walk-on to an All-American at Arkansas. Finalists will be honored and the winner of the 2022 Burlsworth Trophy will be announced on December 5 at 8 p.m. ET at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas.
• O'Connell began his career as a walk-on listed eighth on the depth chart before becoming one of the best quarterbacks in Purdue history.
• O'Connell already ranks in the program's Top 10 in several career categories: completion percentage (1st – 66.8%), 500-yard games (T1st – 2), 400-yard games (2nd – 5), 300-yard games (2nd – 13), touchdown passes (5th – 63), passing completions (5th – 776) and passing yards (6th – 8,563).
• Aidan O'Connell paces the Big Ten in passing yards and total offense. Completing 27 passes per game, he sits fifth in the country. His 283.4 passing yards per game rank 14th nationally.
• O'Connell has kept up his game against conference opponents, throwing for an average of 274.9 yards in B1G games to lead the league.
• With three multi-touchdown games, Jones is just the sixth Purdue receiver since 2000 to have three-or-more multi-touchdown games in a season.
BRING ON THE PAYNE
• A semifinalist for the Mackey Award (college football's most outstanding tight end), Payne Durham has been an important piece of the Purdue offense with 50 catches for 511 yards and seven touchdowns to rank second among Boilermakers in all three categories.
• The redshirt-senior ranks among the top tight ends nationwide, cracking the Top 10 in touchdowns (2nd-7), receptions (5th-50) and receiving yards (8th-511).
• Durham hauled in his 20th career touchdown reception in the win over Northwestern, tying DeAngelo Yancey (2013-16) for eighth on Purdue's all-time list. He ranks second among tight ends, trailing Dave Young (27, 1977-80), and is just one touchdown away from sitting alongside three of the best receivers in Purdue history: former teammate David Bell (2019-21), Dorien Bryant (2004-07) and Taylor Stubblefield (2001-04).
ROSS-ADE BRIGADE
• With a win over Northwestern in the home finale, Purdue finished 4-2 at Ross-Ade Stadium for the second straight season.
• Purdue fans, including the Ross-Ade Brigade student section, packed the stadium nearly to capacity (57,282) all season long; an average of 57,129 came to Ross-Ade Stadium throughout the fall, the highest average home attendance since 2007 (59,326).
• Purdue sold out games against Nebraska (Oct. 15) and Iowa (Nov. 5).