WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following a narrow loss to defending Mountain West champion Fresno State, Purdue Football hits the road for the first time under head coach Ryan Walters. The Boilermakers travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to face the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The Boilermakers and Hokies are meeting for just the second time in history; Virginia Tech won the first matchup 51-24 at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 19, 2015).
Four of the Boilermakers' first five games are at home; Saturday's contest is Purdue's only road game in September. Purdue has won four of its past six road openers.
NEW STARTERS • Along with a new head coach, there were plenty of new starters for the Boilermakers.
• Eight newcomers started the season opener vs. Fresno State: four on offense (QB Hudson Card, OL Jalen Grant, OL Austin Johnson, OL Preston Nichols) and four on defense (DB Markevious Brown, DL Malik Langham, DL Isaiah Nichols and DB Marquis Wilson).
• Three additional Boilermakers on last year's roster also started for the first time in their careers: DL Cole Brevard, TE Max Klare and DL Nic Scourton.
• With three new starting offensive linemen, the unit protected quarterback Hudson Card and did not allow a sack all game. Card, in his first Purdue start, protected the ball as well and did not commit a turnover.
THE BLUEFIELD (VA.) BOILERMAKER
• One Purdue Boilermaker is returning to his home state Saturday.
• Fifth-year senior Cam Allen hails from Bluefield, Virginia, just 65 miles west of Blacksburg.
• As a senior, Allen led Graham High School to a 14-1 record and the 2018 Virginia Class 2 State Championship.
• In addition to defensive back, he played quarterback and accounted for 61 total touchdowns as a senior, the third most by a player in Virginia high school history.
• Allen was named the 2018 Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Year.
THE FREAK NAMED BURKS • Deion Burks was named to Bruce Feldman's Freak List heading into the season, and the Purdue wide receiver showcased some of his freakish talent in the season opener.
• Burks caught four passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, the most receiving yards by any Big Ten player in the opening week of the season.
• His 84-yard TD reception in the first quarter was a highlight, breaking tackles and racing his way to the end zone for the longest touchdown reception since David Bell caught an 89-yard pass against Nebraska.
• Burks surpassed his receiving yardage for the entire 2022 season as a redshirt freshman (15 catches for 149 yards).
• Burks ranks fourth nationally in receiving yards per game heading into Week 2.
THE TYRONE TRACY SHOW
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. proved his versatility with a pair of touchdowns against Fresno State.
• Tracy rushed for a touchdown in the first half before returning the opening second half kickoff all the way to the end zone.
• The 98-yard return was the only kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Big Ten player in Week 1.
• Tracy's touchdown return was Purdue's first since Raheem Mostert took a 100-yard return to pay dirt at Penn State in 2013. It was the first kickoff return for a score at Ross-Ade Stadium since Akeem Hunt went 99 yards against Indiana State in 2013.
BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Fresh off a strong individual performance in his Boilermaker debut against Fresno State, defensive back Dillon Thieneman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• The season-opening accolade marked the third time a Boilermaker earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors dating back to the 2022 campaign. Devin Mockobee collected the distinction twice, helping lead the Boilermakers to a pair of conference wins on the way to the Big Ten West title.
• Thieneman is the second defensive player in program history to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining Frankie Williams in 2012, who accomplished the feat twice.
• Thieneman made an immediate impact in his first game as a Boilermaker. The defensive back led the team with 10 tackles, all solo, becoming the third Purdue freshman over the past decade to record at least double-digit tackles in a game (Ja'Whaun Bentley twice in 2014, Navon Mosley in 2016).
• He became one of only nine players to record at least 10 solo tackles in the opening week of the season.
• The Carmel, Ind., native also hauled in a big fourth quarter interception that flipped the field and led to a Purdue touchdown.
• It marked just the third time since 1996 that a Purdue true freshman recorded an interception in their debut (1999 - James Dunnigan vs. UCF, 2016 - Josh Hayes vs. Eastern Kentucky).
NO NEED TO WORRY
• A season-opening loss is not the end of the world. Joe Tiller lost his first game as Purdue's head coach before winning nine of the final 11 games.
• Even the 1904 and 1980 Boilermakers lost their season opener before closing the year with 9-3 records.
• Last season, Purdue fell to Penn State to kick off the season. Despite the conference loss, the Boilermakers won six of their final eight conference games to win the Big Ten West outright.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Virginia Tech enters the contest 1-0 after a season-opening victory over in-state foe Old Dominion.
• Quarterback Grant Wells threw for 251 yards and rushed for 27 more, while finding the end zone four times (3 passing, 1 rushing).
• Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane were Wells' favorite receivers, tallying 72 and 69 yards, respectively.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. had a huge game with a pair of sacks and one forced fumble.
• Brent Pry is in his second season as Virginia Tech's head coach after serving eight seasons as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State.
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is 15-16-2 all-time against ACC teams.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• The Boilermakers are facing an ACC opponent in back-to-back weeks, hosting Syracuse next week in front of a sold out crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Boilermakers and Hokies are meeting for just the second time in history; Virginia Tech won the first matchup 51-24 at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 19, 2015).
Four of the Boilermakers' first five games are at home; Saturday's contest is Purdue's only road game in September. Purdue has won four of its past six road openers.
NEW STARTERS • Along with a new head coach, there were plenty of new starters for the Boilermakers.
• Eight newcomers started the season opener vs. Fresno State: four on offense (QB Hudson Card, OL Jalen Grant, OL Austin Johnson, OL Preston Nichols) and four on defense (DB Markevious Brown, DL Malik Langham, DL Isaiah Nichols and DB Marquis Wilson).
• Three additional Boilermakers on last year's roster also started for the first time in their careers: DL Cole Brevard, TE Max Klare and DL Nic Scourton.
• With three new starting offensive linemen, the unit protected quarterback Hudson Card and did not allow a sack all game. Card, in his first Purdue start, protected the ball as well and did not commit a turnover.
THE BLUEFIELD (VA.) BOILERMAKER
• One Purdue Boilermaker is returning to his home state Saturday.
• Fifth-year senior Cam Allen hails from Bluefield, Virginia, just 65 miles west of Blacksburg.
• As a senior, Allen led Graham High School to a 14-1 record and the 2018 Virginia Class 2 State Championship.
• In addition to defensive back, he played quarterback and accounted for 61 total touchdowns as a senior, the third most by a player in Virginia high school history.
• Allen was named the 2018 Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Year.
THE FREAK NAMED BURKS • Deion Burks was named to Bruce Feldman's Freak List heading into the season, and the Purdue wide receiver showcased some of his freakish talent in the season opener.
• Burks caught four passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, the most receiving yards by any Big Ten player in the opening week of the season.
• His 84-yard TD reception in the first quarter was a highlight, breaking tackles and racing his way to the end zone for the longest touchdown reception since David Bell caught an 89-yard pass against Nebraska.
• Burks surpassed his receiving yardage for the entire 2022 season as a redshirt freshman (15 catches for 149 yards).
• Burks ranks fourth nationally in receiving yards per game heading into Week 2.
THE TYRONE TRACY SHOW
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. proved his versatility with a pair of touchdowns against Fresno State.
• Tracy rushed for a touchdown in the first half before returning the opening second half kickoff all the way to the end zone.
• The 98-yard return was the only kickoff returned for a touchdown by a Big Ten player in Week 1.
• Tracy's touchdown return was Purdue's first since Raheem Mostert took a 100-yard return to pay dirt at Penn State in 2013. It was the first kickoff return for a score at Ross-Ade Stadium since Akeem Hunt went 99 yards against Indiana State in 2013.
BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
• Fresh off a strong individual performance in his Boilermaker debut against Fresno State, defensive back Dillon Thieneman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• The season-opening accolade marked the third time a Boilermaker earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors dating back to the 2022 campaign. Devin Mockobee collected the distinction twice, helping lead the Boilermakers to a pair of conference wins on the way to the Big Ten West title.
• Thieneman is the second defensive player in program history to be named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining Frankie Williams in 2012, who accomplished the feat twice.
• Thieneman made an immediate impact in his first game as a Boilermaker. The defensive back led the team with 10 tackles, all solo, becoming the third Purdue freshman over the past decade to record at least double-digit tackles in a game (Ja'Whaun Bentley twice in 2014, Navon Mosley in 2016).
• He became one of only nine players to record at least 10 solo tackles in the opening week of the season.
• The Carmel, Ind., native also hauled in a big fourth quarter interception that flipped the field and led to a Purdue touchdown.
• It marked just the third time since 1996 that a Purdue true freshman recorded an interception in their debut (1999 - James Dunnigan vs. UCF, 2016 - Josh Hayes vs. Eastern Kentucky).
NO NEED TO WORRY
• A season-opening loss is not the end of the world. Joe Tiller lost his first game as Purdue's head coach before winning nine of the final 11 games.
• Even the 1904 and 1980 Boilermakers lost their season opener before closing the year with 9-3 records.
• Last season, Purdue fell to Penn State to kick off the season. Despite the conference loss, the Boilermakers won six of their final eight conference games to win the Big Ten West outright.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Virginia Tech enters the contest 1-0 after a season-opening victory over in-state foe Old Dominion.
• Quarterback Grant Wells threw for 251 yards and rushed for 27 more, while finding the end zone four times (3 passing, 1 rushing).
• Ali Jennings and Jaylin Lane were Wells' favorite receivers, tallying 72 and 69 yards, respectively.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. had a huge game with a pair of sacks and one forced fumble.
• Brent Pry is in his second season as Virginia Tech's head coach after serving eight seasons as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State.
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is 15-16-2 all-time against ACC teams.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• The Boilermakers are facing an ACC opponent in back-to-back weeks, hosting Syracuse next week in front of a sold out crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.