WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fresh off a road victory at Virginia Tech, Purdue Football returns home for another matchup with an ACC opponent. The Boilermakers host Syracuse in front of a sellout crowd under the lights of Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The matchup will be the first soldout game in the newly-renovated Ross-Ade Stadium, which saw its capacity increased to 61,441 heading into the facility's 100th season.
The Boilermakers and Orange are meeting for the second straight season, as Syracuse protected its home turf in 2022 to even the all-time series at 1-1. Saturday's contest wraps up Purdue's non-conference schedule, while also beginning a three-game homestand. Four of the Boilermakers' five September games are at home.
The Boilermakers are coming off a 24-17 victory at Virginia Tech, picking up the first win of the Ryan Walters era. Purdue endured a mid-game weather delay that lasted five hours and 27 minutes with kickoff starting at 12:21 p.m. and the game ending at 8:56 p.m. In the victory over the Hokies, Purdue held Virginia Tech to 11 yards for the fewest rush yards allowed in program history; the Boilermakers recorded 9.0 tackles-for-loss, totaling a loss of 54 yards.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• One of the best tight ends in school history, Tim Stratton (1998-2001) will serve as the honorary game captain on Saturday.
• In 2000, Stratton was named the inaugural recipient of the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation's best tight end.
• He ended his career with 204 receptions, a school record at the time (now fifth all-time), totaling 2,088 yards (12th all-time, 2nd by a tight end).
• Stratton was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, just the fourth Boilermaker (Bob Hadrick, 1963-64-65; middle guard Chuck Kyle, 1966-67-68; and free safety Rod Woodson, 1984-85-86) to accomplish the feat.
• He played in all 49 Purdue games during his career and caught a pass in all but two of them.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Syracuse enters the contest 2-0 after home victories over Colgate (65-0) and Western Michigan (48-7) to lead the nation in scoring defense.
• Along with the country's best scoring defense, the Orange rank third nationally in scoring offense (56.5 ppg).
• The offense averages 586.5 ypg (third nationally), while the defense surrenders 212.0 ypg (sixth nationally).
• Garrett Shrader is back at quarterback, while LeQuint Allen has recorded four rushing touchdowns to begin the season. Umari Hatcher leads Syracuse receivers with nine catches for 188 yards.
• Dino Babers is in his eighth season as the Orange's head coach, arriving at Syracuse after leading Bowling Green to the 2015 MAC Championship.
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is 16-16-2 all-time against ACC teams.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• After beating Virginia Tech, 24-17, on the road in Week 2, the Boilermakers face their second straight ACC opponent with Syracuse.
• Purdue has faced two ACC programs in the same season just once before, during the 1968 campaign against Virginia (Win, 44-6) and Wake Forest (Win, 28-27), both at Ross-Ade Stadium.
THE WALTERS WAY
• With the victory at Virginia Tech, Purdue got a taste of what a Ryan Walters' defense is capable of, one that led the nation in scoring defense a season ago when he was a coordinator at Illinois.
• The Boilermakers surrendered only 11 rushing yards on 22 carries, the fewest allowed on the road in program history and the seventh-fewest all-time.
• Virginia Tech entered the final drive with -2 rushing yards, in large part thanks to 9.0 tackles-for-loss totaling -54 yards throughout the game.
• The Purdue defense also kept the Hokies off the board in the second half, giving up only 106 yards.
• The defense had three sacks, marking the first time since 2015 that a Purdue defense amassed two or more sacks in each of its first two games of a season.
MAMA, THERE GOES THAT THIENEMAN
• In just his first two games of his career, Dillon Thieneman has already become a leader on the Boilermaker defense.
• He became the first freshman in school history to record an interception in each of his first two games and currently ranks third nationally with his two INTs.
• Thieneman led Purdue in tackles in both games (10 vs. Fresno State, 7 at Virginia Tech).
• In the season opener, the defensive back led the team with 10 tackles, all solo, becoming the third Purdue freshman over the past decade to record at lead double-digit tackles in a game (Ja'Whaun Bentley twice in 2014, Navon Mosley in 2016).
• His first career INT marked just the third time since 1996 that a Purdue true freshman made an interception in their debut (1999 - James Dunnigan vs. UCF, 2016 - Josh Hayes vs. Eastern Kentucky).
• Thieneman earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors following his first collegiate game.
MILLER TIME
• Purdue welcomed back tight end Garrett Miller, as the Boilermaker got the start and recorded a reception on the opening drive at Virginia Tech.
• It was Miller's first action since Dec. 30, 2021, when he caught a 25-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell to help Purdue beat Tennessee in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
• He missed the entire 2022 campaign after suffering a knee injury in fall camp.
• Miller's return was his first appearance in a game in 618 days.
OPENING DRIVES
• The Boilermakers have been successful on their opening drives this season, racking up 167 yards on the way to a pair of touchdowns.
• Purdue drove 92 yards on the first drive of 2023, capped off by an 84-yard pass from Hudson Card to Deion Burks.
• Starting the game against Virginia Tech, the Boilermakers marched 75 yards down the field; Card completed 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards, while Devin Mockobee rushed three times for 21 yards with a 15-yard touchdown run serving as the exclamation point.
• Card is 6-of-8 for 144 yards and a touchdown, hitting five different receivers.
MERELY FRESHMEN
• A pair of freshmen have emerged as leaders on both sides of the ball.
• Dillon Thieneman has led the Boilermakers on defense, pacing the team with 17 tackles and two interceptions.
• Thieneman was Purdue's leading tackler in both games, racking up 10 solo tackles against Fresno State and adding seven in the win over Virginia Tech.
• Redshirt freshman Max Klare is the team's leader in receptions with 10.
• The tight end caught eight passes for 64 yards in the victory over the Hokies, both team highs and the most receiving yards by a freshman tight end since Brycen Hopkins recorded 80 against Iowa in 2016.
RETURNING LEADERS
• Purdue's return game has been effective to start the season, as the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in both kick returns and punt returns.
• Averaging 48 yards per kick return, largely thanks to Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s 98-yard touchdown return vs. Fresno State, Purdue ranks third nationally.
• The Boilermakers average a conference-best 11.4 yards per punt return thanks to the duo of TJ Sheffield (39 yards) and Marquis Wilson (15 yards) leading the way. Andrew Sowinski has served as a punt returner as well.
The matchup will be the first soldout game in the newly-renovated Ross-Ade Stadium, which saw its capacity increased to 61,441 heading into the facility's 100th season.
The Boilermakers and Orange are meeting for the second straight season, as Syracuse protected its home turf in 2022 to even the all-time series at 1-1. Saturday's contest wraps up Purdue's non-conference schedule, while also beginning a three-game homestand. Four of the Boilermakers' five September games are at home.
The Boilermakers are coming off a 24-17 victory at Virginia Tech, picking up the first win of the Ryan Walters era. Purdue endured a mid-game weather delay that lasted five hours and 27 minutes with kickoff starting at 12:21 p.m. and the game ending at 8:56 p.m. In the victory over the Hokies, Purdue held Virginia Tech to 11 yards for the fewest rush yards allowed in program history; the Boilermakers recorded 9.0 tackles-for-loss, totaling a loss of 54 yards.
HONORARY CAPTAIN
• One of the best tight ends in school history, Tim Stratton (1998-2001) will serve as the honorary game captain on Saturday.
• In 2000, Stratton was named the inaugural recipient of the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation's best tight end.
• He ended his career with 204 receptions, a school record at the time (now fifth all-time), totaling 2,088 yards (12th all-time, 2nd by a tight end).
• Stratton was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree, just the fourth Boilermaker (Bob Hadrick, 1963-64-65; middle guard Chuck Kyle, 1966-67-68; and free safety Rod Woodson, 1984-85-86) to accomplish the feat.
• He played in all 49 Purdue games during his career and caught a pass in all but two of them.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Syracuse enters the contest 2-0 after home victories over Colgate (65-0) and Western Michigan (48-7) to lead the nation in scoring defense.
• Along with the country's best scoring defense, the Orange rank third nationally in scoring offense (56.5 ppg).
• The offense averages 586.5 ypg (third nationally), while the defense surrenders 212.0 ypg (sixth nationally).
• Garrett Shrader is back at quarterback, while LeQuint Allen has recorded four rushing touchdowns to begin the season. Umari Hatcher leads Syracuse receivers with nine catches for 188 yards.
• Dino Babers is in his eighth season as the Orange's head coach, arriving at Syracuse after leading Bowling Green to the 2015 MAC Championship.
PURDUE VS. THE ACC
• Throughout program history, Purdue has faced 11 current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Purdue is 16-16-2 all-time against ACC teams.
• Purdue has faced Pitt more than any other ACC opponent, holding a 4-3 cushion over the Panthers.
• After beating Virginia Tech, 24-17, on the road in Week 2, the Boilermakers face their second straight ACC opponent with Syracuse.
• Purdue has faced two ACC programs in the same season just once before, during the 1968 campaign against Virginia (Win, 44-6) and Wake Forest (Win, 28-27), both at Ross-Ade Stadium.
THE WALTERS WAY
• With the victory at Virginia Tech, Purdue got a taste of what a Ryan Walters' defense is capable of, one that led the nation in scoring defense a season ago when he was a coordinator at Illinois.
• The Boilermakers surrendered only 11 rushing yards on 22 carries, the fewest allowed on the road in program history and the seventh-fewest all-time.
• Virginia Tech entered the final drive with -2 rushing yards, in large part thanks to 9.0 tackles-for-loss totaling -54 yards throughout the game.
• The Purdue defense also kept the Hokies off the board in the second half, giving up only 106 yards.
• The defense had three sacks, marking the first time since 2015 that a Purdue defense amassed two or more sacks in each of its first two games of a season.
MAMA, THERE GOES THAT THIENEMAN
• In just his first two games of his career, Dillon Thieneman has already become a leader on the Boilermaker defense.
• He became the first freshman in school history to record an interception in each of his first two games and currently ranks third nationally with his two INTs.
• Thieneman led Purdue in tackles in both games (10 vs. Fresno State, 7 at Virginia Tech).
• In the season opener, the defensive back led the team with 10 tackles, all solo, becoming the third Purdue freshman over the past decade to record at lead double-digit tackles in a game (Ja'Whaun Bentley twice in 2014, Navon Mosley in 2016).
• His first career INT marked just the third time since 1996 that a Purdue true freshman made an interception in their debut (1999 - James Dunnigan vs. UCF, 2016 - Josh Hayes vs. Eastern Kentucky).
• Thieneman earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors following his first collegiate game.
MILLER TIME
• Purdue welcomed back tight end Garrett Miller, as the Boilermaker got the start and recorded a reception on the opening drive at Virginia Tech.
• It was Miller's first action since Dec. 30, 2021, when he caught a 25-yard pass from Aidan O'Connell to help Purdue beat Tennessee in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl.
• He missed the entire 2022 campaign after suffering a knee injury in fall camp.
• Miller's return was his first appearance in a game in 618 days.
OPENING DRIVES
• The Boilermakers have been successful on their opening drives this season, racking up 167 yards on the way to a pair of touchdowns.
• Purdue drove 92 yards on the first drive of 2023, capped off by an 84-yard pass from Hudson Card to Deion Burks.
• Starting the game against Virginia Tech, the Boilermakers marched 75 yards down the field; Card completed 4-of-6 passes for 54 yards, while Devin Mockobee rushed three times for 21 yards with a 15-yard touchdown run serving as the exclamation point.
• Card is 6-of-8 for 144 yards and a touchdown, hitting five different receivers.
MERELY FRESHMEN
• A pair of freshmen have emerged as leaders on both sides of the ball.
• Dillon Thieneman has led the Boilermakers on defense, pacing the team with 17 tackles and two interceptions.
• Thieneman was Purdue's leading tackler in both games, racking up 10 solo tackles against Fresno State and adding seven in the win over Virginia Tech.
• Redshirt freshman Max Klare is the team's leader in receptions with 10.
• The tight end caught eight passes for 64 yards in the victory over the Hokies, both team highs and the most receiving yards by a freshman tight end since Brycen Hopkins recorded 80 against Iowa in 2016.
RETURNING LEADERS
• Purdue's return game has been effective to start the season, as the Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in both kick returns and punt returns.
• Averaging 48 yards per kick return, largely thanks to Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s 98-yard touchdown return vs. Fresno State, Purdue ranks third nationally.
• The Boilermakers average a conference-best 11.4 yards per punt return thanks to the duo of TJ Sheffield (39 yards) and Marquis Wilson (15 yards) leading the way. Andrew Sowinski has served as a punt returner as well.