WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following a dominating 44-19 victory over Illinois to keep the Cannon Trophy, Purdue Football hits the road to battle the Iowa Hawkeyes in another Big Ten West matchup. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.
The Boilermakers have won four of the past six games against the Hawkeyes, their best stretch in the series since winning 20 straight from 1961-1980.
After three straight home games, three of Purdue's next four games are on the road. The matchup will be Ryan Walters' first Big Ten road game as head coach of the Boilermakers, looking to become the first Purdue head coach to win his Big Ten road debut since Joe Tiller in 1997 (59-43 at Minnesota).
Purdue and Iowa are the only teams in the Big Ten to score a touchdown in all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Iowa enters Saturday's matchup with a 4-1 record, including a 1-1 mark in Big Ten play after a 26-16 victory over Michigan State.
• Tight end Erick All leads the Hawkeyes in receiving with 183 yards, while Leshon Williams paces the rushing attack with 211 yards.
• Defensively, Jay Higgins tops the conference and ranks third in the nation with 12.4 tackles per game.
• Tory Taylor, a finalist for the 2022 Ray Guy Award, remains one of the best punters in the country by averaging 48.2 yards per punt to lead the Big Ten and rank sixth nationally.
• Kirk Ferentz is in his 25th season as Iowa's head coach.
LAST TIME IN IOWA
• The last time Purdue made the trek to Iowa City, the Boilermakers steamrolled its way to a 24-7 win over No. 2 Iowa and handed the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season.
• The Purdue defense had four interceptions, four sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss, while holding Iowa's offense to 271 total yards (76 rushing and 195 passing).
• Cam Allen had two INTs in the contest.
• TJ Sheffield caught a career-high eight passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
CANNON STAYS IN WEST LAFAYETTE
• On a special Homecoming that saw the official dedication of the Tiller Tunnel, Purdue steamrolled to a 44-19 win over Illinois to keep the Cannon Trophy for the fourth straight year.
• Purdue's defense made a living in the Illinois backfield, racking up seven tackles-for-loss, including six sacks from six different players for the most sacks in a game since Sept. 8, 2018 vs. Eastern Michigan.
• The Boilermakers held Illinois to 2-for-14 on third down (14.2%), the fourth-lowest third down percentage by a Purdue opponent since 1996.
• The defense scored the Boilermakers' first points with a game-changing strip-sack from Markevious Brown as Malik Langham fell on the end zone fumble for his first career touchdown.
• Purdue ran for 189 yards behind the stable of Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Mockobee and Dylan Downing, with all three of them finding the end zone. Tracy extended his touchdown scoring streak to five games and also eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career, totaling 112 yards on 21 attempts (5.3 yards per carry).
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
• While Purdue runs the Air Raid offense, the Boilermakers have a dynamic trio of running backs who have excelled when hearing their number called.
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. (288), Devin Mockobee (283) and Dylan Downing (104) have combined for 675 yards (135 yards per game) and nine touchdowns through the first five games of the season.
• The three-headed monster was perfectly on display in the win over Illinois. All three Boilermakers scored a touchdown, while racking up 209 yards.
• Tracy ran for a career-high 112 yards against the Illini, while Mockobee added 67 yards. Downing contributed 30 yards on four carries, including his 16-yard touchdown run for the first rushing touchdown of the game.
THE TYRONE TRACY SHOW
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. has found the end zone in every game this year, with five rushing scores and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
• Tracy leads the running back room with 288 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. With 46 attempts on the year, the senior has only lost 6 yards compared to 294 positive yardage.
• The two biggest games of Tracy's career have been in Big Ten play. He ran for 84 yards against Wisconsin, a career high at the time, before rumbling for 112 yards in the win over Illinois to earn the first 100-yard rushing game of his career.
• The Indianapolis native also proved his versatility with a pair of touchdowns against Fresno State, rushing for a touchdown in the first half before returning the opening second half kickoff all the way to the end zone.
• The 98-yard score is the only kickoff return by a Big Ten player this season.
• 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
YES YANNI
• Stop us if you've heard this before, a Karlaftis recorded a sack for Purdue.
• Making his first career start with OC Brothers out due to injury, Yanni Karlaftis came up with a big game to help the Boilermakers beat Illinois.
• Karlaftis, the younger brother of Purdue All-American and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis, entered the game with eight tackles on the season.
• The sophomore linebacker made a career-high eight tackles, the second-most on the team throughout the game, to double his season output.
• He also added a sack, one of six Boilermakers to sack the Illinois quarterback.
KJ KA-BOOM
• Kydran Jenkins has been a force in creating negative plays for opposing offenses.
• The senior outside linebacker leads the Big Ten in sacks (4.0). With all of them being solo, Jenkins ranks seventh nationally in solo sacks.
• He has recorded at least one TFL in all five games.
• Against Wisconsin, he paced Purdue with a career-high nine stops.
SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS
• Purdue has come out on fire to start the second half this season, especially as of late.
• The Boilermakers have outscored opponents 49-14 in third quarters this season.
• Purdue has scored touchdowns on six of their last seven drives in the third quarter, including 5-of-6 in Big Ten play.
• The Boilermakers scored on both of their third quarter drives against Wisconsin.
• Outscoring Illinois 21-0 in the third quarter, Purdue broke open a three-point game to cruise to victory.
The Boilermakers have won four of the past six games against the Hawkeyes, their best stretch in the series since winning 20 straight from 1961-1980.
After three straight home games, three of Purdue's next four games are on the road. The matchup will be Ryan Walters' first Big Ten road game as head coach of the Boilermakers, looking to become the first Purdue head coach to win his Big Ten road debut since Joe Tiller in 1997 (59-43 at Minnesota).
Purdue and Iowa are the only teams in the Big Ten to score a touchdown in all three phases of the game (offense, defense and special teams).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Iowa enters Saturday's matchup with a 4-1 record, including a 1-1 mark in Big Ten play after a 26-16 victory over Michigan State.
• Tight end Erick All leads the Hawkeyes in receiving with 183 yards, while Leshon Williams paces the rushing attack with 211 yards.
• Defensively, Jay Higgins tops the conference and ranks third in the nation with 12.4 tackles per game.
• Tory Taylor, a finalist for the 2022 Ray Guy Award, remains one of the best punters in the country by averaging 48.2 yards per punt to lead the Big Ten and rank sixth nationally.
• Kirk Ferentz is in his 25th season as Iowa's head coach.
LAST TIME IN IOWA
• The last time Purdue made the trek to Iowa City, the Boilermakers steamrolled its way to a 24-7 win over No. 2 Iowa and handed the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season.
• The Purdue defense had four interceptions, four sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss, while holding Iowa's offense to 271 total yards (76 rushing and 195 passing).
• Cam Allen had two INTs in the contest.
• TJ Sheffield caught a career-high eight passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
CANNON STAYS IN WEST LAFAYETTE
• On a special Homecoming that saw the official dedication of the Tiller Tunnel, Purdue steamrolled to a 44-19 win over Illinois to keep the Cannon Trophy for the fourth straight year.
• Purdue's defense made a living in the Illinois backfield, racking up seven tackles-for-loss, including six sacks from six different players for the most sacks in a game since Sept. 8, 2018 vs. Eastern Michigan.
• The Boilermakers held Illinois to 2-for-14 on third down (14.2%), the fourth-lowest third down percentage by a Purdue opponent since 1996.
• The defense scored the Boilermakers' first points with a game-changing strip-sack from Markevious Brown as Malik Langham fell on the end zone fumble for his first career touchdown.
• Purdue ran for 189 yards behind the stable of Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Mockobee and Dylan Downing, with all three of them finding the end zone. Tracy extended his touchdown scoring streak to five games and also eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career, totaling 112 yards on 21 attempts (5.3 yards per carry).
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
• While Purdue runs the Air Raid offense, the Boilermakers have a dynamic trio of running backs who have excelled when hearing their number called.
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. (288), Devin Mockobee (283) and Dylan Downing (104) have combined for 675 yards (135 yards per game) and nine touchdowns through the first five games of the season.
• The three-headed monster was perfectly on display in the win over Illinois. All three Boilermakers scored a touchdown, while racking up 209 yards.
• Tracy ran for a career-high 112 yards against the Illini, while Mockobee added 67 yards. Downing contributed 30 yards on four carries, including his 16-yard touchdown run for the first rushing touchdown of the game.
THE TYRONE TRACY SHOW
• Tyrone Tracy Jr. has found the end zone in every game this year, with five rushing scores and a kickoff return for a touchdown.
• Tracy leads the running back room with 288 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. With 46 attempts on the year, the senior has only lost 6 yards compared to 294 positive yardage.
• The two biggest games of Tracy's career have been in Big Ten play. He ran for 84 yards against Wisconsin, a career high at the time, before rumbling for 112 yards in the win over Illinois to earn the first 100-yard rushing game of his career.
• The Indianapolis native also proved his versatility with a pair of touchdowns against Fresno State, rushing for a touchdown in the first half before returning the opening second half kickoff all the way to the end zone.
• The 98-yard score is the only kickoff return by a Big Ten player this season.
• 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
YES YANNI
• Stop us if you've heard this before, a Karlaftis recorded a sack for Purdue.
• Making his first career start with OC Brothers out due to injury, Yanni Karlaftis came up with a big game to help the Boilermakers beat Illinois.
• Karlaftis, the younger brother of Purdue All-American and current Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis, entered the game with eight tackles on the season.
• The sophomore linebacker made a career-high eight tackles, the second-most on the team throughout the game, to double his season output.
• He also added a sack, one of six Boilermakers to sack the Illinois quarterback.
KJ KA-BOOM
• Kydran Jenkins has been a force in creating negative plays for opposing offenses.
• The senior outside linebacker leads the Big Ten in sacks (4.0). With all of them being solo, Jenkins ranks seventh nationally in solo sacks.
• He has recorded at least one TFL in all five games.
• Against Wisconsin, he paced Purdue with a career-high nine stops.
SECOND HALF ADJUSTMENTS
• Purdue has come out on fire to start the second half this season, especially as of late.
• The Boilermakers have outscored opponents 49-14 in third quarters this season.
• Purdue has scored touchdowns on six of their last seven drives in the third quarter, including 5-of-6 in Big Ten play.
• The Boilermakers scored on both of their third quarter drives against Wisconsin.
• Outscoring Illinois 21-0 in the third quarter, Purdue broke open a three-point game to cruise to victory.