WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Following the bye week, Purdue Football returns to the gridiron with a Big Ten West matchup. The Boilermakers travel west to battle Nebraska, the first of back-to-back road games for Ryan Walters' squad. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
Purdue has beaten the Cornhuskers four out of the past five times, including two straight with a 28-23 win in Lincoln (Oct. 20, 2021) and a 43-37 victory at home last season (Oct. 15, 2022).
BOUNCE BACK AFTER THE BYE
• Purdue has had recent success using the bye week to bounce back.
• The Boilermakers have won five of their past seven games coming off a bye week, dating back to the 2015 campaign.
• Starting the streak, Purdue beat Nebraska 55-45 on Halloween (Oct. 31, 2015).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Nebraska enters Saturday's contest with a 4-3 record (2-2 B1G) following a 17-9 win over Northwestern.
• Sophomore quarterback and Nebraska native Heinrich Haarberg has led the Cornhuskers to four wins in five games since taking over as the starter. He has thrown for 716 yards, while adding a team-best 424 yards on the ground as well.
• Nebraska has one of the best rushing defenses in the country, allowing only 76.6 ypg to rank fourth nationally.
• Matt Rhule is in his first season at Nebraska after serving as head coach for the Carolina Panthers, Baylor and Temple.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• Devin Mockobee ran for a career-high 178 yards to set a new single-game rushing record by a Purdue freshman, leading the Boilermakers to a 43-37 win over Nebraska (Oct. 15, 2022).
• The Boilermakers rushed for 217 yards, their most in a conference game since Oct. 13, 2018 (227 at Illinois).
• Quarterback Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) went 35-of-54 for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
• Purdue racked up 608 yards of total offense, the eighth most in school history and the most since Oct. 13, 2018 (611 at Illinois).
• TJ Sheffield caught seven passes for 70 yards, a career high at the time, which included a pair of touchdowns for the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
• Clyde Washington hauled in the first interception of his career.
LAST TIME IN LINCOLN
• The last time the Boilermakers and Cornhuskers faced off in Lincoln, Purdue forced four turnovers on the way to a 28-23 victory (Oct. 30, 2021).
• Jalen Graham (San Francisco 49ers) recorded a pair of INTs, including a pick six, while Cam Allen added one of his own.
• Kydran Jenkins made six tackles, a career high at the time for the then-sophomore, which included two tackles-for-loss and a sack.
• The win gave Purdue back-to-back wins in Memorial Stadium, following the 42-28 victory in 2018.
SEASON-ENDING INJURIES
• Several Boilermakers that have or would have made an impact on the field suffered season-ending injuries.
• Jahmal Edrine looked to be one of Purdue's top receiving threats after transferring from FAU. Unfortunately, an injury during fall camp has forced him to miss the entire 2023 campaign.
• Max Klare got off to a hot start through the first four weeks of the season, ranking among the nation's best tight ends and leading all freshman tight ends in several statistical categories. He started the first five games, but an injury in Purdue's win over Illinois ended his season early (Sept. 30).
• Defensive back Marquis Wilson also suffered a season-ending injury in the Cannon Trophy victory (Sept. 30). Wilson was leading the Big Ten in pass breakups (6) at the time.
• Marcus Mbow made 20 consecutive starts dating back to his 2022 redshirt freshman season. An injury late in the Iowa game (Oct. 7) was season-ending for Purdue's starting right tackle.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• With Halloween around the corner, it is spooky season, and Big Ten quarterbacks definitely need to beware of two Boilermakers on both sides of Ryan Walters' defense.
• Outside linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have wreaked havoc throughout the season, combining for the most sacks (9.5) by a duo in the Big Ten.
• Jenkins ranks second in the Big Ten in sacks (5.0). With all of them being solo, Jenkins sits 13th nationally in solo sacks.
• Scourton has 4.5 sacks of his own to rank third in the conference.
• The pair of Boilermakers also have 7.0 tackles-for-loss apiece to lead the team.
BOILER UP THE MOCK TRAIN
• After rushing for a freshman record 968 yards as a walk-on last season, Devin Mockobee earned a scholarship and has led the Purdue rushing attack in 2023.
• The Boonville, Indiana, native paces the Boilermakers with 482 rushing yards, while finding the end zone in four of seven games to rank second on the team in rushing touchdowns (4).
• Averaging 68.9 rushing yards per game, Mockobee ranks fifth among Big Ten running backs.
• Mockobee is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 110 yards on 18 carries against No. 3 Ohio State. It was the fifth career 100-yard game for Mockobee, moving him into a tie for 13th on the program's all-time list.
• Mockobee had a career performance in last year's victory over Nebraska, racking up 206 all-purpose yards that included a Purdue freshman record 178 rushing yards.
Purdue has beaten the Cornhuskers four out of the past five times, including two straight with a 28-23 win in Lincoln (Oct. 20, 2021) and a 43-37 victory at home last season (Oct. 15, 2022).
BOUNCE BACK AFTER THE BYE
• Purdue has had recent success using the bye week to bounce back.
• The Boilermakers have won five of their past seven games coming off a bye week, dating back to the 2015 campaign.
• Starting the streak, Purdue beat Nebraska 55-45 on Halloween (Oct. 31, 2015).
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Nebraska enters Saturday's contest with a 4-3 record (2-2 B1G) following a 17-9 win over Northwestern.
• Sophomore quarterback and Nebraska native Heinrich Haarberg has led the Cornhuskers to four wins in five games since taking over as the starter. He has thrown for 716 yards, while adding a team-best 424 yards on the ground as well.
• Nebraska has one of the best rushing defenses in the country, allowing only 76.6 ypg to rank fourth nationally.
• Matt Rhule is in his first season at Nebraska after serving as head coach for the Carolina Panthers, Baylor and Temple.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• Devin Mockobee ran for a career-high 178 yards to set a new single-game rushing record by a Purdue freshman, leading the Boilermakers to a 43-37 win over Nebraska (Oct. 15, 2022).
• The Boilermakers rushed for 217 yards, their most in a conference game since Oct. 13, 2018 (227 at Illinois).
• Quarterback Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) went 35-of-54 for 391 yards and four touchdowns.
• Purdue racked up 608 yards of total offense, the eighth most in school history and the most since Oct. 13, 2018 (611 at Illinois).
• TJ Sheffield caught seven passes for 70 yards, a career high at the time, which included a pair of touchdowns for the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
• Clyde Washington hauled in the first interception of his career.
LAST TIME IN LINCOLN
• The last time the Boilermakers and Cornhuskers faced off in Lincoln, Purdue forced four turnovers on the way to a 28-23 victory (Oct. 30, 2021).
• Jalen Graham (San Francisco 49ers) recorded a pair of INTs, including a pick six, while Cam Allen added one of his own.
• Kydran Jenkins made six tackles, a career high at the time for the then-sophomore, which included two tackles-for-loss and a sack.
• The win gave Purdue back-to-back wins in Memorial Stadium, following the 42-28 victory in 2018.
SEASON-ENDING INJURIES
• Several Boilermakers that have or would have made an impact on the field suffered season-ending injuries.
• Jahmal Edrine looked to be one of Purdue's top receiving threats after transferring from FAU. Unfortunately, an injury during fall camp has forced him to miss the entire 2023 campaign.
• Max Klare got off to a hot start through the first four weeks of the season, ranking among the nation's best tight ends and leading all freshman tight ends in several statistical categories. He started the first five games, but an injury in Purdue's win over Illinois ended his season early (Sept. 30).
• Defensive back Marquis Wilson also suffered a season-ending injury in the Cannon Trophy victory (Sept. 30). Wilson was leading the Big Ten in pass breakups (6) at the time.
• Marcus Mbow made 20 consecutive starts dating back to his 2022 redshirt freshman season. An injury late in the Iowa game (Oct. 7) was season-ending for Purdue's starting right tackle.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• With Halloween around the corner, it is spooky season, and Big Ten quarterbacks definitely need to beware of two Boilermakers on both sides of Ryan Walters' defense.
• Outside linebackers Kydran Jenkins and Nic Scourton have wreaked havoc throughout the season, combining for the most sacks (9.5) by a duo in the Big Ten.
• Jenkins ranks second in the Big Ten in sacks (5.0). With all of them being solo, Jenkins sits 13th nationally in solo sacks.
• Scourton has 4.5 sacks of his own to rank third in the conference.
• The pair of Boilermakers also have 7.0 tackles-for-loss apiece to lead the team.
BOILER UP THE MOCK TRAIN
• After rushing for a freshman record 968 yards as a walk-on last season, Devin Mockobee earned a scholarship and has led the Purdue rushing attack in 2023.
• The Boonville, Indiana, native paces the Boilermakers with 482 rushing yards, while finding the end zone in four of seven games to rank second on the team in rushing touchdowns (4).
• Averaging 68.9 rushing yards per game, Mockobee ranks fifth among Big Ten running backs.
• Mockobee is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 110 yards on 18 carries against No. 3 Ohio State. It was the fifth career 100-yard game for Mockobee, moving him into a tie for 13th on the program's all-time list.
• Mockobee had a career performance in last year's victory over Nebraska, racking up 206 all-purpose yards that included a Purdue freshman record 178 rushing yards.