WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After getting back on track with a 49-30 victory over Minnesota, Purdue hits the road for the final time in 2023. The Boilermakers make the quick trip north to face Northwestern at Ryan Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) on BTN.
Purdue has won the past two meetings, a 17-9 win at Ross-Ade Stadium last season and 32-14 victory at Wrigley Field in 2021. The Boilermakers will play at Ryan Field for the first time since 2019, a 24-22 victory led by walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell making his first start. Cam Allen hauled in his first career interception in that game.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Northwestern enters Saturday's matchup with a 5-5 (3-4 B1G) record following a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin.
• The Wildcats have alternated wins and losses throughout the entire 2023 season.
• While the Wildcats have fumbled 10 times this season, they have only lost one of them. The one fumble lost is the fewest in the Big Ten and second-fewest nationally.
• Ben Bryant has thrown for 1,121 yards on the season, while Cam Porter paces Northwestern's ground attack with 454 yards.
• The duo of Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz have combined for 76 receptions for 998 yards and seven touchdowns. Johnson's 40 catches are a team high, and Kirtz's 526 receiving yards lead the Wildcats.
• David Braun, the Wildcats' defensive coordinator, serves as Northwestern's interim head coach.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• Last season, Purdue closed out its home schedule with a 17-9 victory over the Wildcats (Nov. 19, 2022).
• The Boilermakers limited Northwestern to only 240 yards of total offense, including just 78 passing yards.
• Nic Scourton forced the first fumble of his career, while adding a sack.
• Kydran Jenkins registered a team-high seven tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
• Dylan Downing led the rushing attack with 17 carries for 49 yards.
LAST TIME AT RYAN FIELD
• Due to the Boilermakers and Wildcats playing at Wrigley Field during the 2021 campaign, Purdue has not made a trip to Ryan Field since 2019.
• Purdue won a thriller in 2019, 24-22, as Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) led the Boilermakers down the field to set a J.D. Dellinger 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining (Nov. 9, 2019).
• A walk-on sophomore at the time, O'Connell made his first career start and threw for 271 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
• As a freshman, Cam Allen hauled in his first career interception.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• 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, sitting atop the Big Ten in sacks. Scourton leads the way with 8.0, ranking 14th nationally, and Jenkins has 7.0 for second in the league and 23rd in the country.
• With all of Jenkins' sacks being solo stops, Jenkins ranks 10th nationally in solo sacks.
• The two Boilermakers also have combined for more tackles-for-loss than any duo in the Big Ten. Jenkins ranks second in the conference with 13.5 TFLs, while Scourton is closely behind in fourth with 13.0 TFLs.
GOPHER HOLES
• Coordinator Graham Harrell and the Purdue offense found holes in the Golden Gophers' defense, exploding for 604 yards of total offense in the 49-30 victory.
• The 604 yards were a season high and the 11th most in a single game in program history.
• The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives, accomplishing the feat for the first time since Sept. 11, 2004 (59-7 win over Ball State).
• Purdue scored 49 points, its most in a Big Ten game since a 49-20 victory over No. 2 Ohio State (Oct. 20, 2018).
• The Boilermakers ran for 353 yards on the ground behind 100-yard games from Devin Mockobee (153) and Tyrone Tracy Jr (122).
RUNNING AWAY TO VICTORY
• Purdue racked up 353 rushing yards in the 49-30 win over Minnesota, the most rushing yards by any Big Ten team in a game this season.
• The ground total marked the most by the Boilermakers since 393 against Eastern Michigan 11 years ago (Sept. 15, 2012).
• Purdue had two 100-yard rushers (Devin Mockobee - 153 and Tyrone Tracy Jr. - 122) for the first time since Sept. 8, 2018, also against Eastern Michigan.
• The 8.0 yards per carry were also the best by any Big Ten team in a game this season.
• With Purdue's previous longest run of the season going for 25 yards heading into the contest, the Boilermakers had three runs of 30-plus yards on the afternoon.
THIENEMAN EARNS FOURTH B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
• For the fourth time this season, defensive back Dillon Thieneman earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades after helping the Boilermakers beat Minnesota.
• As the only defensive player in Big Ten history to win the award four times, Thieneman joined wide receivers Rondale Moore (2018) and David Bell (2019) as the only Boilermakers to be four-time B1G Freshman of the Week honorees. Both Moore and Bell went on to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in their respective debut seasons.
• Thieneman collected the latest honor after leading Purdue in tackles for the sixth time in 2023. The Westfield, Indiana native tallied a team-high nine tackles in the victory over the Golden Gophers. His five solo stops were also a Purdue best.
• With Thieneman at the back end of the defense, the Boilermakers limited Minnesota to 4-for-14 on third down (28.6 percent).
• Thieneman and the Purdue defense stepped up in the second half, allowing only 45 yards through the first 25 minutes before Minnesota added a late touchdown drive when the game was already in hand.
NO EASY ONES
• Purdue's schedule has proven to be one of the most difficult in the country, having not faced a team with a losing record to this point in the season.
• The Boilermakers battled Fresno State (8-2), Virginia Tech (5-5) and Syracuse (5-5) in non-conference play, while going up against unbeaten No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan in Big Ten action.
• The other five games were against Big Ten West opponents. Four of those teams are 5-5, while Iowa sits atop the division at 8-2.
• Purdue is the only team in the Big Ten that has not played an opponent that currently has a losing record.
• Add in Northwestern this weekend, and Purdue opponents are a combined 71-39 (.645) on the season.
Purdue has won the past two meetings, a 17-9 win at Ross-Ade Stadium last season and 32-14 victory at Wrigley Field in 2021. The Boilermakers will play at Ryan Field for the first time since 2019, a 24-22 victory led by walk-on quarterback Aidan O'Connell making his first start. Cam Allen hauled in his first career interception in that game.
OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
• Northwestern enters Saturday's matchup with a 5-5 (3-4 B1G) record following a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin.
• The Wildcats have alternated wins and losses throughout the entire 2023 season.
• While the Wildcats have fumbled 10 times this season, they have only lost one of them. The one fumble lost is the fewest in the Big Ten and second-fewest nationally.
• Ben Bryant has thrown for 1,121 yards on the season, while Cam Porter paces Northwestern's ground attack with 454 yards.
• The duo of Cam Johnson and Bryce Kirtz have combined for 76 receptions for 998 yards and seven touchdowns. Johnson's 40 catches are a team high, and Kirtz's 526 receiving yards lead the Wildcats.
• David Braun, the Wildcats' defensive coordinator, serves as Northwestern's interim head coach.
LAST YEAR'S MATCHUP
• Last season, Purdue closed out its home schedule with a 17-9 victory over the Wildcats (Nov. 19, 2022).
• The Boilermakers limited Northwestern to only 240 yards of total offense, including just 78 passing yards.
• Nic Scourton forced the first fumble of his career, while adding a sack.
• Kydran Jenkins registered a team-high seven tackles, including 2.0 tackles-for-loss.
• Dylan Downing led the rushing attack with 17 carries for 49 yards.
LAST TIME AT RYAN FIELD
• Due to the Boilermakers and Wildcats playing at Wrigley Field during the 2021 campaign, Purdue has not made a trip to Ryan Field since 2019.
• Purdue won a thriller in 2019, 24-22, as Aidan O'Connell (Las Vegas Raiders) led the Boilermakers down the field to set a J.D. Dellinger 39-yard field goal with three seconds remaining (Nov. 9, 2019).
• A walk-on sophomore at the time, O'Connell made his first career start and threw for 271 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
• As a freshman, Cam Allen hauled in his first career interception.
QUARTERBACKS BEWARE
• 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, sitting atop the Big Ten in sacks. Scourton leads the way with 8.0, ranking 14th nationally, and Jenkins has 7.0 for second in the league and 23rd in the country.
• With all of Jenkins' sacks being solo stops, Jenkins ranks 10th nationally in solo sacks.
• The two Boilermakers also have combined for more tackles-for-loss than any duo in the Big Ten. Jenkins ranks second in the conference with 13.5 TFLs, while Scourton is closely behind in fourth with 13.0 TFLs.
GOPHER HOLES
• Coordinator Graham Harrell and the Purdue offense found holes in the Golden Gophers' defense, exploding for 604 yards of total offense in the 49-30 victory.
• The 604 yards were a season high and the 11th most in a single game in program history.
• The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on each of their first four drives, accomplishing the feat for the first time since Sept. 11, 2004 (59-7 win over Ball State).
• Purdue scored 49 points, its most in a Big Ten game since a 49-20 victory over No. 2 Ohio State (Oct. 20, 2018).
• The Boilermakers ran for 353 yards on the ground behind 100-yard games from Devin Mockobee (153) and Tyrone Tracy Jr (122).
RUNNING AWAY TO VICTORY
• Purdue racked up 353 rushing yards in the 49-30 win over Minnesota, the most rushing yards by any Big Ten team in a game this season.
• The ground total marked the most by the Boilermakers since 393 against Eastern Michigan 11 years ago (Sept. 15, 2012).
• Purdue had two 100-yard rushers (Devin Mockobee - 153 and Tyrone Tracy Jr. - 122) for the first time since Sept. 8, 2018, also against Eastern Michigan.
• The 8.0 yards per carry were also the best by any Big Ten team in a game this season.
• With Purdue's previous longest run of the season going for 25 yards heading into the contest, the Boilermakers had three runs of 30-plus yards on the afternoon.
THIENEMAN EARNS FOURTH B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
• For the fourth time this season, defensive back Dillon Thieneman earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades after helping the Boilermakers beat Minnesota.
• As the only defensive player in Big Ten history to win the award four times, Thieneman joined wide receivers Rondale Moore (2018) and David Bell (2019) as the only Boilermakers to be four-time B1G Freshman of the Week honorees. Both Moore and Bell went on to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in their respective debut seasons.
• Thieneman collected the latest honor after leading Purdue in tackles for the sixth time in 2023. The Westfield, Indiana native tallied a team-high nine tackles in the victory over the Golden Gophers. His five solo stops were also a Purdue best.
• With Thieneman at the back end of the defense, the Boilermakers limited Minnesota to 4-for-14 on third down (28.6 percent).
• Thieneman and the Purdue defense stepped up in the second half, allowing only 45 yards through the first 25 minutes before Minnesota added a late touchdown drive when the game was already in hand.
NO EASY ONES
• Purdue's schedule has proven to be one of the most difficult in the country, having not faced a team with a losing record to this point in the season.
• The Boilermakers battled Fresno State (8-2), Virginia Tech (5-5) and Syracuse (5-5) in non-conference play, while going up against unbeaten No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan in Big Ten action.
• The other five games were against Big Ten West opponents. Four of those teams are 5-5, while Iowa sits atop the division at 8-2.
• Purdue is the only team in the Big Ten that has not played an opponent that currently has a losing record.
• Add in Northwestern this weekend, and Purdue opponents are a combined 71-39 (.645) on the season.