WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football makes its first road trip of the season and its longest one since 2009, traveling 2,229 miles to Corvallis, Oregon to face Oregon State. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) on the CW.
Saturday's contest begins a stretch for the Boilermakers with three of their next four games on the road.
QUICK HITS
• The Boilermakers are playing in the state of Oregon for just the second time in 137 seasons of football (Sept. 12, 2009 at Oregon).
• Purdue is looking to win its first, non-conference road game of the season in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.
• Last year, the Boilermakers won their road opener, a 24-17 victory at Virginia Tech. It was Ryan Walters' first victory as Purdue's head coach. The game featured a rain delay that lasted five hours and 27 minutes.
• Purdue is one of two teams (Boise State) to have both Oregon State and Oregon on the schedule this season.
• The Boilermakers won the previous matchups with the Beavers, opening the 2021 season with a 30-21 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 4, 2021).
• Sophomore rush end Will Heldt leads the Big Ten in sacks per game (1.3), ranking eighth in the country; Heldt also ranks second in the conference in tackles-for-loss (1.8 per game), 13th nationally.
• With a team-high two touchdowns this season, Georgia transfer De'Nylon Morrissette is the only Purdue player with multiple career receiving touchdowns as a Boilermaker.
• Kydran Jenkins is tied with Jim Schwantz (1988-91) for ninth on the program's all-time list for career sacks (18.0).
• In his first season as a Boilermaker, Keelan Crimmins leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally in punting (47.2 yards per punt).
THE OREGON TRAIL
• Purdue travels to Oregon for just the second time in 137 seasons of Boilermaker Football, including the first trip to Corvallis.
• Fifteen years ago, the Boilermakers traveled to Eugene, Oregon to face the Oregon Ducks in their only previous trip to the Beaver State.
• Purdue has only faced teams from the state of Oregon five times throughout history (3 vs. Oregon, 2 vs. Oregon State).
• This season will mark the first time the Boilermakers have played Oregon and Oregon State in the same season
FAR, FAR AWAY
• When Purdue makes the 2,229-mile trip to Corvallis this weekend, it will be the 20th time in history that the Boilermakers have traveled more than 2,000 miles to play a football game.
• Six of those road trips have been to the Los Angeles area for matchups against UCLA and USC, as well as a pair of Rose Bowl appearances (1967, 2001).
• The Boilermakers have made five trips to Seattle to face Washington, their most-common opponent from the West Coast, having met 10 times throughout history.
• Saturday's game will be the fifth-longest road trip in Purdue Football history.
LAST TIME WE MET
• David Bell and Payne Durham teamed up for 254 receiving yards and the defense delivered a pair of fourth-down stops to carry Purdue Football to a 30-21 victory (Sept. 4, 2021).
• Quarterback Jack Plummer connected with Durham on fourth-quarter touchdown passes of five and 50 yards as part of a 313-yard passing night for the junior. Durham finished with seven catches for 120 yards, both then-career bests as a Boilermaker.
• Bell caught eight passes for 134 yards and posted his 11th career 100-yard receiving game to move into third place in program history.
• The Boilermakers posted their first victory vs. a then-Pac-12 Conference opponent since beating Arizona at the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl. It was their first such win at home since also beating Arizona in September 2003.
MISSING BULLDOGS-TURNED-BOILERS
• Purdue has been without two of its highest-ranked transfers to start the season.
• Nyland Green, the No. 7 rated transfer and highest ranked cornerback in the portal according to 247Sports, was expected to make an immediate impact to the Purdue secondary before suffering an injury in fall camp.
• Wide receiver CJ Smith, one of four Boilermakers to transfer from Georgia, was injured in fall camp as well. Smith, nicknamed "Zoom," is one of the fastest and most explosive players on the team.
MAD MAX
• Max Klare has not missed a beat since he returned to the lineup at the start of the season.
• The sophomore tight end leads Purdue with eight receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown.
• He ranks in the top 25 of the Big Ten in receiving yards (53.5) and receptions (4.0) per game.
• Klare was on pace to be one of the best tight ends in the country before his 2023 season was cut short. However, the sophomore bounced back in the 2024 season opener with five catches for 71 yards, both team highs.
• Klare also caught Purdue's first touchdown of the season, a 9-yard strike from Hudson Card on the opening drive.
• Klare was also tabbed to the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List ahead of the year.
HIGHWAY TO HELDT
• After recording only 12 tackles throughout his freshman season, sophomore rush end Will Heldt has made 12 tackles in the first two games of the 2024 campaign, ranking second on the team.
• Heldt started the season with a team-high seven tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks in the win over Indiana State. Prior to the season opener, Heldt's career high in tackles were two.
• The strong start has Heldt at the top of the Big Ten in sacks and TFLs. He leads the conference in sacks per game (1.25), ranking eighth nationally. With 3.5 TFLs (1.75 per game), the Boilermaker's average ranks second in the B1G and 13th in the country.
TACKLES BY TONE
• After battling injuries to start his career, Antonio Stevens played in nearly every game over the past two seasons primarily on special teams and as a backup in the secondary. This season, the senior has become the Boilermakers' leading tackler.
• Stevens made 25 tackles over the previous four seasons with all of them coming in the past two years. Through the first two games of 2024, Stevens has made a team-high 15 tackles.
• The Nashville native recorded a career-high eight tackles against Notre Dame.
• In the season opener, Stevens tallied a team-high seven tackles to help lead the Purdue defense to a shutout victory over Indiana State.
• Stevens' 7.5 tackles per game rank sixth in the Big Ten.
CREATING NEGATIVE PLAYS
• Through the first two games of the season, Purdue has recorded 15.0 tackles-for-loss to rank second in the Big Ten and 26th nationally at 7.5 per contest.
• Four Boilermakers are ranked in the Top 7 of the conference in TFLs per game.
• Will Heldt leads the way, ranking second with 1.75 TFLs per game (3.5 total).
• Damarjhe Lewis leads all Big Ten defensive interior lineman with 3.0 TFLs, averaging 1.5 per game to rank fifth among all B1G defenders.
• Kydran Jenkins and Shitta Sillah are tied for seventh in the conference (1.25 per game).
ANOTHER AUSSIE
• Keelan Crimmins has quickly become Purdue's most reliable punter in at least seven seasons.
• Crimmins leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally with a 47.2-yard average.
• Against Notre Dame, Crimmins punted 10 times for a 47.3-yard clip with a pair of balls over 50 yards and three inside the 20-yard line.
• It was only the 6th time a Big Ten punter averaged over 47 yards when punting 10 times. Iowa has three of them.
• His career-long 64-yard kick against the Irish was just the 20th ball of 64 or more yards by Purdue punter since 1996.
• He tallied a 46.7-yard average against Indiana State on three boots.
• The Aussie was the No. 3-ranked punter by ProKick Australia.
• He played cricket and high-level Australian Rules Football.
• Crimmins is the second straight Purdue punter from Australia, joining Jack Ansell (2021-23), who also wore No. 30.
Saturday's contest begins a stretch for the Boilermakers with three of their next four games on the road.
QUICK HITS
• The Boilermakers are playing in the state of Oregon for just the second time in 137 seasons of football (Sept. 12, 2009 at Oregon).
• Purdue is looking to win its first, non-conference road game of the season in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2004 and 2005 campaigns.
• Last year, the Boilermakers won their road opener, a 24-17 victory at Virginia Tech. It was Ryan Walters' first victory as Purdue's head coach. The game featured a rain delay that lasted five hours and 27 minutes.
• Purdue is one of two teams (Boise State) to have both Oregon State and Oregon on the schedule this season.
• The Boilermakers won the previous matchups with the Beavers, opening the 2021 season with a 30-21 victory at Ross-Ade Stadium (Sept. 4, 2021).
• Sophomore rush end Will Heldt leads the Big Ten in sacks per game (1.3), ranking eighth in the country; Heldt also ranks second in the conference in tackles-for-loss (1.8 per game), 13th nationally.
• With a team-high two touchdowns this season, Georgia transfer De'Nylon Morrissette is the only Purdue player with multiple career receiving touchdowns as a Boilermaker.
• Kydran Jenkins is tied with Jim Schwantz (1988-91) for ninth on the program's all-time list for career sacks (18.0).
• In his first season as a Boilermaker, Keelan Crimmins leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally in punting (47.2 yards per punt).
THE OREGON TRAIL
• Purdue travels to Oregon for just the second time in 137 seasons of Boilermaker Football, including the first trip to Corvallis.
• Fifteen years ago, the Boilermakers traveled to Eugene, Oregon to face the Oregon Ducks in their only previous trip to the Beaver State.
• Purdue has only faced teams from the state of Oregon five times throughout history (3 vs. Oregon, 2 vs. Oregon State).
• This season will mark the first time the Boilermakers have played Oregon and Oregon State in the same season
FAR, FAR AWAY
• When Purdue makes the 2,229-mile trip to Corvallis this weekend, it will be the 20th time in history that the Boilermakers have traveled more than 2,000 miles to play a football game.
• Six of those road trips have been to the Los Angeles area for matchups against UCLA and USC, as well as a pair of Rose Bowl appearances (1967, 2001).
• The Boilermakers have made five trips to Seattle to face Washington, their most-common opponent from the West Coast, having met 10 times throughout history.
• Saturday's game will be the fifth-longest road trip in Purdue Football history.
LAST TIME WE MET
• David Bell and Payne Durham teamed up for 254 receiving yards and the defense delivered a pair of fourth-down stops to carry Purdue Football to a 30-21 victory (Sept. 4, 2021).
• Quarterback Jack Plummer connected with Durham on fourth-quarter touchdown passes of five and 50 yards as part of a 313-yard passing night for the junior. Durham finished with seven catches for 120 yards, both then-career bests as a Boilermaker.
• Bell caught eight passes for 134 yards and posted his 11th career 100-yard receiving game to move into third place in program history.
• The Boilermakers posted their first victory vs. a then-Pac-12 Conference opponent since beating Arizona at the 2017 Foster Farms Bowl. It was their first such win at home since also beating Arizona in September 2003.
MISSING BULLDOGS-TURNED-BOILERS
• Purdue has been without two of its highest-ranked transfers to start the season.
• Nyland Green, the No. 7 rated transfer and highest ranked cornerback in the portal according to 247Sports, was expected to make an immediate impact to the Purdue secondary before suffering an injury in fall camp.
• Wide receiver CJ Smith, one of four Boilermakers to transfer from Georgia, was injured in fall camp as well. Smith, nicknamed "Zoom," is one of the fastest and most explosive players on the team.
MAD MAX
• Max Klare has not missed a beat since he returned to the lineup at the start of the season.
• The sophomore tight end leads Purdue with eight receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown.
• He ranks in the top 25 of the Big Ten in receiving yards (53.5) and receptions (4.0) per game.
• Klare was on pace to be one of the best tight ends in the country before his 2023 season was cut short. However, the sophomore bounced back in the 2024 season opener with five catches for 71 yards, both team highs.
• Klare also caught Purdue's first touchdown of the season, a 9-yard strike from Hudson Card on the opening drive.
• Klare was also tabbed to the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List ahead of the year.
HIGHWAY TO HELDT
• After recording only 12 tackles throughout his freshman season, sophomore rush end Will Heldt has made 12 tackles in the first two games of the 2024 campaign, ranking second on the team.
• Heldt started the season with a team-high seven tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks in the win over Indiana State. Prior to the season opener, Heldt's career high in tackles were two.
• The strong start has Heldt at the top of the Big Ten in sacks and TFLs. He leads the conference in sacks per game (1.25), ranking eighth nationally. With 3.5 TFLs (1.75 per game), the Boilermaker's average ranks second in the B1G and 13th in the country.
TACKLES BY TONE
• After battling injuries to start his career, Antonio Stevens played in nearly every game over the past two seasons primarily on special teams and as a backup in the secondary. This season, the senior has become the Boilermakers' leading tackler.
• Stevens made 25 tackles over the previous four seasons with all of them coming in the past two years. Through the first two games of 2024, Stevens has made a team-high 15 tackles.
• The Nashville native recorded a career-high eight tackles against Notre Dame.
• In the season opener, Stevens tallied a team-high seven tackles to help lead the Purdue defense to a shutout victory over Indiana State.
• Stevens' 7.5 tackles per game rank sixth in the Big Ten.
CREATING NEGATIVE PLAYS
• Through the first two games of the season, Purdue has recorded 15.0 tackles-for-loss to rank second in the Big Ten and 26th nationally at 7.5 per contest.
• Four Boilermakers are ranked in the Top 7 of the conference in TFLs per game.
• Will Heldt leads the way, ranking second with 1.75 TFLs per game (3.5 total).
• Damarjhe Lewis leads all Big Ten defensive interior lineman with 3.0 TFLs, averaging 1.5 per game to rank fifth among all B1G defenders.
• Kydran Jenkins and Shitta Sillah are tied for seventh in the conference (1.25 per game).
ANOTHER AUSSIE
• Keelan Crimmins has quickly become Purdue's most reliable punter in at least seven seasons.
• Crimmins leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh nationally with a 47.2-yard average.
• Against Notre Dame, Crimmins punted 10 times for a 47.3-yard clip with a pair of balls over 50 yards and three inside the 20-yard line.
• It was only the 6th time a Big Ten punter averaged over 47 yards when punting 10 times. Iowa has three of them.
• His career-long 64-yard kick against the Irish was just the 20th ball of 64 or more yards by Purdue punter since 1996.
• He tallied a 46.7-yard average against Indiana State on three boots.
• The Aussie was the No. 3-ranked punter by ProKick Australia.
• He played cricket and high-level Australian Rules Football.
• Crimmins is the second straight Purdue punter from Australia, joining Jack Ansell (2021-23), who also wore No. 30.