WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football returns to the Big Ten road for the second straight week, making the 93-mile trek west to Champaign, Illinois to face No. 23 Illinois for the Cannon Trophy. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
The Boilermakers are concluding a stretch that features three road games over four contests.
QUICK HITS
• The Boilermakers have won four straight over the Fighting Illini as well as seven of the past eight.
• Purdue holds a 40-30-2 advantage in Cannon Trophy games. The first Cannon Trophy game took place in 1943, but the two teams have battled on the gridiron since 1890 with the Boilermakers leading the all-time series 48-45-6.
• Five of Purdue's remaining seven games are against ranked opponents. The Boilermakers have recorded seven wins over Top 25 teams over the past six seasons despite being listed as underdogs in every game.
• Purdue head coach Ryan Walters and four Boilermaker assistant coaches face their former team for the second time. Walters, the 2022 On3 Coordinator of the Year that built the nation's No. 1 scoring defense, led Purdue to a 44-19 victory last year in his first matchup against his former squad.
• Purdue running back Reggie Love III
• Eight Boilermakers hail from the state of Illinois: Ben Freehill, Ben Furtney, Jalen Grant, Luke Jones, Jimmy Liston, Luke Pettaway, Luke Williams and Zeke Williams.
• One of the nation's leading tacklers as an All-American a season ago, sophomore Dillon Thieneman ranks third in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in solo tackles (5.4 per game) this year. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year has recorded 31 total tackles over the last three games.
• Kydran Jenkins ranks fourth in the Big Ten in sacks (0.70 per game).
• Tight end Max Klare leads the Boilermakers in receptions (15), receiving yards (219) and receiving touchdowns (2).
• Spencer Porath is one field goal away from becoming just the sixth freshman in Purdue history to make four field goals in a season. Porath made both field goal attempts last week at Wisconsin for his first career multi-field goal game.
• Joseph Jefferson has recorded 25 tackles over the past three contests after making only three through the first 14 games of his career, stepping up and providing an impact in the Purdue secondary.
• Against Wisconsin, Kyndrich Breedlove made a pair of interceptions on back-to-back drives for Purdue's first INTs of the season.
• In his first season as a Boilermaker, Keelan Crimmins is on pace for the second-best punting average (45.0 yards per punt) in program history, behind only 2001 Ray Guy Award winner Travis Dorsch (48.1 yards per punt).
• Crimmins' punting average ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally.
• Devin Mockobee ranks eighth in the Big Ten in yards per carry (6.03).
CANNON TROPHY HISTORY
• The Cannon was conceived by Purdue students more than 100 years ago but was first presented as a trophy by an Illinois alumnus 76 years ago.
• It all started in 1905 when a group of Purdue students took the weapon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it to celebrate a victory. Although Purdue did win the game 29-0, Illinois supporters, including Quincy A. Hall, had discovered the Cannon in its hiding place - in a culvert near the old Illinois field - and confiscated it before the Purdue students could start their "booming" celebration. Later, Hall moved the Cannon to his farmhouse near Milford, Illinois, where it survived a fire and gathered dust until Hall suggested it be used as a trophy between the two schools when the rivalry was resumed in 1943 after a 12-year lapse.
• The Tomahawk Service and Leadership Honorary at Purdue and Illini Pride now share the maintenance duty for the Cannon.
RECENT SUCCESS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• Purdue has beaten seven ranked teams over the past six seasons, going 7-10 against Top 25 opponents despite being the underdog in each one of those games.
• Three of those wins were against Top 3 teams, while Purdue handed five of those ranked teams their first loss of the season.
• The victories during the 2021 campaign (No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State) gave Purdue multiple wins over Top 5 teams in one season for the first time since 1960 (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 1 Minnesota).
• Five of the seven wins have been by double digits, the biggest being a 29-point victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
• Purdue has defeated a ranked Illinois team three times throughout history (1947, 2011, 2022).
• Five of Purdue's final seven opponents on its 2024 schedule are against ranked teams, including three ranked in the Top 5.
LAST MATCHUP CHAMPAIGN
• The last time the two rivals met in Champaign, the Boilermakers kept possession of the Cannon by going on the road to defeat No. 21 Illinois 31-24 (Nov. 12, 2022).
• Purdue held the nation's leading rusher, Chase Brown, to 98 yards on the ground, his first game under 100 yards rushing all season.
• In the other backfield, Devin Mockobee notched his fourth 100-yard game of the season, going for 106 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown.
• Payne Durham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) recorded a team-high seven catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
• Sanoussi Kane (Baltimore Ravens) topped all tacklers with nine on the afternoon with eight solos, one for loss and a forced fumble.
CANNON COACHING CONNECTIONS
• The Purdue coaching staff is familiar with the rivalry, coaching on the other sidelines before making the move to West Lafayette.
• Head coach Ryan Walters spent two seasons at Illinois (2021-22), serving as the Illini's defensive coordinator; in 2022, he guided the nation's No. 1 scoring defense as the Illini defense cracked the Top 10 in 17 different categories. Walters was named 2022 On3 Coordinator of the Year and 2022 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year.
• Walters brought four coaches with him from Illinois to Purdue: defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach Kevin Kane, associate head coach/wide receivers coach Cory Patterson, rush end coach Joe Dineen and safeties coach Grant O'Brien.
LOVIN' THE INTS
• An important part of Purdue's nickel defense, Kyndrich Breedlove produced a breakout game last week at Wisconsin.
• The Nashville, Tennessee, native hauled in interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second quarter for Purdue's first INTs of the season.
• Breedlove's performance marked just the eighth time in the last decade that a Boilermaker recorded two interceptions in one game and the first since Dillon Thieneman did it in the 2023 season finale victory over Indiana.
• Breedlove added two pass breakups to his two-INT day, bringing his total to three on the season to lead Purdue.
BLOCK PARTY
• With three through the first five games of the season, Purdue leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country in blocked kicks (two field goals, one punt). No, Zach Edey is not part of the Boilermakers' special teams unit.
• In the Big Ten opener against Nebraska, Purdue blocked a pair of Cornhusker field goals. Defensive linemen Joe Anderson and Damarjhe Lewis earned the first field goal blocks of their careers to help the Boilermakers hold the Huskers scoreless in the first half.
• Prior to the contest, the last time Purdue blocked two field goals in a game was Sept. 3, 2011 against Middle Tennessee.
• The other block came from wide receiver Leland Smith, who blocked a punt in the season-opening victory over Indiana State.
The Boilermakers are concluding a stretch that features three road games over four contests.
QUICK HITS
• The Boilermakers have won four straight over the Fighting Illini as well as seven of the past eight.
• Purdue holds a 40-30-2 advantage in Cannon Trophy games. The first Cannon Trophy game took place in 1943, but the two teams have battled on the gridiron since 1890 with the Boilermakers leading the all-time series 48-45-6.
• Five of Purdue's remaining seven games are against ranked opponents. The Boilermakers have recorded seven wins over Top 25 teams over the past six seasons despite being listed as underdogs in every game.
• Purdue head coach Ryan Walters and four Boilermaker assistant coaches face their former team for the second time. Walters, the 2022 On3 Coordinator of the Year that built the nation's No. 1 scoring defense, led Purdue to a 44-19 victory last year in his first matchup against his former squad.
• Purdue running back Reggie Love III
• Eight Boilermakers hail from the state of Illinois: Ben Freehill, Ben Furtney, Jalen Grant, Luke Jones, Jimmy Liston, Luke Pettaway, Luke Williams and Zeke Williams.
• One of the nation's leading tacklers as an All-American a season ago, sophomore Dillon Thieneman ranks third in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in solo tackles (5.4 per game) this year. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year has recorded 31 total tackles over the last three games.
• Kydran Jenkins ranks fourth in the Big Ten in sacks (0.70 per game).
• Tight end Max Klare leads the Boilermakers in receptions (15), receiving yards (219) and receiving touchdowns (2).
• Spencer Porath is one field goal away from becoming just the sixth freshman in Purdue history to make four field goals in a season. Porath made both field goal attempts last week at Wisconsin for his first career multi-field goal game.
• Joseph Jefferson has recorded 25 tackles over the past three contests after making only three through the first 14 games of his career, stepping up and providing an impact in the Purdue secondary.
• Against Wisconsin, Kyndrich Breedlove made a pair of interceptions on back-to-back drives for Purdue's first INTs of the season.
• In his first season as a Boilermaker, Keelan Crimmins is on pace for the second-best punting average (45.0 yards per punt) in program history, behind only 2001 Ray Guy Award winner Travis Dorsch (48.1 yards per punt).
• Crimmins' punting average ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally.
• Devin Mockobee ranks eighth in the Big Ten in yards per carry (6.03).
CANNON TROPHY HISTORY
• The Cannon was conceived by Purdue students more than 100 years ago but was first presented as a trophy by an Illinois alumnus 76 years ago.
• It all started in 1905 when a group of Purdue students took the weapon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it to celebrate a victory. Although Purdue did win the game 29-0, Illinois supporters, including Quincy A. Hall, had discovered the Cannon in its hiding place - in a culvert near the old Illinois field - and confiscated it before the Purdue students could start their "booming" celebration. Later, Hall moved the Cannon to his farmhouse near Milford, Illinois, where it survived a fire and gathered dust until Hall suggested it be used as a trophy between the two schools when the rivalry was resumed in 1943 after a 12-year lapse.
• The Tomahawk Service and Leadership Honorary at Purdue and Illini Pride now share the maintenance duty for the Cannon.
RECENT SUCCESS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• Purdue has beaten seven ranked teams over the past six seasons, going 7-10 against Top 25 opponents despite being the underdog in each one of those games.
• Three of those wins were against Top 3 teams, while Purdue handed five of those ranked teams their first loss of the season.
• The victories during the 2021 campaign (No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State) gave Purdue multiple wins over Top 5 teams in one season for the first time since 1960 (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 1 Minnesota).
• Five of the seven wins have been by double digits, the biggest being a 29-point victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
• Purdue has defeated a ranked Illinois team three times throughout history (1947, 2011, 2022).
• Five of Purdue's final seven opponents on its 2024 schedule are against ranked teams, including three ranked in the Top 5.
LAST MATCHUP CHAMPAIGN
• The last time the two rivals met in Champaign, the Boilermakers kept possession of the Cannon by going on the road to defeat No. 21 Illinois 31-24 (Nov. 12, 2022).
• Purdue held the nation's leading rusher, Chase Brown, to 98 yards on the ground, his first game under 100 yards rushing all season.
• In the other backfield, Devin Mockobee notched his fourth 100-yard game of the season, going for 106 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown.
• Payne Durham (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) recorded a team-high seven catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns.
• Sanoussi Kane (Baltimore Ravens) topped all tacklers with nine on the afternoon with eight solos, one for loss and a forced fumble.
CANNON COACHING CONNECTIONS
• The Purdue coaching staff is familiar with the rivalry, coaching on the other sidelines before making the move to West Lafayette.
• Head coach Ryan Walters spent two seasons at Illinois (2021-22), serving as the Illini's defensive coordinator; in 2022, he guided the nation's No. 1 scoring defense as the Illini defense cracked the Top 10 in 17 different categories. Walters was named 2022 On3 Coordinator of the Year and 2022 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year.
• Walters brought four coaches with him from Illinois to Purdue: defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach Kevin Kane, associate head coach/wide receivers coach Cory Patterson, rush end coach Joe Dineen and safeties coach Grant O'Brien.
LOVIN' THE INTS
• An important part of Purdue's nickel defense, Kyndrich Breedlove produced a breakout game last week at Wisconsin.
• The Nashville, Tennessee, native hauled in interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second quarter for Purdue's first INTs of the season.
• Breedlove's performance marked just the eighth time in the last decade that a Boilermaker recorded two interceptions in one game and the first since Dillon Thieneman did it in the 2023 season finale victory over Indiana.
• Breedlove added two pass breakups to his two-INT day, bringing his total to three on the season to lead Purdue.
BLOCK PARTY
• With three through the first five games of the season, Purdue leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country in blocked kicks (two field goals, one punt). No, Zach Edey is not part of the Boilermakers' special teams unit.
• In the Big Ten opener against Nebraska, Purdue blocked a pair of Cornhusker field goals. Defensive linemen Joe Anderson and Damarjhe Lewis earned the first field goal blocks of their careers to help the Boilermakers hold the Huskers scoreless in the first half.
• Prior to the contest, the last time Purdue blocked two field goals in a game was Sept. 3, 2011 against Middle Tennessee.
• The other block came from wide receiver Leland Smith, who blocked a punt in the season-opening victory over Indiana State.