WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After starting the Barry Odom era with a dominating shutout victory, Purdue Football remains at home for another non-conference matchup. The Boilermakers host Southern Illinois under the lights of Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
QUICK HITS
- With the win over Ball State, Odom became the first Purdue head coach since 2009 (Danny Hope) to start his Boilermaker career with a victory.
- Battling the Salukis for the second time in history, Purdue plays a FCS program for just the third time in the past 10 years.
- The Boilermakers were one of two Big Ten teams (Wisconsin) and one of 10 teams in the country to produce a shutout to start the season.
- Limiting Ball State to one red zone trip and stopping the Cardinals' opportunity, Purdue is one of 21 teams in the country to not allow any red zone scoring so far this season.
- It took Purdue two plays (36-second drive) to score the first touchdown of the season, the program's fastest opening score to start a season since 1981.
- The Boilermakers scored 14 points in the first quarter against Ball State after only managing 13 first quarter points throughout the 2024 campaign.
- Landon Johnson, a former linebacker for the Boilermakers (2000-03), will serve as the honorary captain for Saturday night's game. Johnson played in 101 games over his 7-year NFL career (Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions).
- The Purdue defense allowed only 87 passing yards in the opener, the fewest surrendered to an FBS team since Nov. 19, 2022 (Northwestern).
- Arhmad Branch caught three passes for 101 yards in the season opener, becoming the first Boilermaker to reach 100 receiving yards on three-or-fewer catches since 2008.
- Branch's 100-yard game was the first by a Purdue wide receiver since Sept. 16, 2023 (Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen vs. Syracuse).
- Ryan Browne leads the Big Ten in total offense with 316 yards (311 passing, 5 rushing) in the season opener. Adding two touchdowns through the air and one on the ground, the Purdue QB is tied for the conference lead in points responsible for.
- Browne's 17.3 passing yards per completion ranks second in the country.
- Finding the end zone to start the season, Devin Mockobee recorded his 20th career touchdown. Mockobee is one of 10 Boilermakers to score 20 rushing touchdowns throughout program history.
- Mockobee is currently ranked in the program Top 10 in several career categories: 100-yard rushing games (6th), rushing yards (7th), rushing touchdown (9th).
- Purdue is known for the Cradle of Quarterbacks. Entering the 2025 NFL season, Purdue quarterbacks have thrown for 1,401 touchdowns in the Super Bowl era, more passing TDs than any other college. Cal (1,165) is second with 236 fewer touchdowns.
FAST START
- It took the Boilermakers two plays and only 36 seconds to score their first points of the season.
- After a 13-yard run by Devin Mockobee, Ryan Browne found Arhmad Branch down the middle of the field. The sophomore wide receiver broke multiple tackles and added a smooth spin move before finding the end zone for the 49-yard score.
- The last time Purdue scored within the first minute of the season was at the start of the 1981 campaign, on a 100-yard kickoff return by Jimmy Smith against Stanford.
- The Boilermakers scored touchdowns on their first two drives, totaling three minutes and 31 seconds over only eight plays. The 14 first quarter points surpassed the 13 first quarter points Purdue scored throughout all of last season.
SEASON-OPENING SHUTOUT
- For the second straight season, Purdue began the year with a shutout victory. Jack Mollenkopf’s Boilermakers in 1964 and 1965 were the last to record a season-opening shutout in consecutive seasons.
- The Boilermakers were one of 10 programs nationwide to start the season with a shutout, including one of only two Big Ten teams (Wisconsin).
- Purdue kept an FBS opponent off the scoreboard for the first time since a 49-0 victory over UConn in 2021.
- The Boilers limited Ball State to only 203 yards of total offense, which included just 87 passing yards. The defense also racked up seven tackles-for-loss and four sacks.
- Purdue was one of 21 teams over Week 0 and Week 1 to allow just one trip or less to the red zone.
6-FOR-6
- A season ago, Arhmad Branch’s lone touch was a 3-yard touchdown on an end-around. Impressing the new coaching staff in the spring and throughout fall camp, it was evident that the sophomore was going to get more than one look in the season opener.
- Offensive coordinator Josh Henson and quarterback Ryan Browne targeted Branch early, as the wide receiver caught three passes for 101 yards in the first quarter.
- Not only did Branch produce a 100-yard quarter, he became the first Purdue wide receiver to record a 100-yard game since Abdur-Rahmaan Yassen (Sept. 16, 2023 vs. Syracuse.
- Branch’s first career catch was a 49-yard touchdown on the second play of the game for Purdue’s first score of the season. On the second drive, he started off with a 17-yard snag before hauling in an impressive one-handed grab for 35 yards.
- Branch was one of only two wide receivers in the country to eclipse 100 yards on three-or-fewer receptions on the opening weekend, the first Boilermaker to accomplish the feat since 2008.
WHAT CAN BROWNE DO FOR YOU?
- In his first start of the season, quarterback Ryan Browne notched his first career win behind a career-high 311 yards on 18-of-26 passing with a pair of touchdowns. He added another score on the ground.
- Browne was one of eight quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards against FBS opposition on the opening weekend of the season and was one of two to throw for 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while scoring another on the ground (Maverick McIvor - Western Kentucky) against an FBS team.
- He joined Drew Brees (2000), Elijah Sindelar (2019), Jack Plummer (2021) and Aidan O'Connell (2022) as the only Purdue quarterbacks to register a 300-yard passing game in the season opener since 1995.
- He was the lone Big Ten quarterback to throw for 300 yards in Week 1 and leads the league in total offense.
- He spread the love around, finding eight different receivers in the opener.
- Browne was named the starting quarterback by head coach Barry Odom in the last week of fall camp after a competition with Malachi Singleton, Bennett Meredith and Evans Chuba and Garyt Odom.
- Browne served as a backup for the Boilermakers last year, making one start, before spending the spring semester under Bill Belichick at North Carolina. He transferred back to Purdue during the spring portal window.
THE THRILLER
- Michael Jackson III was one of the stars of the wide receiver room throughout fall camp, and the new Boilermaker thrilled the Ross-Ade faithful in his first game at Purdue.
- Jackson caught a game-high six passes for 72 yards, matching his career high in receptions when he was a USC Trojan facing Notre Dame in 2023.
- He also hauled in his first touchdown as a Boilermaker, a 14-yard catch in the third quarter, before celebrating like the King of Pop.
JACK MCCALLISTER - FOR THE BRAND
- A starting punter for the past three seasons at Washington, senior Jack McCallister had no problem bringing his talents from the Pacific Northwest to West Lafayette.
- In his Purdue debut, McCallister punted three times and averaged 50.3 yards per punt with all three landing inside the 20-yard line.
- His best punt of the day was a coffin-corner, 55-yard boot that landed inside the 10 and rolled out of bounds at the 4-yard line.
- After the first week of the season, McCallister ranks second in the Big Ten and 10th in the country in punting average.
- He is the sixth Boilermaker punter since 2002 to average 50 yards or better on at least a trio of boots.