WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a heartbreaking double overtime loss at home to Wake Forest, Purdue Football makes its first road trip of the season to begin Big Ten Conference play. The Boilermakers travel more than 2,000 miles to the Rose Bowl to face UCLA for a late Saturday night B1G matchup. Kickoff is set for 11 p.m. ET on BTN.
QUICK HITS
- While the Boilermakers are battling the Bruins in the Rose Bowl for the first time, they are making their third appearance in the stadium. Purdue played in the Rose Bowl Game in 1967 and 2001.
- The Boilermakers are the only team in the country with a quarterback averaging 300 yards passing (Ryan Browne - 323.0 ypg) and a running back averaging 100 yards rushing (Fame Ijeboi - 100.5 ypg).
- Purdue has yet to commit a turnover this season, one of 20 teams in the nation without a turnover.
- Purdue is a perfect 13-for-13 in the red zone through two games this season, scoring eight touchdowns and kicking five field goals.
- Quarterback Ryan Browne leads the Big Ten in completions per game (27.5) and passing yards per game (323.0), ranking third and eighth in the country, respectively.
- Browne also has completed 77.5 percent of his passes to rank eighth nationally.
- Fame Ijeboi is the first Purdue running back with 200 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the first two games since Ralph Bolden in 2009.
- Browne (646) and Ijeboi (201) are the second Boilermaker tandem to throw for over 600 yards and rush for 200 yards in the first two games of the year in the last 30 years, joining Aidan O'Connell (653) and Xander Horvath (231) in 2020.
- Freshman kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano has made six field goals through the first two games of the season, ranking second in the nation.
- Purdue is averaging at least 40 points per game in their first two games for just the second time since 2010. The other instance was 2022 when the Boilermakers captured the Big Ten West title and played in the Big Ten Championship.
- The Boilermakers have punted just three times this season, tied for the second fewest times through two games since 1978.
- The 11 p.m. ET kickoff at UCLA is the latest start time for a Purdue football game since an 11:07 p.m. ET kick at Hawaii on Nov. 25, 2006.
- Sixty seasons ago, the Boilermakers defeated USC 14-13 in their first appearance in the Rose Bowl. Purdue finished the season ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the AP Poll.
ROSE BOWL BOILERS
- Returning to the Rose Bowl this weekend, 2026 also marks the 60th anniversary of the 1966 Boilermakers that went 9-2 and appeared in the Rose Bowl Game for the first time in school history.
- The fifth-ranked Boilermakers defeated USC 14-13 in the game (Jan. 2, 1967). Fullback Perry Williams scored both touchdowns, defensive halfback George Catavolos intercepted the potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt with 2:28 remaining, and defensive halfback John Charles recorded 11 tackles and a key fumble recovery to be selected the game’s Most Valuable Player.
- College Football Hall of Famer, Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese ended his Purdue career with a three-year record of 22-7-1. That included two seasons as an All-American, including the 1966 campaign.
- The Boilermakers finished the season ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the AP Poll.
BIG TEN PASSING LEADER
- Through the first two games of the season, Ryan Browne leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (323.0), completions per game (27.5) and total offense (320.0 ypg).
- Browne’s average completions rank third in the country, while he ranks eighth in passing yards per contest. His 77.5 completion percentage also sits eighth nationally.
- Per PFF, Browne ranks third in the FBS with an 88.0 passing grade (minimum 75 pass attempts).
- Surpassing 300 passing yards in each of the first two contests, Browne became the first Boilermaker quarterback to throw for 300+ yards in back-to-back games since Aidan O'Connell in 2022.
- Browne now has five 300-yard passing games for his career, tied for ninth all-time among Purdue quarterbacks.
PRO FOOTBALL FOCUSED ON FAME
- Fame Ijeboi has been explosive, powerful and shifty through his first two games as a Boilermaker and has caught the eye of Pro Football Focus (PFF) evaluators.
- The sophomore’s 91.3 rushing grade is second in the country among players with at least 20 rushing attempts and trails only Florida’s Jadan Baugh (93.9). His grade is 8.2 higher than any other Big Ten player with at least 20 rushing attempts.
- Ijeboi’s ability to make players miss tackles is evident with the eye test and proven with his 19 missed tackles forced that ranks third in the country and is six more than anyone in the Big Ten.
- His 91.3 rating is the highest by a Boilermaker through the first two games of a season since Rondale Moore graded at 82.5 in 2018 when he rushed four times for 128 yards.
HE'S YA BOY, IJEBOI
- Fame Ijeboi made an immediate impact for Purdue, as one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball.
- With 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the year, Ijeboi is the first Purdue running back with 200 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in the first two games since Ralph Bolden in 2009.
- His four rushing touchdowns rank second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
- Last week against Wake Forest, he finished with 114 rushing yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns, all career highs. Ijeboi also added six receptions for 42 yards. Finding the end zone three times, he became the first Boilermaker with three rushing touchdowns in a game since D.J. Knox helped Purdue knock off No. 2 Ohio State in the famous Tyler Trent Game (Oct. 20, 2018).
- In his first game as a Boilermaker, Ijeboi racked up 87 yards and a touchdown while averaging a staggering 7.9 yards per carry to help Purdue roll past Indiana State.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND - With one of the best completion percentages in the country (eighth nationally), quarterback Ryan Browne has been effective in getting the ball to a variety of Boilermakers.
- Through the first two games of the season, 14 Boilermakers have caught a pass (8 wide receivers, 3 running backs, 3 tight ends).
- Transfers Xavier Townsend and Asaad Waseem lead the way with double digits in receptions and both Boilermakers topping 100 receiving yards. While Townsend’s 13 catches pace Purdue over Waseem’s 12 receptions, Waseem leads the Boilermakers with 172 receiving yards. Townsend is right behind with 105 receiving yards of his own.
- Chauncey Magwood has made his presence felt, ranking behind Waseem and Townsend with 83 receiving yards on six catches. Out of the backfield, Fame Ijeboi has added eight receptions for 72 yards.
- Against Wake Forest, four different Boilermakers recorded five or more receptions (Townsend, Magwood, Waseem, Ijeboi), marking the first time since Sept. 17, 2022 at Syracuse that four different players recorded five or more receptions in a game.
LEADER ON AND OFF THE FIELD
- Junior defensive back Hudauri Hines, has been named to the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Watch List. The award is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player’s leadership, both on and off the field.
- In his third year as a Boilermaker, Hines has emerged as a team leader on and off the field. Prior to the start of the 2026 season, he was elected a captain by his teammates.
- As a sophomore last year, the Indianapolis native played in all 12 games and made 11 starts. He led Purdue in passes defended (9), while also adding 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and one interception.
- Off the field, Hines has been active in the community by visiting the local Boys and Girls Club. He has also made trips to local elementary schools, reading books to students and answering their questions as a role model.
- This past summer, Hines represented Purdue on the Big Ten Conference’s trip to the Pacific Northwest, joining several student-athletes throughout the rest of the league, as part of the Big Life Series. The program was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the region’s rich history, culture and communities through an immersive educational experience that they can take back to campus and share what they learned.
THE KID CAN KICK
- True freshman Jacobo Echeverria Lozano has been a reliable weapon early in the season, going 6-of-7 on field goal opportunities, connecting three times in back-to-back weeks. He ranks second nationally and first in the Big Ten in field goals made per game.
- He is already tied for sixth for most made kicks by a freshman in Purdue history.
- Against Wake Forest, the rookie bounced back from a 49-yard miss to connect on a trio of field goals, including the game-tying effort as the fourth quarter expired to force overtime.
- He wasted little time putting his highly ranked right leg to use in week one against Indiana State, splitting the uprights a trio of times from 39, 27 and 25 yards for the most kicks in a game by a freshman at Purdue going back to 1995. They also tied for the ninth most by a freshman in a season opener nationally over that same span.
HAWAIIAN HOSPITALITY
- Charles Correa has embraced his new role as the heart of the Boilermaker defense after arriving in West Lafayette a year ago alongside Coach Odom from UNLV. He was named a team captain ahead of the season.
- Correa is second on the team with 14 tackles on the year, after posting a 12-stop outing against Wake Forest. It was his sixth double-digit performance as a Boilermaker, tied for ninth most at Purdue over the last 22 seasons.
- Starting all 12 games last season, Correa posted 96 tackles, good for third on the team, a team-high 7.5 for-loss, 3.0 sacks and two passes defended to earn All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches and media.
- His 73 stops in Big Ten action ranked eighth in the league.
- Correa reached double digits in tackles in five games throughout his first season as a Boilermaker, tying for third most at Purdue since 1995.
- Representing Purdue at the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days, Correa displayed his typical Hawaiian hospitality by giving each media station a gift of chocolate covered macadamia nuts from his home island.
- Correa's family are mainstays at every football game with an average of 10 or more attendees at home and away contests.