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Game 7 Prep: Purdue Squares Off with Washington in Ross-Ade on FridayGame 7 Prep: Purdue Squares Off with Washington in Ross-Ade on Friday

Game 7 Prep: Purdue Squares Off with Washington in Ross-Ade on Friday

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – With back-to-back Big Ten wins, Purdue Football looks to keep the train rolling as it welcomes Washington to Ross-Ade Stadium for a Friday night matchup. The primetime kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX. w

QUICK HITS

  • The Boilermakers are playing their fifth home game through the first seven games of the season, including the second Friday night contest. 
  • Markus Bailey (2015-19), a four-year starting linebacker who went on to play five seasons in the NFL, will serve as Purdue’s honorary captain for Friday’s game.
  • Purdue is 3-0 this season when allowing less than 20 points. The Boilermakers limited Illinois to 17 points, while keeping Minnesota to 13 points to secure back-to-back victories. 
  • The Boilermakers’ 28-point win over Minnesota was their largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since beating Indiana 44-7 in the 2021 Battle for the Old Oaken Bucket. 
  • Purdue’s three losses have been to opponents with a combined record of 16-1 and all ranked in the Top 25 (No. 2 Notre Dame: 6-0, No. 12 UCLA: 5-0, No. 21 Wake Forest: 5-1). 
  • Fame Ijeboi leads the Purdue rushing attack, ranking second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with nine rushing touchdowns. In the win over Minnesota, he became the fifth rusher in the country to produce a game of at least 195 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. His 195 rushing yards were the most by a Boilermaker since 2017 and the 15th most all-time. 
  • The Boilermakers are outscoring opponents 47-27 in the third quarter this season. 
  • While Purdue ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in passing offense, the Boilermakers racked up 305 rushing yards in the win over Minnesota. It was their highest output on the ground since rushing for 353 yards against Minnesota in 2023.
  • Jacobo Echeverria Lozano leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country with 13 made field goals, the second most by a freshman kicker in program history. He is 13-for-14 on the year with a long of 48 yards.

HONORARY CAPTAIN

  • Markus Bailey (2015-19), a four-year starting linebacker for the Boilermakers before spending five seasons in the NFL, will serve as Purdue’s honorary captain for Friday night’s matchup. 
  • Bailey recorded 327 tackles throughout his Purdue career, ranking 14th in program history. His 229 solo tackles rank 11th all-time.
  • He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, spending four seasons with the team and helping them reach Super Bowl LVI.
  • Bailey played for the Arizona Cardinals during the 2024 campaign, his final season in the NFL. 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

  • In 139 seasons of Purdue Football, the Boilermakers have played on Fridays 17 times throughout history, recording a 6-10-1 record. Ten of those games have been night games and only five have been in Ross-Ade Stadium.
  • Purdue kicked off this season with a Friday night victory over Indiana State, 44-19. The on-field temperature reached 93 degrees, with a real feel of 103, the hottest recorded night game at Ross-Ade Stadium this century. 
  • The 2026 campaign marks the second time in the past three years that the Boilermakers have played two Friday games in a season. 

BACK-2-BACK B1G WINS

  • Purdue improved to 2-1 in Big Ten play with back-to-back victories over Illinois (24-17) and Minnesota (41-13), thanks to strong play on both sides of the ball.
  • Averaging more than 400 yards of total offense, the Boilermakers proved they can win with both the passing game and the ground game. Ryan Browne’s arm led the way in Purdue’s win at Illinois, while the Boilermakers racked up 305 rushing yards in the victory over Minnesota.
  • Defensively, Purdue limited the B1G foes to 15 points per game. Both quarterbacks were held to less than 250 passing yards, completing only 57 percent of their throws. The run defense surrendered just 147 yards. 
  • Purdue ran for 305 rushing yards compared to Minnesota's 27. The 278-yard margin is the largest by Purdue since 2014 at Illinois. It is also the third-largest margin between two power conference schools this year.

A DOMINANT VICTORY

  • Purdue dominated all three phases of the game in the 41-13 win over Minnesota, the Boilermakers’ largest margin of victory since beating Indiana 44-7 for the Old Oaken Bucket in 2021. 
  • The Purdue defense limited the Golden Gophers to only 27 rushing yards, the fewest rushing yards allowed by the Boilermakers in a Big Ten game since 2004 (18 - Penn State).
  • Minnesota converted just 10 first downs in the game, the fewest allowed by a Purdue defense since 2017 against Rutgers. The Gophers did not convert a single rushing first down, the first time a Purdue defense has accomplished this since at least 1995. It was just the fourth time since 1995 that a Big Ten team held another Big Ten team to 10 or fewer first down conversions with 0 rushing first down conversions.
  • Offensively, the Boilermakers ran for 305 yards for their highest rushing output since recording 353 rushing yards in the 2023 victory over Minnesota. On the second drive of the game, Purdue put together a season-long 98-yard scoring drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock; it was the team’s second scoring drive of at least 95 yards this season (95 at UCLA). 
  • For special teams, Jacobo Echeverria Lozano was perfect, connecting on field goals from 45 yards and 28 yards while making all five PATs. The kickoff coverage unit forced Minnesota to start drives on the nine and 14-yard lines off of kickoffs in the first half, and in the fourth quarter, the Boilermakers forced a muffed punt.

    JOJO'S MOJO
  • In his first season as a Boilermaker, junior linebacker Jojo Hayden has become one of the leaders of the defense. 
  • He paces Purdue in tackles (40) and has been the team’s leading tackler in the last two games, both Boilermaker victories.
  • Against Minnesota, Hayden tallied a team-high seven tackles and also hauled in his first career interception. 
  • Hayden’s 91.2 run defense grade ranked seventh in the FBS and his 85.1 defensive grade was 21st overall in the FBS in Week 6, both career highs.

THE FAME GAME

  • Going up against his former team, Fame Ijeboi produced the best game of his career and delivered a historical performance.
  • The sophomore running back had career highs in carries (31), rushing yards (195) and rushing touchdowns (3), racking up the most rushing yards by a Boilermaker since Markell Jones in 2017 (217 vs. Indiana) and the 15th-most all-time.
  • According to PFF, he forced 18 missed tackles, the most missed tackles forced in a game since Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) versus San Diego State in 2024 and the most in a Big Ten game since Blake Corum (Michigan) had 24 versus Michigan State in 2022. 
  • Ijeboi became just the fourth Boilermaker since 1995 to record at least 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a game, the first since Montrell Lowe in 2000 (208 rushing yards, 4 TDs vs. Indiana).

EASLEY'S MONEY IN PASS PRO

  • After not starting the first two weeks of the season, Marques Easley took over in game three against UCLA and has produced one of the best pass blocking campaigns nationally this season.
  • Easley's 87.3 pass blocking grade ranks sixth by a Power Four offensive lineman (minimum 100 pass blocking snaps) since he took over as Purdue's starting left guard in Week 3, according to PFF.
  • In 154 pass blocking snaps this season, he owns a 99.5 percent pass blocking efficiency that ranks tied for 16th by a Power Four offensive lineman and seventh by a Power Four guard (minimum 150 pass blocking snaps).
  • Expanding to the entire FBS, Easley’s efficiency ranks 28th among offensive lineman and 12th among guards.
    • He has allowed just one quarterback pressure and one hurry.

HE’S YA BOY, IJEBOI

  • Fame Ijeboi has made an immediate impact for Purdue after transferring from Minnesota, becoming one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball.
  • With 549 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the year, he ranks second in the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns. 
  • He is one rushing TD away from becoming the 22nd Boilermaker to record double-digit rushing touchdowns in a season. He has a pair of three-touchdown games this season, the first Boilermaker to accomplish the feat since Kory Sheets in 2008.
  • Ijeboi had the best game of his career against his former team, running for 195 yards and three scores to lead Purdue to a 28-point win over Minnesota. It was the 15th-best rushing game in terms of yardage in program history as well as the most by a Boilermaker since 2017. He became the second Boilermaker this century to total at least 195 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a single game. 
  • Against Wake Forest, Ijeboi finished with 114 rushing yards on 27 carries and three touchdowns. 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. 

O-LINE PROTECTING QB1

  • The offensive line, which changed configurations after week two and again after week four, has found a new groove over the past two weeks.
  • Purdue’s pass blocking has not allowed a sack in back-to-back games for the first time since playing Minnesota (Nov. 20) and Rutgers (Nov. 28) in 2020. 
  • According to PFF, Marques Easley and Micah Banuelos tied for the team lead with an 85.3 pass blocking grade against Minnesota. 
  • Banuelos has now topped 85.0 in pass blocking in three of the last four games, while Easley has topped 80.0 in three of the last four.
    • Nuku Mafi added an 81.3 in pass protection for his highest grade as a Boilermaker and the second-highest of his career. 

B1G TIME PASSER

  • Ryan Browne has been one of the best quarterbacks in college football, ranking in the Top 20 in passing yards (14th-1,549), completions (25th-20.7 per game) and completion percentage (24th-68.9%).
  • He is just one of two quarterbacks in the nation (Lincoln Kienholz - Louisville) with at least 1,500 yards passing, a completion percentage over 68 percent and one or fewer interceptions this season. 
  • Throwing only one interception on the year, Browne is the only Purdue starting quarterback since at least 1970 to toss just one or fewer interceptions through the first six games of a season.
  • Surpassing 300 passing yards in each of the first three contests, Browne joined Jim Everett (1985, twice), Drew Brees (1998, 1999), Kyle Orton (2004), Curtis Painter (2007), David Blough (2018) and Aidan O'Connell (2021, 2022) as the only Purdue quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards in three straight games.
  • Browne has six 300-yard passing games for his career, tied with Scott Campbell (1980-83) for eighth on the all-time charts.