Here’s our eclectic look at the numbers surrounding Purdue football heading into Saturday’s noon kickoff against Northwestern. Former intern, and a darn good one, Griffin Herdegen contributed mightily to NC.
1 of 5
Purdue is one of five teams that have two players with five or more sacks in 2024. Will Heldt and Kydran Jenkins each have five.
32
Years since Oregon recorded a road shutout as it did in West Lafayette on Oct. 18. It last occurred for the Ducks in 1992 when they traveled to Corvallis and eked out a 7-0 win over rival Oregon State.
3
The Boilers have scored single-digit points in three games this year. In regular season games under Jeff Brohm, the Boilers recorded single-digit point totals four times over his six-year tenure. In year one under Darrell Hazell, the Boilers recorded single-digit points four times.
2 since 2000
Dillon Thieneman 160 tackles in under two seasons is the second most by a Boilermaker in his first two seasons of eligibility dating back to 2004. He is 37 tackles shy of Markus Bailey, a number Thieneman will likely surpass before the end of the 2024 campaign.
3
ESPN ranks the Boilers as having the third-hardest remaining strength of schedule this year. Purdue’s final four games of the year have a combined record of 25-5 and three of the four are in the AP top 13.
3 (one more time)
Purdue’s number of blocked kicks in 2024, ranking fifth nationally and leading the Big Ten.
54.7
Plays Purdue runs on average per game, the fewest per game in the country, by a fairly wide margin. As a comparison, the team that runs the most plays per game in the Big Ten is Maryland, at 74.0 per game. In Purdue’s 2022 Big Ten Championship game appearance season, the Boilers managed 74.9 plays per game, good for 11th in the country.
8
Number of 100-yard rushing efforts by Devin Mockobee, tying him with Montrell Lowe. Only five Boilermakers in history have had more 100-yard efforts, with Mike Alstott (1992-95) at the top of the list at 16.
4
Turnovers the Purdue defense has only recorded four turnovers in 2024 through seven games. If the Boilermakers continue at this pace, t would be the fewest for any Big Ten team in a full 11- or 12-game season this century.
-1.5
Purdue is currently as a 1.5-point home underdog to Northwestern, a team that themselves are only 3-5. The last time Purdue was a home underdog to a team under .500 was last year against 4-5 Minnesota where the Boilers were 2-point dogs and ended up pulling out a 49-30 win.
MORE: First and 10 | First look: Northwestern | Report: Ryan Walters “expected to get more time” | Purdue’s plan at QB? Play two | The 3-2-1 | Opponent preview | GoldandBlack Radio
