Know Your Opponent: Purdue Boilermakers

Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

Head Coach: Jeff Brohm

Overall: 5th Season, 26-29 (.472) Overall

Bowl Appearances at Purdue: 2

2020 Record: 2-4 (2-4, 6th in the Big Ten West)

Bowl Appearances Since 2000: 1 (4-7)

Mascot: Boilermaker Special, Purdue Pete

Colors: Old Gold and Black

Outfitter: Nike

National Titles: 1 Unclaimed

Conference Titles: 12

Heisman Winners: 0

2021 Record: 7-4

Last Week: WIN vs Northwestern 32-14

STATISTICAL LEADERS

Passing: Aidan O’Connell (263-362 passing (72.7%), 2900 yards, 19 TDs, 8 INTs)

Rushing: King Doerue (121 rushes, 439 yards, 3.6 YPC, 2 TDs)

Receiving: David Bell (87 receptions, 1207 yards, 5 TDs)

Tackles: Jaylan Alexander (88 tackles, 53 solo, 5 PDs, 1 FF, 1 Sack)

Stat of the Week: Indiana will be the seventh passing offense ranked below 100th nationally that Purdue has faced this season.

Purdue’s Talking Points

1. Giant Slayer.

The preseason expectations for Indiana and Purdue have entirely flipped, as just a few months ago it seemed Purdue was being run into the ground while Indiana held a top-20 preseason ranking. As we find ourselves in the final week of the regular season, the scripts have flipped. Purdue snapped their streak of being unranked and are looking at a potential 9-win season, while the Hoosiers have yet to secure a conference victory.

Much of Purdue’s success has come in their ability to slay the teams at the top of the Big Ten. After their wins at Iowa and against Michigan State earlier this year, they developed a bit of an identity as the team no top team wants to have to play. Playing a similarly difficult schedule, Purdue has shown they can beat anyone this season.

2. Talented Offense.

While Indiana has built their identity largely around their defense as of late, Purdue’s premier talent comes on the offensive side of the ball. David Bell has been as impressive as Rondale Moore during his time as a Boilermaker while being more available. And after a few seasons of quarterback struggles, Aidan O’Connell has settled in and been extremely accurate getting the ball into his playmaker’s hands, even without the threat of much of a running attack.

“I know he went there, O'Connell, as a walk-on,” said Tom Allen on Monday. “Really has been impressive. I know he's had his ups and downs down, too. Starter, not starter, different guys have played. At the end of the day, he's been the consistent guy. He's really played well as of late.”

“They stress you vertically, horizontally, they stress you intermediately,” added Allen. “A lot of different concepts they use to make you defend a lot of the field. Do a good job with that. Do it in a way to be able to create enough time for their quarterbacks to throw. 

3. Likely Final Games as Boilers.

David Bell and George Karlaftis will likely be playing their final games at Ross Ade Stadium this weekend. Both are eligible for and expected to go high in the 2022 NFL Draft. In fact, CBS Sports draft expert Chris Trapasso recently listed Karlaftis as a potential number one overall draft pick.

“I'll let them speak for themselves,” said Jeff Brohm when asked about his star player’s futures with the program. “They've done a great job for us since the day they got here. They make a lot of plays. They're great ambassadors for the program. They represent Purdue in the right way. They're tremendous teammates. We're very proud of their performance to this date, and I think they have a bright future, and we'll support them in any decision they make.”