First and 10: Northwestern at Purdue

As we start the week, 10 items of interest as the Boilermakers host Northwestern on Saturday (noon ET, BTN) at Ross-Ade Stadium:

• Will the off week prove beneficial as the November stretch of five straight games closes out the 2024 season? The extra week didn’t help earlier in the season when Purdue suffered its worst loss in program history to Notre Dame. Ryan Walters, who is 0-2 after an off week, can’t change much with one month to go. The personnel remains the same. Maybe receiver C.J. Smith’s first appearance of the season provides a spark, but it’s hard to count on someone who hasn’t played during the first two months. The scheme isn’t changing. A wrinkle or two might be installed. But how much will anything help at this stage?

• Hudson Card? Ryan Browne? At least there’s some intrigue as to who starts at quarterback. Will both play?

• What’s the motivation during the final month? It would take a five-game winning streak to reach bowl eligibility and knock off current No. 3, No. 4, and No. 13 in the rankings. Let’s call Vegas and check the odds. Will the Boilermakers show enough to indicate Walters should earn another season? And will Walters demonstrate he can prevent this team from sinking to 1-11?

• With Northwestern considered a peer program to Purdue, how Saturday’s game plays out should be important to everyone involved. When we reach the fourth quarter, is the game over, or still in doubt? Do the Boilermakers show signs of life? Can Purdue build an early lead? Are there still missed tackles and poor pursuit angles? Did the pre-snap penalties get cleaned up? Get your checklist ready.

• In last year’s meeting, Browne shared quarterback duties with Bennett Meredith when Card was sidelined. Browne threw for 104 yards, was intercepted twice, but gained 85 yards on the ground. No surprise, Purdue struggled and stumbled in failing to convert a pair of fourth-down attempts and had two turnovers in the first half. The game wasn’t decided until Browne was intercepted with 19 seconds to play, and Northwestern secured the eight-point victory.

MORE: First look: Northwestern | Report: Ryan Walters “expected” to get more time

• The Wildcats haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in their last two games after an interception and punt return accounted for their points in Saturday’s loss to Iowa. They kicked a field goal against Wisconsin and had five points in a loss at Washington. They’re averaging 220.6 total yards and converting 21.8% on third down against Big Ten opponents to rank last. Expect Cam Porter, who rushed for 95 yards last season against the Boilermakers, to carry the load against the worst rush defense in the Big Ten. The passing game hasn’t reached 100 yards in the last two games against the Hawkeyes and the Badgers, although quarterback Jack Lausch threw for over 200 yards against Indiana and Maryland.

• Purdue’s offense is just as underwhelming, especially at home against FBS competition. The Boilermakers have scored two touchdowns in the last three home games – against Notre Dame when they trailed 49-0 and when Nebraska was up 28-3 late in the fourth quarter. They’ve also led for a total of 3:53. They’ve made just four trips to the red zone in those games. They’ve scored on three of 36 drives against the Irish, the Huskers, and Oregon and totaled 15 three-and-outs.

• At least the rushing attack isn’t going in the other direction. The Boilermakers have gained 447 yards on the ground in the last two games as Devin Mockobee, Reggie Love III, and Browne are leading the way. Last year, Purdue had back-to-back 300-yard rushing games against Minnesota and Northwestern in November and averaged 5.51 yards per carry during the month. Another successful stint on the ground in November could inject some much-needed energy into the program.

• It’s not much better on the defensive side. The last three opponents – Wisconsin, Illinois, and Oregon – are 16 of 16 with 13 touchdowns when reaching the red zone against Purdue.

• The Boilermakers were on a mission to prove the preseason predictions wrong after they were picked to finish last in the preseason poll. Purdue remains the only winless team in Big Ten play. Northwestern, which needs three wins to secure bowl eligibility, was selected No. 17 in the preseason poll.