First and 10: Penn State at Purdue

As we start the week, 10 items of interest as the Boilermakers host No. 4 Penn State (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS) on Saturday:

• No. 1 Oregon came to town four weeks ago, and No. 2 Ohio State was the matchup last week in Columbus. The fourth-ranked Nittany Lions visit Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday and the final regular-season game will be played on Nov. 30 at Indiana, which moved into the top five in the latest poll. Purdue is hunting for another victory but ranked teams keep showing up. This is the new Big Ten.

• Saturday is Senior Day for more than 20 players. This season isn’t how the group envisioned ending their home careers with only one victory sitting here in mid-November. One last chance to make a statement.

• Appreciate how hard Devin Mockobee continues to run. He continues to hit the hole hard, fights for extra yards, and doesn’t change his tempo, whether it’s the first quarter or the third. Ohio State used a three-man front on a lot of early downs on Saturday, but Mockobee and the offensive line still need to gain the yards.  

• Here comes another efficient quarterback. Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel. Ohio State’s Will Howard. Even Northwestern Jack Lausch had his best performance – from a completion percentage standpoint – against the Boilermakers. Say hello to Drew Allar. We first saw Allar in 2022 in the season opener when he replaced Sean Clifford during the thrilling 35-31 victory by the Nittany Lions. Allar is coming off a superb outing against Washington, completing 20 of 28 passes for 220 yards. He’s completed 70% or better in five of the last seven games. He’s one of five Big Ten quarterbacks completing 70% or better this season, and Purdue is scheduled to face four. The Boilermakers have allowed 1,849 passing yards in league games, which ranks last.

MORE: First look: Penn State | Three thoughts: Jacobsen’s injury, Purdue football and more |

• How important are touchdown passes to Purdue’s offense? In the three games the Boilermakers haven’t thrown one, they’ve been outscored 132-6 by Wisconsin, Oregon and Ohio State.

• Give the Boilermakers credit – they’ve cleaned up the penalties. None against Ohio State. Only two against Northwestern. This is the same team that had 11 against Indiana State and 13 against Nebraska.

• Will Ryan Walters make a change in the kicking game? Spencer Porath missed two inside 40 yards against Ohio State. The misses aren’t the reason for the loss, but the Boilermakers need points. Whether it’s early, in the middle of the game, or late, they can’t continue to walk away from drives with nothing to show for it.

• Those first-quarter scoring woes are still around. It’s now 76-10 in favor of the opposition in the first 15 minutes. That’s seven points against Indiana State and three against Northwestern. It’s puzzling since the coaching staff spends all week gearing up for fast starts. But so does the opponent.

• Purdue appears headed for a 1-11 season. The last one in 2013 looks familiar. That season, the lone win came against Indiana State in the second game of the season. The Boilermakers finished with a 10-game losing streak. This year, the only victory so far is against Indiana State. Without another victory, Purdue will close out 2024 on an 11-game losing streak.

• Saturday marks the sixth time the Boilermakers are a double-digit underdog this season. Notre Dame would’ve been the seventh, but all the bettors lost confidence in the Irish after they were upset by Northern Illinois. The line plummeted from the week’s opening number of 12.5 to 7 at kickoff. Overall, Purdue has been an underdog eight times by a combined 147 points, including Saturday’s matchup. That’s an average of 18.3 points. Penn State is favored by 28 points as of Monday morning.