Matchup Preview: Who has the edge?

Purdue vs. Oregon, from a matchup perspective.

Date/Time: Friday, October 18, 8:00 p.m. E.T.

Location: Ross-Ade Stadium

Surface: Bermuda Grass

Capacity: 61,441 (tickets)

2024 schedules/records: Purdue 1-5 (0-3 Big Ten), Oregon 6-0 (3-0 Big Ten)

Series notes: Oregon becomes the first West Coast team to visit West Lafayette for a league tilt on Friday. The Ducks and Boilermakers have met three times, with Oregon enjoying a 2-1 advantage. Purdue took down Oregon in Ross-Ade Stadium back in 1979, while the Ducks won both games in a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009. All three meetings between the two have been decided by six points or less. This matchup will serve as the third Friday game to take place inside Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue defeated Ohio on a Friday night in the 2017 home opener, while Wisconsin downed Purdue on a September 2023 Friday night.

TV: FOX (PxP Tim Brando, Analyst Devin Gardner, Sidelines Josh Sims)

Radio: Purdue Sports Properties (PxP Tim Newton, Analyst Mark Herrmann, Sidelines Kelly Kitchel)

Line: Oregon -27.5, O/U 59

Weather: High of 70 with breeze

Purdue Roster | Purdue Game Notes

Oregon Roster | Oregon Game Notes

Pregame: First Look: Oregon | First and 10: Oregon at Purdue | QB Ryan Browne to start vs. No. 2 Oregon: “It would be unfair not to” | The 3-2-1: Purdue feeding off Browne’s energy, juice. Will it continue to flow? | Gold and Black Radio: Purdue readies for No. 2 Oregon | Opponent View: Oregon | Purdue QB Ryan Browne ready for big moment | Milford Academy connection bonds Purdue QB Ryan Browne, ex-Boiler LB Niko Koutouvides |

Oregon running game versus Purdue against the run

The Ducks deploy a two-man rotation at tailback, similar to Purdue. Jordan James enters the back half of the season averaging 111 yards per game on the ground, good for 14th-best in the nation. He averages six yards per carry with six touchdowns on the year and appears primed for all-conference consideration. Last season, James burst onto the scene with an average of seven yards per touch and 11 touchdown carries. Joining him in the backfield, Noah Whittington receives fewer carries but is a stout 5-8, 200-pound back. The two lead the way for a rushing attack averaging 163 yards, middle of the pack in the Big Ten.

Dillon Gabriel won’t look to run first, but he can tuck it and run when needed. While he’s only recorded 28 rushing attempts on the year, he’s found the end zone on four. Expect Oregon to look to attack the edges early and often with the program’s notorious speed, an area that Purdue’s struggled to defend.

Purdue’s struggles against the run continued, as Illinois ran for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries. The season totals tell the story: opponents average 5.4 yards per carry and 229 rushing yards per game. Since holding Indiana State to 104 rushing yards, Purdue’s allowed at least 161 on the ground in each FBS game. While Purdue is closer to full health up front with the return of Mo Omonode, it still has a long way to go to slow down opposing ball carriers. Until Purdue proves that it can slow down the ground game, this area belongs to the opponent.

Oregon passing game versus Purdue against the pass

Perhaps no quarterback entered 2024 with more experience at the collegiate level than Gabriel. He started 25 games at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma, where he earned 24 starts. With north of 50 games started under his belt, Gabriel’s poise and polish set him apart. He entered 2024 fourth in NCAA history in career total touchdowns. Gabriel’s experience clearly shows on the stat sheet, as he’s completing 76% of his passes on the season. He’s nearly averaging 300 yards per game with 13 touchdown passes to just three interceptions. The Heisman hopeful delivered a strong performance a week ago, and he’ll look to continue stacking them as he hopes for an invitation to New York.

Through the transfer portal, the Ducks assembled a loaded wide receiving corps for Gabriel to play with. Tez Johnson arrived from Troy prior to 2023, only to set Oregon’s record for receptions in a season with 86. He’s already reeled in 50 through six games this year, good for fourth in the nation. Evan Stewart earned Freshman All-American honors in 2022 at Texas A&M, and he racked up 149 yards in the win over Ohio State. Talented target Traeshon Holden arrived from Alabama, as he and home-grown tight end Terrance Ferguson each sit at 20 receptions on the season. The Ducks’ pass protection excels, too, allowing just seven sacks through six games.

Over the past two weeks, Purdue allowed 740 passing yards to Wisconsin and Illinois. Though a corner blitz did result in a scoop-and-score to help spark the comeback, Purdue would like to see more from its pass rush. The secondary continues to struggle, especially in third-and-long situations. Several improbable conversions played a huge part in Illinois pulling out the contest in Champaign. The Boilermakers have intercepted just two passes in six games. Purdue’s defense does enter this one in good shape from an injury perspective, as Antonio Stevens returned to action last week to round out the secondary.

Purdue running game versus Oregon against the run

The Purdue running game looked entirely different last week, as Ryan Browne’s start caused Purdue to look different. The Boilermakers featured numerous zone reads, putting the Illinois defense in a blender. Purdue ran for 239 yards in the game, with Browne and Devin Mockobee each clearing the 100-yard mark.

Browne will get the starting nod again on Friday and look for Purdue to feature plenty of run looks for the second-year quarterback. But the Ducks will get an entire week to prepare for it, unlike Illinois. With Ryan Walters calling the offensive plays, we’ll see if Purdue brings new wrinkles to the game plan. Mockobee continues to skyrocket through the record books, now 11th in program history in career rushing yards. He and Reggie Love III form a respectable duo on the ground that gets more dynamic with Purdue looking to run the quarterback.

Opponents aren’t moving the ball well on the ground against Oregon, averaging just 108 yards per game and less than four yards per attempt. The Ducks rank inside the top 30 nationally in run defense, as three of their six opponents have been held under 60 rushing yards. Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty and elite Ohio State back Treveyon Henderson remain the only two backs to get much going against this defense. Oregon will rely on a quick, explosive front seven to get into the backfield early and often to disrupt Purdue’s multifaceted rushing game.

Purdue passing game versus Oregon against the pass

At halftime last week, things looked bleak for Purdue’s pass game. Browne threw for just nine yards, and the Boilermakers trailed by 21 points. Then, the script flipped, as he finished the game with just shy of 300 yards and connected on several deep throws down the field. The Purdue offense looked potent against a credible opponent for the first time of the season, largely because of Browne. While he did avoid disaster on a few throws, he took care of the football and put the ball where it needed to go. As he gets the start for the second week in a row, what will Oregon do to disrupt his rhythm?

Max Klare continues to shine as a matchup problem for opposing defenses. Illinois couldn’t stop him, as his 352 receiving yards on the season more than double the next-best on the team (Jahmal Edrine’s 154). But players like Edrine and Jaron Tibbs performed nicely in Champaign. And Mockobee caught the go-ahead touchdown pass on a wheel route with under a minute to go. Purdue would still prefer to create more separation at the line of scrimmage, but last week’s passing game performance impressed.

Opponents complete less than 60% of passes against Oregon’s defense, led by head coach and former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning. Though the Ducks enter with just four interceptions, their 29 pass breakups reflect an active secondary that pursues the ball. Jordan Murch and Matayo Uiagalelei lead an aggressive pass rush that totaled 17 sacks through the first half of the season, something Purdue will need to pay close attention to. The Boilermaker offensive line has shown vulnerability to the pass rush thus far, and Oregon will want to rattle the inexperienced Browne.

Special teams

Spencer Porath punched in two more short field goals to raise his season total to five out of six, with four of his makes coming inside the 30-yard-line. Punter Keelan Crimmins continues to impress, bringing much-needed consistency to the punting game. Kickoff specialist Ben Freehill pulled off a beauty of an onside kick to keep Purdue alive at Illinois. But, a dumbfounding mistake hit Purdue last week, when Elijah Jackson watched a kickoff drop in front of him and get picked up by Illinois, leading to a touchdown before halftime.

Oregon enters having only attempted 17 punts, one of which came as a 69-yard boot from Ross James. Nine of 11 field goal attempts sailed through the uprights in Oregon’s first six games, but a pair of kickoff attempts did land out of bounds. Oregon has only attempted four kickoff returns, but it averages over 40 yards per return. On the punt return side, Johnson ran one back 85 yards for a touchdown. Will Purdue look to keep it away from him?

Intangibles

What did last week mean? Purdue rallied back from down 24 and nearly left Champaign with an improbable victory, but which half reflected reality? After all, Purdue did fall in a 24-point hole, a frequent problem this season. However, Purdue fought out of it, something it hadn’t done before. Purdue will host a Friday night game against an elite opponent, so it shouldn’t struggle to get up for this game.

Meanwhile, Oregon will head more than 2,000 miles from home for this one, less than a week removed from one of the biggest wins in program history. The Ducks took down Ohio State in one of the games of the year, and now, it’s time to take on 1-5 Purdue. Will Oregon be excited to play this game, or will it sleepwalk through it? Lanning looks like one of the sport’s brightest young minds, but getting his team up for this game could present a challenge.