Number Crunching: Purdue-Oregon State week
After Saturday’s record defeat at the hands of Notre Dame, there isn’t a lot of positive numbers for the week leading into the Boiilermakers’ contest in Corvallis, Oregon. But here goes.
Former GoldandBlack.com student staffer Griffin Herdegen contributed in a big way again this week.
Let’s start with the positive.
14 and 13
Two Boilerermakers rank in the top 20 for any major individual stat at this point in the season – Hudson Card is 14th in the country in pass completion percentage (certainly bolstered by the 24/25 game against the Sycamores), and punter Keelan Crimmins sits at 13th in the country in yards per punt. At least we’ve got that going for us.
4
Times Purdue has lost by 50-point margins in its history prior to Saturday (1974 at Michigan (51-0) ; 2013 vs. Ohio State (56-0), 2022 vs. LSU (63-7*). In 1287 games in Purdue history, it has never suffered a 59-point loss.
578
Offensive yards amassed by Notre Dame against Purdue on Saturday, the most given up by the Boilermakers ince it relinquished 589 to LSU in the 2023 Tostitos Bow. . In Coach Ryan Walters’ two-year stint as defensive coordinator at Illinois, the most yards given up by the Illini was 556 in a 42-14 loss to Virginia in 2021.
117 of 134
Purdue now ranks 117th of 134 FBS teams in opponent points per game despite giving up zero points in its first game. It is second among Power Four teams, though—Texas Tech has given up 36.3 points per game across its first three bouts.
Top 10
- 1
Updated SEC title game scenarios
The path to the championship game is clear
- 2
SEC refs under fire
'Incorrect call' wipes Bama TD away
- 3
'Fire Kelly' chants at LSU
Death Valley disapproval of Brian Kelly
- 4New
Chipper Jones
Braves legend fiercely defends SEC
- 5
Drinkwitz warns MSU
Mizzou coach sounded off
3
Top-five ranked teams that Oregon State beat or tied in the 1967 season. Unfortunately for Purdue, the No. 2-ranked Boilermaekrs were one of them as coach Dee Adnros’ Beavers shocked the Gold and Black on its homecoming 22-14. OSU also beat eventual national champ USC 3-0 (shutting out O.J. Simpson no less) and tied No. 2 UCLA 16-16 and its Heisman Trophy quarterback Gary Beban.
-5.5
Purdue opened as 5.5-point road underdogs. The Boilers have been underdogs by three to seven points 25 times since 1998, and are actually moderately successful in those spots, winning eight of those games (32%). They’ve won three games while being road dogs between three and seven points – 2022 against Illinois and Maryland, and 2017 against Iowa.
7
Purdue’s second-half lead the last time the Boilermakers played in the state of Oregon. The Ducks rallied for a hard-fought 38-36 win as costly turnovers doomed Purdue in coach Danny Hope’s second game as the Boilermakers’ head man.
10/3/70
Date of Purdue’s most recent victory on the team’s home field in a state bordering the Pacific Ocean. On that date, the upstart Boilermakers defeat No. 3 Stanford and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett 26-14. Of course, the Boilermakers won the Foster Farms Bowl in a win over Arizona in dramatic fashion on Dec. 27, 2017.
