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Number Crunching--Purdue-Wisconsin week

Karpick_headshot500x500by:Alan Karpick10/01/24

AlanKarpick

KK short block_BETTER

3

Starting with something positive, Purdue leads the country with three blocked kicks, having blocked two field goals against Nebraska and a punt against Indiana State. It was the first time the Boilermakers blocked two field goals in a game since future NFLers Ricardo Allen and KK Short (shown in Tom Campbell’s above image) did so in a 27-24 opening day win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 3, 2011.

3rd

Purdue committed 13 penalties for 165 yards on Saturday, making them the third-most penalized team in the country with 92.0 penalty yards per game (next in the Big Ten: Washington with 80.8). The 165 penalty yards are the most for Purdue in a game this century and close to being the most in Purdue history (171 against Northwestern in 1969).

Joe Tiller and Drew Brees after Purdue’s Rose Bowl clinching win over Indiana in 2000 (Tom Campbell)

7

Years (as of yesterday (Sept. 30, 2017) since Joe Tiller’s passing at 75. In the 15 years before Joe Tiller, Purdue’s winning percentage was .339. Joe’s winning percentage was .584 over 12 years. In the 15-plus years since Joe, Purdue’s winning percentage is .389.

Purdue’s offensive production is down 60 yards per game in 2024, despite a prolific performance in the season opener against ISU.

400+

For the first time since their final three games of 2019, Purdue has allowed over 400 offensive yards three weeks in a row. In his final year as Illinois’ defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters‘ Illini defense didn’t allow 400+ defensive yards a single time. 

2024 v 2023

4. A comparison of major offensive and defensive stats between 2024 and 2023:

Points Per Game – 2024: 21.8 PPG, 2023: 23.9 PPG
Passing Yards – 2024: 172.3 YPG, 2023: 211.2 YPG
Rushing Yards – 2024: 149.8 YPG, 2023: 169.1 YPG
Total Offense – 2024: 322.0 YPG, 2023: 380.3 YPG
Penalties – 2024: 92.0 YPG, 2023: 56.3 YPG
Offensive Turnovers – 2024: 1.5 per game, 2023: 1.5 per game

Points Allowed Per Game: 2024 – 33.0 PPG, 2023: 30.4 PPG
Passing Yards Allowed – 2024: 156.8 YPG, 2023: 241.5 YPG
Rushing Yards Allowed – 2024: 242.0 YPG, 2023: 140.6 YPG
Total Offense Allowed – 2024: 398.8 YPG, 2024: 382.1 YPG
Turnovers Forced – 2024: 0.0 per game, 2024: 1.5 per game

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There is only one significant statistic (passing yards allowed per game) where the Boilers (either offensively or defensively) have improved from last year, possibly attributable to teams not needing to pass against Purdue to date.

4

Teams that haven’t beaten a Power-4 team this year. Purdue joins Wake Forest, Kansas and Mississippi State with this dubious distinction. Purdue’s average margin of defeat of 31.3 points per game this year, 131st out of 134 teams in the FBS and almost double that of the next worst team in the Big Ten (UCLA, 16.0 average). They’ve also not scored a single point in the first quarter against an FBS foe this year, one of only two Power 4 opponents with this honor (surprisingly, the other school is Georgia).

17.1

Purdue’s average loss in points as a 13-+-point road underdog as it finds itself Saturday in Wisconsin.

Gold and Black Illustrated headline from Purdue-Notre Dame game of 1993.

0-0; 368

Purdue and Nebraska played to a scoreless tie in the first half of Saturday’s game. It was the first time that has happened in a Boilermaker contest since Sept. 25, 1993 when Purdue and Notre Dame did it in a driving rainstorm. That is a span of 368 games. It was also the last season Purdue replaced a coordinator in the same season when Jim Colletto released Moe Ankney after a 59-56 loss at Minnesota two weeks later.

Note: We chose not even to mention Purdue’s current negative winning streak against Wisconsin. Enough was enough.

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