By Danielle Daniels

Ryan Walters Purdue head coach talking Boilermakers Football July 2023.mp3

10/11/2023

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue Football returns home to host No. 3 Ohio State in a cross-divisional matchup. It will be a blackout in Ross-Ade Stadium with all fans encouraged to wear black to cheer on the Boilermakers. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on Peacock.

The contest will also be the team’s annual Hammer Down Cancer game, raising money for the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research. The last time Purdue hosted Ohio State (Oct. 20, 2018), the Boilermakers rolled past the No. 2 Buckeyes 49-20 behind inspiration from superfan Tyler Trent.

Purdue is the only team to have three wide receivers ranked in the B1G’s Top 10 for receptions. Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen ranks third with 25, while Deion Burks and TJ Sheffield are tied for sixth with 24 catches apiece. The Boilermakers are one of only two teams (Maryland) in the Big Ten to average at least 240 passing yards per game and at least 140 yards rushing yards per game. Purdue leads the Big Ten in first downs (140), including 76 passing first downs which also tops the conference.

HONORARY CAPTAIN                                 
• Seth Morales (2000-02) will serve as the honorary captain for Saturday’s game.
• The former Boilermaker wide receiver is remembered for one of the most famous plays in Purdue Football history, catching the game-winning 64-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to beat Ohio State (Oct. 28, 2000).
• Morales’ big catch, as well as his 35 receptions for 556 yards throughout the 2000 season, helped the Boilermakers win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl.

OPPONENT SNAPSHOT                              
• No. 3 Ohio State enters Saturday’s matchup with a perfect 5-0 (2-0 B1G) record following a 37-17 victory over Maryland.
• The Buckeyes are one of six teams in the country to score three defensive touchdowns, while only allowing 10.2 ppg to rank third nationally.
• Ohio State paces the Big Ten in passing offense, averaging 302.8 yards per game led by starting quarterback Kyle McCord (1,375 yards).
• Marvin Harrison Jr. averages 99.8 receiving yards per game to top the conference.
• Ryan Day is in his fifth season as OSU’s head coach, promoted in 2019 following two seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

WINS OVER TOP-5 BUCKEYES                 
• Purdue is no stranger to upsetting Ohio State.
• The Boilermakers have defeated a ranked OSU team eight times throughout history, including four times when the Buckeyes were ranked in the Top 5.

LAST MATCHUP IN ROSS-ADE                 
• The last time the Boilermakers welcomed the Buckeyes to Ross-Ade Stadium (Oct. 20, 2018), it was a night Purdue fans will never forget.
• Inspired by Purdue superfan Tyler Trent’s fight against cancer, the Boilermakers blew out No. 2 Ohio State 49-20.
• Ethan Trent, Tyler’s brother, is a freshman offensive lineman for the 2023 Boilermakers.
• David Blough went 25-of-43 for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
• D.J. Knox rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns.
• Markus Bailey (Cincinnati Bengals) sealed the victory with a 41-yard pick-six.

THIENEMAN NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK, AGAIN      
• For the second time this season, defensive back Dillon Thieneman has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday morning (Oct. 9).
• Thieneman earned the accolade after hauling in his team-leading third interception of the season to go along with eight tackles (seven solo) against Iowa.
• The Westfield, Indiana, native led a secondary that held the Hawkeyes to just 6-of-21 (28.6%) for 110 yards through the air, the lowest completion percentage allowed since limiting Illinois to 27.6% 17 years ago (Nov. 11, 2006).
• With his third interception of the season, Thieneman became the nation’s only freshman with three INTs.
• Thieneman joined Devin Mockobee (2022), David Bell (2019) and Rondale Moore (2018) as Boilermakers to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Week multiple times throughout the past six seasons.
• Thieneman joins Frankie Williams as the only Boilermaker defenders to win the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice.

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