By Danielle Daniels
GAME NOTES
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a heartbreaking overtime loss at home, Purdue Football hits the road to face No. 2 Ohio State. Kickoff is slated for noon on FOX.
QUICK HITS
• The Buckeyes are one of five current AP Top 10 teams on Purdue’s schedule this season (No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State, No. 8 Indiana and No. 10 Notre Dame).
• Purdue has seven wins against ranked opponents over the past six seasons, including three against teams ranked in the Top 3 (No. 2 Ohio State in 2018, No. 2 Iowa in 2021, No. 3 Michigan State in 2021).
• The Boilermakers have eight victories over a ranked Ohio State team, including four wins when the Buckeyes were ranked in the Top 5.
• Two of the Boilermakers’ last three games have gone to overtime, marking the first time in program history that Purdue has played two overtime games in a regular season.
• Starting center Gus Hartwig has an 82.8 pass blocking grade from PFF, ranking third in the Big Ten and 20th nationally, while not giving up a sack and allowing only one hit on the quarterback.
• Four Boilermakers (Max Klare – 78, Jaron Tibbs – 56, CJ Smith – 55 and Jahmal Edrine – 54) reached the 50-receiving yard plateau last week against Northwestern, the first time Purdue had four players over 50 yards receiving since the overtime victory in the 2021 Music City Bowl (Dec. 30, 2021 vs. Tennessee).
• Purdue has rushed for at least 200 yards in three games this year, the most 200-yard games in a season since 2018.
• Tight end Max Klare leads the Boilermakers in receptions (30), receiving yards (462) and receiving touchdowns (2), ranking third among Big Ten tight ends in receiving yeards and receptions. Klare is on pace to become the first Purdue tight end to lead the team in receptions since current tight ends coach Justin Sinz hauled in 41 receptions (240 yards, four touchdowns) during the 2013 season.
• One of the nation’s leading tacklers as an All-American a season ago, sophomore Dillon Thieneman ranks second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in solo tackles (5.1 per game) this year. The 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year leads the Boilermakers in total tackles (64) and solo tackles (42) once again this season.
• Devin Mockobee ranks sixth in the Big Ten in yards per carry (5.92).
• Kyndrich Breedlove has recorded three of Purdue’s four interceptions this season, ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 18th nationally.
• Kydran Jenkins ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally in sacks (0.69 per game). Jenkins is the conference leader in sacks wearing a Big Ten uniform, recording 22.0 throughout his career to also rank sixth in Purdue history.
• In his first season as a Boilermaker, Keelan Crimmins is on pace for the second-best punting average (44.8 yards per punt) in program history, behind only 2001 Ray Guy Award winner Travis Dorsch (48.1 yards per punt).
• Crimmins’ punting average ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 20th nationally.
BIG WINS OVER 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.
• The last time the Boilermakers beat a Top 5 Buckeyes team, 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 (Oct. 20, 2018).
• One of the most iconic plays in Purdue Football history occurred against Ohio State. Seth Morales caught the game-winning 64-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees, prompting a “Holy Toledo” from TV announcer Brent Musberger as the Boilermakers beat Ohio State (Oct. 28, 2000). Brees’ big throw to Morales helped the Boilermakers win the Big Ten and secure a trip to the Rose Bowl.
RECENT SUCCESS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
• Purdue has beaten seven ranked teams over the past six seasons, going 7-12 against Top 25 opponents despite being the underdog in each one of those games.
• Three of those wins were against Top 3 teams, while Purdue handed five of those ranked teams their first loss of the season.
• The victories during the 2021 campaign (No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Michigan State) gave Purdue multiple wins over Top 5 teams in one season for the first time since 1960 (No. 3 Ohio State, No. 1 Minnesota).
• Five of the seven wins have been by double digits, the biggest being a 29-point victory over No. 2 Ohio State in 2018.
• Purdue has 17 victories against AP Top 5 opponents as an unranked team, more than any other team during the AP Poll era (since 1936).
• Five of Purdue’s final seven opponents on its 2024 schedule are against ranked teams, including three ranked in the Top 5 (No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Ohio State).
ON THIS DATE
• Purdue upset No. 9 Michigan 9-3 at Ross-Ade Stadium (Nov. 9, 1996).
• The Boilermakers beat Ole Miss 27-7 as part of a perfect 8-0 season under head coach Jim Phelan (Nov. 9, 1929).
LEADING THE O-LINE
• Center Gus Hartwig and right tackle Marcus Mbow have been the leaders on Purdue’s offensive line this season.
• Both Boilermakers have started all eight games this season, bringing a total of 72 starts between the duo (Hartwig – 44, Mbow – 28).
• Hartwig has earned an 82.8 pass blocking grade from PFF, not allowing a sack and only surrendering one hit on the quarterback. His pass blocking grade ranks third in the Big Ten and 20th nationally among centers.
• Going up against No. 2 Oregon, Mbow earned a spot on the PFF National Team of the Week for battling the Ducks’ difficult defensive line.
• Mbow has a 78.0 run blocking grade by PFF, ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally among tackles.
OT HEARTBREAKS
• Purdue rallied from double-digit deficits in two of the past three games, forcing overtime with fourth quarter comebacks.
• The Boilermakers trailed by 24 in the second half against No. 23 Illinois before coming back and grabbing the lead late in the game. Purdue fell in overtime on a failed two-point conversion.
• Last week against Northwestern, Purdue fell into a 17-3 hole in the first half before holding the Wildcats to only three points in the second half. A Devin Mockobee touchdown with five minutes to go forced overtime, but the visitors prevailed in the extra frame.
• Purdue has played in two overtime games during a regular season for the first time in program history. The only other time the Boilermakers had two OT games in an entire season was the 2003 campaign, a setback to No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus (Nov. 15, 2003) and a loss to No. 11 Georgia in the Capital One Bowl (Jan. 1, 2004).
MAKE ROOM FOR ZOOM
• After missing the first seven games of the season due to injury, the fastest Boilermaker made his Purdue debut.
• Wide receiver CJ Smith, nicknamed “Zoom”, caught four passes for 55 yards against Northwestern in his first game for the Old Gold and Black.
• Smith’s day included a spectacular 38-yard reception over a Wildcat defender on third down that kept the drive alive.
• The sophomore nearly set a new career high, just two yards short of his 57-yard day in a win over UT Martin as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs last season.
MAD MAX
• Max Klare has not missed a beat since he returned to the lineup at the start of the season.
• The sophomore tight end leads Purdue in receptions (30), receiving yards (462) and receiving touchdowns (2), on pace to become the first tight end to lead the Boilermakers in receiving since current tight ends coach Justin Sinz paced Purdue in 2013 (41 receptions).
• Klare has led Purdue in receiving in six of the team’s eight games this season. He is one of six tight ends nationally averaging 15 yards per catch this season (min. 25 rec.).
• He had his best game as a Boilermaker at No. 23 Illinois (Oct. 12), hauling in six receptions for a career-high 133 yards. It marked the most receiving yards by a Purdue tight end since Payne Durham’s 150-yard night in the 2021 season opener and the sixth most by a Boilermaker tight end since 1996. Klare added 76 yards after catch as part of his receiving total.
• Klare was on pace to be one of the best tight ends in the country before his 2023 season was cut short. However, the sophomore bounced back in the 2024 season opener with five catches for 71 yards, both team highs. He also caught Purdue’s first touchdown of the season, a 9-yard strike from Hudson Card on the opening drive.
• Klare was also tabbed to the Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List ahead of the year.
HERE COMES THE MOCK TRAIN
• From walk-on to phenom, Devin Mockobee has certainly made a name for himself in his time in West Lafayette.
• For the third straight season, Mockobee leads the Purdue rushing attack. The junior has recorded 539 yards with three rushing touchdowns to pace the Boilermakers in both categories.
• Mockobee’s 5.92 yards per carry ranks sixth in the Big Ten.
• Mockobee sits 11th on Purdue’s all-time rushing list (2,318), passing legendary College Football Hall of Fame running back Leroy Keyes (2,094) against Nebraska (Sept. 28). He also sits 11th with 18 career rushing touchdowns, passing another College Football Hall of Famer (Otis Armstrong) by finding the end zone against Northwestern (Nov. 2).
• With 11 carries for 102 yards at No. 23 Illinois (Oct. 12), Mockobee became the seventh Boilermaker to produce at least eight 100-yard rushing games over a career and the first since Kory Sheets (2005-08) recorded nine over his career.
• He rushed for a season-high 168 rushing yards at Oregon State (Sept. 21), becoming the sixth Boilermaker since 1996 to record a 100-yard rushing game in three separate seasons.
• He started his career by setting a new Purdue freshman record with 968 rushing yards while also adding nine touchdowns.
• After being put on scholarship in the first official act of the Walters era, he led the team in rushing once again with 807 yards and six touchdowns in 2023.
• In doing so, Mockobee became the first Boilermaker to lead the team in rushing in back-to-back seasons since Markell Jones, who did it three years running (2015-17).
• The Boonville, Ind., native is one of only four Big Ten players to rush for more than 800 yards in each of the past two seasons.
TACKLES-4-LOSS
• One of the major anchors of the defense is senior Kydran Jenkins (KAY-dran), who ranks sixth in Purdue history with 22.0 career sacks and 12th with 40.0 tackles-for-loss.
• The senior linebacker leads the Boilermakers in TFLs (8.5) and sacks (5.5), while ranking second in tackles (58).
• Jenkins sacks per game (0.69) ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally.
• Jenkins had a huge game against Oregon State (Sept. 21), recording a career-high 16 tackles to go along with 3.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks. With his second sack of the contest, he became the eighth Boilermaker in program history to make 20 career sacks.
• As a junior, Jenkins finished second in the Big Ten in tackles-for-loss with 15.5 on the year, ranking 18th in the country and the most by a Boilermaker since George Karlaftis in 2019 (17.0).
• He garnered All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for the second straight year in 2023.
• A versatile player, Jenkins moved from RUSH END to middle linebacker ahead of the 2024 campaign, a position he played in high school and a spot the coaching staff believed would do more to impress NFL scouts.
DT THE TACKLING MACHINE
• After pacing Purdue and becoming one of the nation’s leading tacklers as a freshman, Dillon Thieneman is back atop the Boilermakers’ chart for tackles in 2024.
• The sophomore defensive back leads Purdue in total tackles (64) and solo tackles (42), ranking second in the Big Ten solo tackles and sixth in total tackles.
• Thieneman’s 5.1 solo tackles per game rank 12th nationally.
• A season ago, Thieneman led the team with 106 tackles, ranking fifth in the Big Ten among all players and the most by any freshman in the country
• His 74 solo tackles in 2023 led all freshmen nationwide and set a new Purdue freshman record.
HIGHWAY TO HELDT
• After recording only 12 tackles throughout his freshman season, sophomore rush end Will Heldt has made 37 tackles this season. He ranks second on the team in sacks (5.0) and tackles-for-loss (7.5).
• Heldt recorded his first career touchdown with a 16-yard scoop-and-score at No. 23 Illinois (Oct. 12).
• At Wisconsin (Oct. 5), Heldt recorded a career-high eight tackles to pace Purdue.
• Heldt started the season with a team-high seven tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss and 2.0 sacks in the win over Indiana State. Prior to the season opener, Heldt’s career high in tackles were two.
LOVIN’ THE INTs
• An important part of Purdue’s nickel defense, Kyndrich Breedlove produced a breakout game at Wisconsin (Oct. 5).
• The Nashville, Tennessee, native hauled in interceptions on back-to-back drives in the second quarter for Purdue’s first INTs of the season.
• Breedlove’s performance marked just the eighth time in the last decade that a Boilermaker recorded two interceptions in one game and the first since Dillon Thieneman did it in the 2023 season finale victory over Indiana.
• He added his third INT of the season against No. 2 Oregon (Oct. 18), becoming the 13th Boilermaker over the past decade to pick off three passes in a season.
• Breedlove also leads the Boilermakers with four pass breakups on the season.
ANOTHER AUSSIE
• Keelan Crimmins has quickly become one of Purdue’s most reliable punters in program history.
• Crimmins is fourth in the Big Ten and ranks 20th nationally with a 44.8-yard average. He is on pace to be the fourth Boilermaker to average over 44 yards in a season going back to 1976.
• He is on pace for the second-highest season punt average in program history behind Ray Guy Award winner Travis Dorsch (48.1 yards per punt).
• Against Notre Dame, Crimmins punted 10 times for a 47.3-yard clip with a pair of balls over 50 yards and three inside the 20-yard line.
• It was only the sixth time a Big Ten punter averaged over 47 yards when punting 10 times. Iowa has three of them.
• His career-long 64-yard kick against the Irish was just the 20th ball of 64 or more yards by Purdue punter since 1996.
• He tallied a 46.7-yard average against Indiana State on three boots.
• The Aussie was the No. 3-ranked punter by ProKick Australia.
• He played cricket and high-level Australian Rules Football.
• Crimmins is the second straight Purdue punter from Australia, joining Jack Ansell (2021-23), who also wore No. 30.
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