No. 10 Indiana heads back home sitting at 10-1 on the season, set to do battle with Purdue (1-10) in Bloomington for the Old Oaken Bucket.
The Hoosiers enter the contest following their first loss of the season last weekend at the hands of Ohio State. Meanwhile, the Boilermakers are just a week removed from a one-score loss at Michigan State.
Take an early look at Indiana's week 14 opponent, the Purdue Boilermakers.
KEY PLAYERS
- Quarterback Hudson Card: Senior quarterback Hudson Card has not had the season that he or the Boilermakers would've hoped for. The native of Austin, Texas ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten with 1,606 passing yards this season. Similarly, Card ranks amongst the worst in the conference with just nine passing touchdowns to six interceptions on the year. Card is not a threat with his legs.
- Running Back Devin Mockobee: Tailback Devin Mockobee is a junior out of Boonville, Indiana. Standing at 6-foot and 207 pounds, Mockobee runs hard and has had a strong season statistically. Mockobee had 666 yards rushing this year, and he's found the end zone four times on the ground. Mockobee had led the charge for the Boilermaker's rushing attack this season, ranking inside the top-10 in the Big Ten averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
- Tight End Max Klare: The passing game has struggled throughout the year for Purdue, however tight end Max Klare has been one of the few bright spots. Klare might just be the most talented player on the Boilermaker offense. He's tallied 46 receptions for 649 yards and four touchdowns this season. The sophomore out of Guilford, Indiana ranks second amongst Big Ten tight ends in receiving this year.
- Linebacker Kydran Jenkins: Linebacker Kydran Jenkins is one of the leaders for the Purdue defense. Jenkins ranks 10th in the Big Ten in tackles with 78 this season. He also has a team-best 6.5 sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss -- both of which rank inside the top six in the conference. Jenkins also has five quarterback hurries on the year. Playing at the linebacker spot, Jenkins is much more polished as a pass rusher at this point in his career than he is stopping the run or dropping back into pass coverage.
- Safety Dillon Thieneman: Westfield, Indiana native Dillon Thieneman entered the season with sky-high expectations. While he may not be having the same season he did a year ago as a Freshman All-American, Thieneman still ranks fifth in the Big Ten in tackles, with 94 from his safety spot. The 6-foot and 207 pound Thieneman had 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks and six pass breakups on the year. On a team that has struggled mightily this season, Thieneman has continued to be one of the top safeties in the conference.
KEY STATS
- Purdue ranks within the bottom six of the Big Ten in both passing yards and rushing yards this season.
- The Boilermakers rank 10th in the conference in sacks (20.0) and tackles for loss (57.0) this year.
- The Boilermakers have struggled to force turnovers this season. Purdue is -11 in turnover margin this season, having intercepted four passes (tied for last in the Big Ten) and forced two fumbles (last in the Big Ten).
- Purdue's special teams has struggled too. The Boilermakers as a team are 9-of-15 on field goal attempts this year.
- Opponents have converted on 93.0% of their red zone trips against Purdue this year.
- The Boilermakers have been the second-worst team in the league on third down this season, converting on just 34.1% of their third downs.
OTHER NOTES
- Purdue went 4-8 last season, although the Boilermakers beat the Hoosiers 35-31 in West Lafayette a season ago.
- The Boilermakers lead the all-time series with the Hoosiers 77-42-6. Purdue has won three straight against Indiana.
- Kickoff is set for 7pm ET on FS1.
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