Meet The Opponent: No. 10 Indiana Can’t Overlook Struggling Purdue

The Boilermakers are suffering through one of their worst football seasons, but this is a proud team.

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter (23) tackles Purdue Boilermakers tight end Max Klare (86) in the end zone for a touchdown during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Two years ago, Purdue’s football team celebrated a Big Ten West Division championship at Indiana’s Memorial Stadium.

The Boilermakers were 30-16 victors in 2022 and clinched a spot in the Big Ten championship game.

So much has changed since that happy day for the Boilermakers in Bloomington.

Jeff Brohm coached that Purdue team, and now he’s at Louisville. Aidan O’Connell, Purdue’s quarterback, is a Las Vegas Raider. His main target, Charlie Jones, is a Cincinnati Bengal.

Of the major Purdue contributors that day, only running back Devin Mockobee, right tackle Marcus M’Bow, linebacker Kydran Jenkins and defensive end Joe Anderson are current regulars for the Boilermakers.

Ryan Walters replaced Brohm as coach, and fortunes at West Lafayette have taken a nose dive.

Since Purdue concluded the 2022 season with an 8-6 mark, the Boilermakers have only won five games – and the one victory this season came against FCS Indiana State.

Purdue has had the toughest schedule in the country and certainly didn’t get the rub of the green as far as its Big Ten slate is concerned. The Boilermakers have played or will play all four of the Big Ten’s College Football Playoff contenders. Purdue has only played one Big Ten team – Northwestern – that has two wins or less in conference play.

Purdue has been competitive at times – overtime losses against Illinois and Northwestern both stung, as did a 24-17 defeat at Michigan State Friday in which Purdue had multiple chances to tie the game.

But against the Big Ten big dogs – Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State – the Boilermakers were collectively outscored 129-10.

While Purdue’s fortunes have plunged, No. 10 Indiana’s have risen to unexpected heights. The disparity in wins between the two teams – Indiana with 10, Purdue with one – is the largest in the history of the Old Oaken Bucket game.

Despite all of that, Walters insists that Purdue is maintaining its focus.

“What I've been surprised with in terms of our entire program, players, coaches alike, is just the ability to put blinders on, block out the noise, and focus on the task at hand. Work at it. Go play, put forth your best effort, then whatever the results are they are. Sort of reset and do it again,” Walters said on Monday.

“That can be tough in today's world with social media and sort of everybody having a voice. So for those 18- to 22-year-olds to be able to come to work and show up every day with a positive attitude and still dive into their craft, trying to get better and going through the process, I've been surprised with sort of their resolve and their resiliency that way,” Walters added.

Purdue knows a little bit about playing the elite in the Big Ten Conference, and Walters has respect for the job Curt Cignetti has done in Bloomington.

“Those guys, they force you to try to beat them on all three phases. You can tell they've played a lot of ball. A lot of those guys have played a lot of ball together. They're playing extremely confident right now,” Walters said.

“It's the same theme throughout the season. They get off to really fast starts on offense and defense. Teams sort of hang around and midway through the third quarter, seems like they tend to pull away and the game ends up looking a lot more lopsided than it was through the meat of the game,” Walters noted.

Here's what to know about the Boilermakers:

Key Offensive Players

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card (1) scrambles, under pressure from Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Khris Bogle (2) during the third quarter at Spartan Stadium. / Dale Young-Imagn Images

• Quarterback Hudson Card has not put up award-winning statistics. He’s thrown nine touchdown passes for 1,606 yards and been intercepted six times. That’s not what Purdue was hoping it was going to get when Card was wooed away from Texas prior to the 2023 season.

However, Card has not been bad by the standards of other quarterbacks at the FBS level. According to Pro Football Focus, Card has been scored as Purdue’s best offensive player with a grade of 84.4. In their passing grading system, Card is scored at 83.3, which ranks 32nd among FCS players.

Again, not award winning form, but not bad, either.

Card is coming off of a 342-yard passing effort against Michigan State, so the Hoosiers need to be wary of his abilities.

• Tight end Max Klare had a breakout season in 2023 for Purdue, and he’s built upon his production in a big way in 2024 despite Purdue’s overall problems.

Klare has 46 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns. He’s doubled his reception total from 2023 and more than tripled his yardage haul.

Somehow, Klare isn’t on the John Mackey Award watch list for the best tight end. He isn’t the best tight end in the country – Penn State’s Tyler Warren eclipses him – but Klare ranks 11th in the Big Ten in receiving yards. That’s more than more ballyhooed tight ends like Michigan’s Colston Loveland.  

• Center Gus Hartwig is a rarity in today’s college football world of movement – a long-term starter at the same school. The senior became a starter for Purdue in 2022 and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in 2023.

Hartwig grades out as one of Purdue’s top five best offensive players in 2024 – the only other offensive lineman he trails is fellow veteran M’Bow.

Key Defensive Players

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) is tackled by Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Kydran Jenkins (4) during the second half at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara Perenic/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

• Linebacker Kydran Jenkins is to the defense in experience much as Hartwig is to the offense. He’s only played at Purdue, and he’s quietly done a fine job over the course of his career. This season, Jenkins is sixth in the Big Ten with 6.5 sacks and 10th in total tackles with 78.

Jenkins is sixth in Purdue history with 22 sacks, and he’s a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention selection.

• Strong safety Dillon Thieneman has not quite picked up where he left off after he was named the 2023 Big Ten Freshman Of The Year, but he’s been pretty good anyway.

“He's definitely a good player. You can see it on film. He plays hard. They play hard,” Indiana wide receiver Myles Price said on Tuesday.

Thieneman has not had an interception in 2024, but he has amassed 83 tackles and one sack. He is rated by PFF.com as Purdue’s best defensive player with a score of 75.3. However, in a sign of how Purdue’s defense has struggled and how Indiana’s has improved, Thieneman would only rate 14th among Indiana defenders.

Thieneman is one of just seven defensive backs to have 130 or more solo tackles between their freshman and sophomore seasons since 2005.

• Another sophomore who has an impact for the Boilermakers is edge rusher Will Heidt. Heidt has come into his own in 2024 after moving from a linebacker spot to a pass rushing role.

He’s second on the Boilermakers in sacks (5) and tackles for loss (9). He’s third on the Boilermakers in overall tackles with 54.

Purdue Notes

• Edrine beside himself: Last Friday’s 24-17 loss to Michigan State featured a feast and famine performance from wide receiver Jahmal Edrine.

With 9:06 left, Edrine made a 27-yard circus catch despite pass interference from the Spartans that made the highlight reel for all the right reasons.

With 5:24 left on Purdue’s next series, Edrine got behind Michigan State’s secondary and was wide open for what would have been a game-tying touchdown, but he couldn’t haul in Card’s pass.

Purdue never got a better chance to tie the game.

“I know Jahmal Edrine is still sick right now on the double move. We've seen him make that play. Made it in the Illinois game,” Walters said.

“I don't know if it's the moment that was too big, lack of focus or whatever the case may be. Those are all things that we can learn from,” Walters added.

• Purdue running game falls off: One thing Purdue did well in spurts in the first half of the season was run the ball. Four times, including against powerful Oregon, the Boilermakers topped 200 yards rushing.

However, the production has fallen off in Purdue’s last four games. Purdue has rushed for 226 yards total and averaged 56.5 per game.

Purdue Boilermakers running back Reggie Love III (23) is tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11), Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Kobe King (41) and Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas (13) Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Devin Mockobee has rushed for 156 yards over that stretch, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, but he isn’t getting much help. Reggie Love III, who rushed for 93 yards against Oregon on Oct. 18, has not reached that total in four combined games since. Love has totaled 53 yards and averaged 1.9 yards per carry since.

Considering that Indiana is the top-ranked run defense in the nation? None of this bodes well for the Boilermakers.

• Avoiding infamous history: Purdue needs an upset victory to avoid becoming part of Big Ten winless infamy.

The last two teams to finish without a Big Ten victory were Indiana and Northwestern in 2021.

“We have to execute for four quarters. We've done it in spurts. We got to put two full halves together on offense and defense,” Walters said. “Obviously can't do things to put ourselves behind the 8-ball, sort of give them opportunities. When we have opportunities, we got to take advantage of them.”

Purdue has gone winless 12 times in its Big Ten history, but only twice in the post-World War II era when more games are played in a season. The Boilermakers were winless in 1993 and 2013.

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