What Purdue Boilermakers Are Saying About Oregon Ducks: 'Shock The World'

The Oregon Ducks face the Purdue Boilermakers on the road on Friday night. What is Purdue saying about the upcoming matchup, Oregon coach Dan Lanning and quarterback Dillon Gabriel? Purdue wide receiver Jaron Tibbs believes his team can upset Oregon and "shock the world."

Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters looks on during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The No. 2 Oregon Ducks travel to face off against the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night. Boilermakers’ coach Ryan Walters, quarterback Ryan Browne and wide receiver Jaron Tibbs discussed what makes the Ducks a difficult opponent. 

What Purdue Coach Ryan Walters Said About Ducks

Coach Dan Lanning celebrates amid a crowd of fans on the field as No. 3 Oregon knocked off No. 2 Ohio State 32-31 on Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue coach Ryan Walter was asked about what makes Oregon such a tough opponent to face. 

“They are talented…Big, physical, fast. At every position, they got playmakers,” Walters said. “They are the No. 2 team in the country for a reason.”

Walters also gave high praise to the Ducks coach Dan Lanning.

“I know Dan Lanning. He’s a great coach, and he does things the right way,” Walters said. “His guys are always competitive, tough, and physical. It will be a great match.”

Since moving off their previous offensive coordinator a few weeks ago, the Boilermakers are relying more on coach Walters on the offensive side of the ball. 

The Boilermakers are off to a 1-5 start in the 2024 season. They are winless in Big Ten play.

Purdue Quarterback Ryan Browne: “They’re a Great Team”

Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne spoke about the Oregon Ducks earlier in the week.

“They’re a great football team. They play hard; they’ve got a lot of talent. We just got to worry about what we can do,” Browne said. “For me, I just got to put my teammates in the best position they can succeed.” 

Browne started his first game at quarterback against Illinois on Saturday. Browne balled out and racked up 415 total yards of offense, threw for 3 touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over a single time. The Purdue offense showed life and put up 49 points in the overtime loss to a top-25-ranked Illinois team. There’s reason to be optimistic for Purdue fans.

Coach Ryan Walters confirmed that Browne would be starting again against the Ducks on Friday night. 

Can Purdue Shock Oregon?

The Purdue Boilermakers are massive underdogs against the Oregon Ducks. The Boilermakers are 27.5 point home underdogs vs. the Ducks per DraftKings Sportsbook. The over-under point total is set at 61.

"I definitely think we can shock the world. It's not going to be easy; it's definitely going to be a four-quarter fight, but with the game plan and what we have in the locker room, we can go shock the world,” Purdue wide receiver Jaron Tibbs said.

“It's a really good football team,” continued Tibbs. “They've got a lot of good players in the secondary and a very good D-line, but I think we got a good game plan.” 

While it may seem like a long shot for Purdue to pull off the stunning upset, the Boilermakers have tended to pull off upsets at home of highly ranked teams.

Since 2018, Purdue has knocked off seven ranked teams, including three teams ranked in the top three, per Purdue Sports. Oregon can not afford to overlook them.

Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 5 p.m. PST on FOX. 

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