First Look at Purdue Football's Week 4 Matchup With Florida Atlantic
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten) has a lot to improve on as it closes out its nonconference schedule Saturday in a Homecoming game against Florida Atlantic.
The Owls are 2-2 on the season after falling to the University of Central Florida 40-14. Despite the loss, the team boasted a strong rushing attack that has been prevalent all season. Running backs Larry McCammon and Zuberi Mobley combined for 174 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
Florida Atlantic quarterback N'Kosi Perry is a dynamic athlete that has had success both through the air and on the ground. Alongside 987 yards and 10 touchdowns passing, he's added 44 yards rushing and a pair of scores through four games.
"Any time you have a good, athletic quarterback and skill players, you've got to account for them," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "If there's one thing we need to get better as a defense, it's containing the quarterback and making sure that he doesn't beat us with his feet."
The last time Florida Atlantic came away with a victory, it was a dominant 42-9 win against Southeastern Louisianna. Mobley led the way with 175 rushing yards while McCammon finished with 125 yards on the ground as well. Both players reached the end zone in the win.
Perry accounted for three passes touchdowns and finished with 259 yards through the air, but he was also responsible for a pair of interceptions.
Purdue and Florida Atlantic are scheduled to face off a 7:30 p.m. ET inside Ross-Ade Stadium. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
The Boilermakers, who are coming off a 32-29 loss to Syracuse on the road, are the second-most penalized team in the Big Ten. The team has amassed 243 penalty yards through three games, trailing only Maryland.
"A lot to learn from the last game," Brohm said. "So, before we move on to Florida Atlantic, obviously, we need to clean up a lot of things with our football team. And that's kind of what this process has been since the last game."
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.