Purdue Football Bye Week: 2022 Season Stats Through 8 Games
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football is on a bye week following a 35-24 loss to Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, which brought the team to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
The Boilermakers have four games remaining in the 2022 regular season and can clinch a conference championship appearance by winning out. Purdue will welcome Iowa to Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 5, after its bye and before going on the road for a matchup with Illinois.
The team will end the season with a home contest against Northwestern and then an away game with in-state rival Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Here's a look at how the Boilermakers have done statistically through the first eight games of the season:
Offense
- Scoring: 32.8 points per game, No. 5 in Big Ten, No. 43 in FBS,
- Total offense: 444.6 yards per game, No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 34 in FBS
- Rushing offense: 130.4 yards per game, No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 94 in FBS
- Passing offense: 314.3 yards per game, No. 1 in Big Ten, No. 12 in FBS
- Red zone offense: 34-37 (91.9%), 27 touchdowns, No. 2 in Big Ten, No. 21 in FBS
Purdue coach Jeff Brohm continues to lead one of the nation's top passing offenses. The team ranks first in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, even topping No. 2 Ohio State. Sixth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell paces the conference with an average of 324.3 yards through the air, which is good for sixth in the nation.
O'Connell's favorite target has been receiver Charlie Jones, who's blossomed into one of the league's most productive pass catchers after transferring from Iowa in the offseason. He ranks first in the Big Ten in catches per game (9.0), while coming in at second in both touchdown receptions (9) and average receiving yards (105.0).
But where the Boilermakers have made the most strides in 2022 has been in the running game. Redshirt freshman running back Devin Mockobee — a walk-on out of Boonville, Ind. — leads the team with 561 yards rushing and six touchdowns on the ground.
Mockobee needs to average 109.8 yards in the last four games of the season to become Purdue's first 1,000-yard rusher since Kory Sheets ran for 1,131 yards in 2008. Only six different players have ever reached the milestone in program history.
Defense
- Scoring defense: 25.5 points per game allowed, No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 63 in FBS
- Total defense: 353.0 yards per game, No. 8 in Big Ten, No. 44 in FBS
- Rushing defense: 110.3 yards allowed per game, No. 6 in Big Ten, No. 17 in FBS
- Passing defense: 242.8 yards allowed per game, No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 87 in FBS
- Sacks: 18 sacks (2.25 per game), T-No. 4 in Big Ten, T-No. 53 in FBS
- Tackles for loss: 4.8 per game, No. 12 in Big Ten, T-No. 105 in FBS
- Red zone defense: 18-23 (78.3%), 15 touchdowns, No. 6 in Big Ten, No. 33 in FBS
Purdue's defense is led by a steady rotation of defensive linemen that have been responsible for giving up just 110.3 yards on the ground this season. Before Wisconsin sophomore running back Braelon Allen's 116-yard performance last Saturday, the team hadn't allowed a single 100-yard rusher.
From a pass-rushing perspective, junior defensive end Kyrdran Jenkins leads the way with 3.5 sacks on the year. His 5.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries are also first among the Boilermakers. So far, 18 different players have recorded at least 0.5 tackles for loss with 11 of them also having at least 0.5 sacks.
In the secondary, redshirt senior cornerback Cory Trice has been a lockdown defender after returning from an ACL injury that cut his 2021 season short. He leads the team with eight pass breakups and is among seven players to come away with an interception.
Purdue ranks third in the Big Ten with 10 total interceptions, including two that have been returned for touchdowns. Senior safety Cam Allen is tied for third in the conference with three interceptions.
Special Teams
- Kickoff return: 19.4 yards per return, No. 8 in Big Ten, No. 82 in FBS
- Punt return: 7.1 yards per return, No. 7 in Big Ten, No. 72 in FBS
- Net punting: 37.4 yards per punt, No. 9 in Big Ten, No. 95 in FBS
Entering the year, Jones was touted for his ability as a return specialist due to his production at Iowa. He was named the Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year in 2021 and earned first-team All-Big Ten return specialist honors by league coaches and media. However, with an increased role on offense, he hasn't made quite the impact as initially expected on special teams.
Jones is averaging 15.6 yards on kickoff returns and 6.6 yards on punt returns, which are both career lows for a single season. In recent weeks, redshirt freshman wide receiver Deion Burks has taken over as the team's primary kick returner, recording 10 runbacks for 213 total yards and an average of 21.3 yards per return.
Fifth-year senior Mitchell Fineran has been inconsistent for Purdue so far this season. He is 9-for-13 on his field goal tries and 30-32 on extra point attempts. He's hit on just two of his five kicks from at least 40 yards out.
Sophomore punter Jack Ansell — a native of Warrnambool, Australia — has improved on both his average yards per punt and net yards per punt after struggling at times in his first season of college football. He has 28 punts on the year with an average of 44.2 yards per attempt and a long of 67 yards. Ansell has downed six punts inside the 20-yard line, which is already double his total from the 2021 season.
Misc.
- Turnover margin: -2, No. 72 in the FBS, No. 11 in Big Ten, T-No. 82 in FBS
- Fewest penalties per game: 5.75 per game, No. 9 in Big Ten, T-No. 48 in FBS
- Fewest penalty yards: 472 (59.0 yards per game), No. 10 in Big Ten, No. 78 in FBS
- Time of possession: 33:16 per game, No. 4 in Big Ten, No. 10 in FBS
Despite its three losses on the year, Purdue is among the best in the nation in controlling the football thanks to an improved rushing attack. However, the team will look to cut down on penalties after being plagued by mistakes on both sides of the ball in that area during the first part of the season.
The Boilermakers have registered 15 turnovers on the season, including three total giveaways in two of their last three games.
Related Stories:
- Big Ten Conference Week 9 Football Schedule, Standings
- Big Ten Championship Berth Still on the Table for Purdue
- Purdue Drops 16th Straight Game to Wisconsin, Losing 35-24
- Boilers Look to Reset in the Secondary During Bye Week
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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.