Purdue Football Opens as Heavy Favorite for Homecoming Game Against Florida Atlantic

Purdue football will return to Ross-Ade Stadium for a Homecoming matchup with Florida Atlantic. The team is coming off a 32-29 loss on the road against Syracuse.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue football is coming off a disappointing road loss to Syracuse and sits at 1-2 on the season through three weeks of play. The team will play its final nonconference opponent of the season on Saturday when it takes on Florida Atlantic inside Ross-Ade Stadium. 

It will be the first meeting between the two programs, and the Boilermakers opened as a 20-point favorite, according to the SI Sportsbook. The over/under was set at 61 points. 

"From here on out, we have tough opponents every week," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "It starts with Florida Atlantic, who is athletic and has played a lot of football. It's going to be a tough battle and a tough contest.

"We have to improve this week at all these small things that mean a lot and make sure we're continuing to get better as a team. So that's going to be the focus this week, and we're looking forward to getting back on the game field on Saturday."

Florida Atlantic sits at 2-2 this season and is coming off a 40-14 loss at the hands of the University of Central Florida at home. The Owls are led by senior quarterback N'Kosi Perry, who has passed for 987 yards, 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions through four games. He has also added 44 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. 

The team also has an explosive running back in junior Larry McCammon, who leads Florida Atlantic with 394 rushing yards on the season while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. 

Against Syracuse, Purdue contained star running back Sean Tucker but allowed quarterback Garrett Shrader to rush for a team-high 83 yards. His scrambling ability was critical for the Orange in extending plays and sustaining drives during the game. 

"Any time you have a good, athletic quarterback and skill players, you've got to account for them," 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."

Saturday will be Purdue's Homecoming game. The Boilermakers have an all-time record of 52-43-3 in such matchups, including seven victories over ranked opponents. The last time the team played against a nonconference foe for its Homecoming, it took down No. 23 Boston College 30-13 during Brohm's second season with the program. 

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