“B1G Things to Know” is your weekly gathering of the 10 most important things you’ll want to know about this week’s Ohio State game. These 10 facts will help you be the most knowledgeable fan at your Game Day activity, no matter where you gather across Buckeye Nation to cheer on the Men of the Scarlet & Gray.
Purdue University, a public research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, was founded in 1869. Like many of the schools in the Big Ten Conference, Purdue was originally founded under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862. The university is named after local businessman John Purdue, who donated land and money to establish the school. The first classes were held on September 16, 1874, Purdue issued its first degree, a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, in 1875 and admitted its first female students that fall.
Purdue is a of the charter members of the Big Ten Conference. The Boilermakers got their nickname following an 1891 game versus nearby Wabash College. The name was picked up by newspapers in the Lafayette area, and in October of 1892, the Purdue student newspaper announced their support of the nickname.
Purdue, which began playing football in 1894, has an all-time record of 611-563-48. They have won 8 Big Ten Championships with the most recent in 2000. The Boilermakers have a 10-8 record in bowl games.
Ohio State travels to West Lafayette to face the Boilermakers on Saturday at 7:30 Eastern. To make sure you are ready for kickoff, here are your B1G Things to Know, Purdue Edition:
- The Ohio State-Purdue series dates back to 1919 and Saturday night will be the 56th meeting between the two programs (Ohio State leads, 39-14-2). It will be the first game in the series since 2013.
- In his second year as Purdue’s head coach, Jeff Brohm is 10-9 since arriving in West Lafayette and took the Boilermakers to their first bowl game since 2012.
- Purdue’s 39-point margin of victory at Illinois last Saturday was the largest since a 48-6 win over Eastern Kentucky in 2012; largest against an FBS opponent since a 62-10 win over Indiana in 2008; and largest in a Big Ten road game since a 56-7 win at Indiana in 1997.
- Ohio State comes into Saturday’s game ranked No. 2 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, making it the highest ranked team to come to Ross-Ade Stadium since second-ranked Penn State paid a visit in October of 1999. Purdue is 4-10 all-time in school history when squaring off against the second-ranked team in the nation.
- On September 22, Purdue’s victory over then-No. 23 Boston College marked the Boilermakers’ first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 23 Illinois in 2011. It was the first win over a ranked opponent in the last 20 tries. The 17-point edge was the largest margin of victory over a top 25 team since beating No. 5 Michigan State 52-28 on Oct. 16, 1999.
- Purdue Freshman WR Rondale Moore has held the football 73 times in his six-game collegiate career and is averaging 13.8 yards per touch. He has 45 receptions for a team-leading 558 yards, 9 carries for 143 yards, 13 kick returns for 269 yards and six punt returns for 41 yards entering the Ohio State game. Moore has 18 plays of 20 or more yards this season, including a 76-yard touchdown rush and a 70-yard scoring reception.
- Purdue possesses one of the nation’s top offenses. Led by QB David Blough, the Boilermakers are averaging 330.8 yards passing per game (seventh best nationally) and 510.2 total yards (10th best nationally).
- Purdue Sophomore LB Cornel Jones leads the Big Ten with 11.0 tackles for loss and also has 40 total tackles
- David Blough is third in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,695) and is coming off a 377-yard, three-TD outing last week.
- Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins is ranked in the top five nationally in TD passes (first, 28), passing yards (third, 2,331) and completion percentage (third, 72.3).
And there you have it. You are now officially ready to begin your Game Day activities. You can now lay claim to the title of “Smartest Buckeye Fan at your Tailgate/Watch Party”. Go Bucks!
Each week, Mike Meals scours through the Media Guides of Ohio State and that week’s opponent to find you the 10 most fascinating, important, and/or crazy facts to prepare you for that week’s game. You can also catch Mike along with Hayes & Cannon Content Manager/Writer Brandon Zimmerman on the weekly episodes of “The Sons of Schmidt” podcast on the Ozone Radio Network. Follow Mike on twitter (@mmeals)
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