As Penn State looks to close out the season strong, a roadtrip to West Lafayette kicks off the first of two straight weeks away from Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions. James Franklin and company will head to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon.
The Boilermakers have been one of the worst teams, not only in the Big Ten, not only at the Power 4 level, but in all of college football.
Happy Valley Insider takes a closer look at the Boilermakers by the numbers, ahead of Saturday's matchup.
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Offense:
Purdue's offensive woes have been the biggest talking point for the program this season, resulting in a lot of shuffling from the coaching perspective. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was fired in September, before offensive analyst Jason Simmons took over for all of one week, then Ryan Walters assumed the role of offensive coordinator and play caller for the Boilermakers for over a month.
After a 49-point outburst against Illinois in his debut in the role, the Boilermakers have scored just 20 points across three games and have been shutout twice during that same time. The scoring output has dipped to just 18.0 points per game, which is last in the Big Ten and 127th in the nation.
Perhaps the lone bright spot on the offensive side of the ball has been the run game, behind Devin Mockobee and Reggie Love III. The Boilermakers rank in the middle of the pack in rushing this season with 143 yards per game, while having the fourth fewest attempts. That is largely due to Purdue constantly finding itself facing early deficits, which has abandoned the run game as games have progressed.
Mockobee is the leader of the unit, with 612 yards and three scores to pace the backfield for a third straight season, while Love has chipped in 358 yards and two touchdowns in a complementary role.
Quarterback Hudson Card has struggled to find consistency in his second season as a full-time starter, ranking 16th among eligible passers in the conference in yards per game, which 159.0. Card has thrown for 1,113 yards, with eight touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games, as the Purdue aerial attack as a whole has suffered. He has just two outings with over 175 yards this season.
There is the potential for Purdue to utilize backup Ryan Browne, as well, in a Beau Pribula-type role, although that hasn't been the case over the last two weeks since Card returned from a concussion.
Card's receivers haven't done much to help, however. The Boilermakers have just two receivers with 200 or more yards, Jahmal Edrine and Jaron Tibbs, who have been the only two reliable targets on the outside this season.
Tight end Max Klare, has been the one constant in the passing attack, hauling in 32 catches for 475 yards and two touchdowns as he embarks on a breakout campaign. He is third in receiving yards among Big Ten tight ends, behind only Tyler Warren and Michigan Colston Loveland.
Defense:
For as bad as Purdue's been offensively, the defense has been worse for Ryan Walters and company. The Boilermakers are surrendering a Big Ten-worst 37.8 points per game, which is also 129th in the country. The mark is currently third worst in program history, quickly approaching the highest total for any Purdue defense at 38.2 in 2016. They are also dead-last in total defense, giving up 446 yards per game, while the next closest in the conference is Rutgers, at 381.
Penn State will have an opportunity to push the Boilermakers over that threshold on Saturday, especially after Ohio State just dropped 45 last week.
The Boilermakers have been beat through the air and the ground this fall, with teams seemingly just picking which they'd like to do from week-to-week. The 199 rushing yards allowed per game this year are the most in the conference, as well as being outside the top 100 nationally. The Boilermakers have yet to hold a team under 100 yards on the ground, which is bad news heading into a matchup with a Penn State offense that is second in the Big Ten in that category.
Senior linebacker/edge rusher Kydran Jenkins is the Boilermakers' top defender in the front seven, moving between mike linebacker and their rush end spot on the end of their five man front. Jenkins has tallied 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, both ranking in the top ten of Big Ten defenders. Sophomore Will Heldt has also flashed at rush end, having five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in his first season as a starter.
Jenkins and Heldt are both guys that James Franklin identified as top players during his Monday afternoon press conference.
The passing defense of the Boilermakers began the season in a good spot, but has since dipped to one of the worst in the conference. Purdue is allowing just under 250 yards per game through the air, third-worst in the Big Ten this season.
Starting cornerbacks Nyland Green and Kyndrich Breedlove have given up over 600 yards between the two, serving as the top two cornerbacks for the defense, while Green has a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of just 36.5, the worst among Purdue defensive backs.
All-American safety Dillon Thieneman serves as the centerfielder for the unit, leading the team in tackles for what will be a second-straight season, with 75 combined. He has yet to have an interception this season after snagging six a year ago, but does have five passes defended to lead the group.
Special teams:
The kicking game has been a struggle in recent weeks for the Boilermakers, with true freshman Spencer Porath missing three field goals in as many games. That has create a competition this week between he and senior Ben Freehill, who was the primary kicker a year ago.
Punter Keelan Crimmins on the other hand has been sensational, averaging just shy of 45 yards per punt, one of the best mark in the Big Ten, and has been getting lots of work with Purdue's offensive struggles.
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