The last meeting: Purdue 40, Maryland 14 (Oct. 12, 2019 in West Lafayette)
The last meeting at Maryland: Maryland 50, Purdue 7 (Oct. 1, 2016 at College Park)
Here's an early look at Purdue's sixth opponent in 2022, the Maryland Terrapins.
Time: Saturday, Oct. 8, 12:00 PM EDT
Location: SECU Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 54,000 (tickets available)
2022 schedules/records: Maryland 4-1 (1-1 Big Ten); Purdue 3-2 (1-1 Big Ten)
Series notes: Saturday will mark just the fourth meeting between Purdue and Maryland, with the previous three all coming in recent memory. A 24-7 Terrapin victory in the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl kicked off this series prior to Maryland's move to the Big Ten. Since then, each team defended their home turf. Maryland dominated the Boilermakers 50-7 in College Park in 2016, while Purdue cruised past the Terps 40-14 on Homecoming at Ross-Ade Stadium in 2019.
TV: BTN
Early line: Maryland -3
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Injury report
Purdue did get QB Aidan O'Connell and CB Reese Taylor back for Saturday's 20-10 win over Minnesota, but the Boilermakers remain far from 100 percent. Most significantly, they await the return of LB/S Jalen Graham, their best player on defense. Against a strong Maryland offense, Graham's versatility could greatly help the Boilermaker defense slow down the Terps' passing attack.
On the other side of the ball, RB King Doerue missed his third-consecutive game on Saturday. Devin Mockobee and Dylan Downing have more than held their own in his absence, but Purdue certainly would like to get Doerue back on the field, who brings experience and strong pass blocking skills to the table.
Though O'Connell did return to action against the Gophers, it didn't stand out as one of his best performances, tossing a pair of interceptions. As he continues to battle back from what was believed to be a rib injury, Purdue will look to him to put up big numbers.
Airing it out
Both Purdue and Maryland like to throw the ball on offense. Coming into Saturday's matchup, O'Connell leads the Big Ten with 299.8 passing yards per game, while Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa isn't far behind, as his 283.2 yards per game put him third in the league.
Tagovailoa and O'Connell each have eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark twice this season. While Purdue focuses heavily on the Big Ten's leading receiver, Charlie Jones, the Terrapins take a much more balanced approach, with four receivers averaging more than 40 receiving yards per game.
Maintaining momentum
Saturday's 20-10 win over No. 21 Minnesota marked the sixth ranked win for Purdue under Jeff Brohm's guidance. Immediately following those ranked wins, however, Purdue is just 1-4. Last season, Purdue lost to Wisconsin following its upset of No. 2 Iowa and fell at Ohio State the week after taking down No. 3 Michigan State. The Boilermakers undoubtedly would like to buck that trend on their trip to College Park.
Brohm on the Terrapins
"This is a very good football team. They are improved in all phases since last year. They are totally different from when we played them last (in 2019).
"Their quarterback (Tagovailoa) throws it accurately like his brother. We are getting used to the way teams defend us and we will have to be patient again this week.
"Defensively, they are very good at disguising their looks and have shown the ability to stop just about everyone they have faced having won four of five games. In the passing game we have to utilize it in desirable defensive looks and not every defensive look."
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