Last year's highlights....
Wisconsin 35, Northwestern 7
Here's an early look at Purdue's 10th opponent in 2021, the Northwestern Wildcats:
Time: Saturday, Noon ET/11 Chicago time
Location: Wrigley Field | Seating chart and more | Ticket Information
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 42,495 (for baseball)
2021 Schedule/Results Northwestern (3-7 overall, 1-6 Big Ten); Purdue (6-4; 4-3)
Series notes: Purdue leads the all-time series 51-33-1, but it has lost six of seven to the Wildcats including most recently a 27-20 loss to the 'Cats on Nov. 14, 2020 in a near empty Ross-Ade Stadium. Wildcats' coach Pat Fitzgerald has won eight of 10 against the Boilermakers, and is 8-4 overall since taking over the reins at Northwestern in 2006. Purdue is 28-19-1 as the road team in the series.
It will be Purdue's first game played in the city limits of Chicago, since it last faced the University of Chicago on Oct. 17, 1936 when the Maroons were still part of the Big Ten. Including a benefit game played against Northwestern at Solder Field in 1931, Purdue has won nine straight games played in the Windy City. It will be the first game that the Boilermakers have played in a outdoor MLB Stadium since since Virginia defeated Purdue 27-24 on Dec. 31, 1984 in the Peach Bowl at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. The Boilermakers have also played in baseball venues in New York (Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium), Baltimore (Municipal Stadium), Boston (Fenway Park), Cleveland (Municipal Stadium), Los Angeles (Coliseum--the early home of the L.A. Dodgers), Houston (Astrodome) and Minneapolis (Metrodome).
TV: BTN
Early line: Purdue -12; The Boilermakers are 9-0 as a dozen point road favorite dating back to 1995 and 5-3-1 against the spread.. The only time in the Brohm Era Purdue was a 12 or more point favorite on the road was at UConn earlier this year when the Boilermakers were a 35-point pick in the game played in Sept. 11. Purdue has been a dozen or more point favorite at Northwestern in 2002 (-14) and 1998 (-15) and covered easily both times.
Why is Northwestern a hot mess in 2021?
In a 28-point defeat at Wisconsin, Northwestern suffered its fifth Big Ten loss by 10 or more points, and it was its fourth straight game failing to score more than 14. The 'Cats rank 124th (out of 129) in the FBS in scoring offense averaging just 17. 1 points.
Northwestern avoided a shutout at Wisconsin only when AJ Hampton returned a fumble 49 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
In three of its last four games, the offense has gained less than 250 yards.
First year defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil has struggled as roster turnover and a system change have the Wildcats ranked as their worst scoring defense since 2013. In three of their last four games, the defense has allowed more than 30 points and the ranked 95th n the FBS in overall defense yielding 422 yards per contest.
Giving up over 600 yards at Ohio State, plummeted the Boilermakers to 49th in the FBS in total defense relinquishing 359 yards per contest.
Who will be Northwestern's quarterback?
Northwestern has struggled at quarterback, and on offense, all season, and a rough performance from Andrew Marty against Wisconsin may have re-opened up the competition. Marty was pulled late in the third quarter in Camp Randall after throwing three picks and amassing just 100 passing yards. From the Minnesota to Wisconsin contests, Marty threw three touchdowns and five interceptions. Ryan Hilinski, who started several games early in the season, didn't fare much better hitting just 3-of-8 passes for 25 yards and a pick. Brownsburg Indiana native and former Clemson signee Hunter Johnson started the season behind center, but lost his starting job after Week 3 despite throwing for 283 yards in the season-opener home loss to Michigan State.
What does Purdue have to play for?
Bowl positioning...or better said bowl attractiveness. If Purdue finishes the regular season 8-4, it would have to be viewed as pretty robust bowl team. Keep in mind that the Big Ten in essence places its member teams in the bowls after the College Football Playoff (CFP) and New Year's Day Six teams are determined. Assuming the Big Ten gets one team in the CFP and two teams in the New Year's Day Six, that would leave Michigan State or Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Minnesota and Purdue to fend for the top Big Ten bowl spots.
Despite some bowl projections you see out there, it is our understanding Purdue will not head back to Nashville since it played there in 2018. And unless there are extenuating circumstances, teams participating in the lower-tier bowls don’t return to the same location more than once during a five- year period. It seems possible that Purdue would be a good candidate for Las Vegas, Phoenix or possibly New York. And there always seems to be some back room work done when placing teams.
Brohm on Northwestern week
"This is a team that we have had a great deal of difficulty beating, so it has our full attention. We will have to execute at a high level.
"(Playing in Wrigley Field) will be exciting for the fans and players. I am sure it will be in the back of our players' minds too. It will be different with both teams on the same sidelines and we are going to the venue as a team (at Wrigley) on Friday afternoon. That isn't something we typically do.
"Chicago has always been important to our program. Our team wants to go and represent and we are looking forward to a big turnout (of Purdue fans)."
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