Number Crunching: Week 6 - BoilerUpload: Purdue Boilermakers Football & Basketball Recruiting

Published Oct 12, 2022

Number Crunching: Week 6

Griffin Herdegen and Alan Karpick

GoldandBlack.com

Take a look at some of our eclectic numbers for Purdue football in between Weeks 6 and 7.

6 with 15

Aidan O'Connell engineered another comeback in the fourth quarter for the Boilers, as they overcame a six-point deficit with three minutes on the clock. That marks the sixth time in O'Connell's career that he has led the Boilers to overcome a fourth-quarter deficit, most recently in last year's Music City Bowl overtime win where the Boilers trailed with under five minutes in the game. His other last-quarter comebacks were 2019 versus Nebraska and Northwestern, 2020 versus Iowa and 2021 versus Illinois.

Six fourth quarter comebacks ties O'Connell with Drew Brees as tops on the Boilermakers' list of quarterbacks to take part in final period heroics. Mark Vitali (1974-76) was part of four, Scott Campbell (1980-83) and Eric Hunter (1989-92) three.

100+

Tight end Payne Durham put up 109 receiving yards in College Park on Saturday. He's only the third Purdue tight end since 2000 to put up that amount of yardage in a single game, joined by two NFL draft picks Brycen Hopkins, who did it three times in 2019, and 2008 first-round pick Dustin Keller, who accomplished the feat three times from 2006-07.

3 for 3

Purdue won on Saturday at Maryland despite giving up three turnovers. Purdue is now 21-57 since 2000 in games where it coughed up the ball three or more times; 4-5 under Brohm. Curiously, Purdue's win the week earlier at Minnesota also featured three Boilermaker turnovers - and the 2021 Music City Bowl against Tennessee featured three Purdue interceptions, meaning the Boilers are riding a three-game win streak in three-turnover games.

.588

Brohm's record in October is his best record in any month by winning percentage - in order: October (10-7, .588), September and November (10-9, .526), December (2-2, 0.500), August (0-2, .000). Before Brohm's arrival, October was a month to forget for the Boilers: compared to Brohm's 10-7 record, Purdue was 3-14 under Darrell Hazell and Danny Hope.

<100

Purdue's run defense continued its sturdy start to the year, allowing only 72 rushing yards on 25 attempts to the Terps. The Boilers have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season, with FAU QB N'Kosi Perry coming the closest with 94 yards. The most yards Purdue has allowed to a running back this year was when Sean Tucker rushed for a 45 in the Carrier Dome. Purdue's run defense ranks 17th in the country

100+

Chris Jefferson and Cam Allen have 100+ interception return yards through half of the regular season. Before these two, not since at least 2000 had a Boilermaker recorded 100+ INT return yards through six games, let alone two players in one season. They’re only the second duo of players to notch 100+ pick return yards through six games this century - matched by another pair from this season: R.J. Jubert and Clark Phillips III of Utah.

13

Purdue's running game against Maryland put up a measly 13 yards in the win. Purdue has now rushed for less than 15 yards five times under Brohm - and eight times this century. This game, however, was Purdue's first win while rushing for 15 or less, breaking a streak that has lasted at least 21 years.

8-4

Purdue has a chance to win three consecutive Big Ten games, as well as five of six, this weekend against Nebraska in a game where the Boilers are double-digit favorites. Only once in Brohm's tenure, in 2018, have the Boilers won three Big Ten games in a row, featuring the 49-20 blowout win of No. 2 Ohio State. Purdue will have to do it against the downtrodden Cornhuskers as 11-point favorites. Purdue is 8-4 under Brohm as double-digit favorites, and 24-6 as double-digit favorites in its last 30.