Purdue at Penn State
Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Oct. 4 , 2019: noon ET, Beaver Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 106,572 (Tickets Information/availability)
Schedule/records: Penn State 4-0 in 2019, 9-4 in 2018; Purdue 1-3 in 2019, 6-7 in 2018
Line: Penn State -27.5. The last time Purdue won a road game when it was a four-touchdown underdog was Sept. 28, 1974 when it was +34 and upset No. 2 Notre Dame, 31-20.
Series notes: Penn State holds a 14-3-1 lead in series. The Nittany Lions have won eight games straight over Purdue, with the Boilermakers' last win in 2004, 20-13 at Beaver Stadium. The teams have not had a matchup since 2016, when Penn State led a victory over Purdue 62-24 in West Lafayette
TV: ESPN (Bob Wischusen, PBP; Dan Orlovsky, analyst; Allison Williams, Sideline
Radio (Purdue): Sirius 108 / XM 195 / Tunein.com (Tim Newton, play-by-play; Pete Quinn, analyst; Kelly Kitchel, sideline; Rob Blackman, studio host). Coverage concludes with Boilermaker Sports Wrap with Nate Barrett and Alan Karpick at 30 minutes after game.
Pregame: Gold and Black Radio
Purdue roster | Purdue Schedule/results | Purdue Game Notes | Purdue Depth Chart
Penn State Roster | Penn State Schedule/Results | Penn State Game Notes | Penn State Depth Chart
MORE: Opponent View: Penn State | Coach's corner: Cerebral Plummer takes over team with growing confidence | Twin City Superstore Video: co-OC/QB coach Brian Brohm talks Jack Plummer | Number Crunching: Week 4 | GoldandBlack.com Roundtable: Expectations now | Data Driven: A look at Penn State | Deep Dive
Penn State's running game versus Purdue against the run
The Lions have been very good running the football so far in 2019, it just hasn't had one individual dominate the numbers as Journey Brown (No. 7) leads the Lions with 49 yards per contest, but also totes a 7.5 per carry average. Quarterback Sean Clifford (14) has been surprisingly dangerous in the run game, averaging 41 per contest. Devyn Ford (28) is also dangerous averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Penn State is balanced on offense, and look for it to establish the run against the Boilermakers behind an experienced offensive line.
Penn State passing game versus Purdue against the pass
Purdue had a nightmarish effort against Minnesota, and will have its hands full again this week. Clifford ranks in the top-10 in passing efficiency and the Lions have a game-breaking receiver in KJ Hamler (1) who has many Rondale Moore-like qualities in terms of size, speed and elusiveness. He has had two 100-yard receiving games this season, including 108 yards on six catches and a TD in last week's blowout against Maryland. Sophomore tight end Pete Freiermuth (87) has also been a target in the middle, but Clifford has done a good job spreading the wealth as eight different receivers have five catches or more in 2019.
Purdue running game versus Penn State against the run
Purdue's ground game took a big step forward in last week's loss to Minnesota, with King Doerue breaking the 90-yard barrier. But, Penn State's rush defense is in a whole different league than Minnesota's, so Jeff Brohm will be tested to be able to finds seams from which to work. The Lions are third in the nation in scoring defense (7.5 points per game) and are seventh in the country in rush defense, allowing only 1.9 yards per attempt. This will be a huge challenge for the Boilermaker backs and offensive line to have any level of production on Saturday afternoon.
Purdue passing game versus Penn State against the pass
Jack Plummer showed much improvement in his second game of significant action, and did an excellent job of avoiding Minnesota's rush. But this will be a far bigger challenge for the redshirt freshman quarterback, as the Lions defense is much more complicated and skilled than what he saw last week. The Lions rank 15th nationally with 15 sacks in four games, but is "just" 49th nationally in passing yards allowed (206 per game), and is 15th in third down conversion percentage, a down that the Boilermakers will likely see often. Expect Purdue to get some yardage against Penn State though the air, because it will likely have to throw early and often. The question is, without Rondale Moore in the lineup, will the yardage lead to significant points on the scoreboard?
Special teams
Penn State is tied for the nation's lead in blocked kicks this season with three. It has had one kick blocked this season, so for the Boilermakers to do have a chance to make this a four quarter game, it may have to pull off a special teams play. Brooks Cormier ranks 58th nationally in punting, and may be busy in Happy Valley. The freshman improved last week against the Gophers. Hamler is dangerous in the punt return game, despite not having broken a long one in the first four games of the season. The Lions' Jake Pinegar is perfect on four field goal attempts, but Purdue's J.D. Dellinger has also been good. The absence of Moore hampers Purdue's ability to pull off a long return on punts or kickoffs.
Intangibles
This is one of the biggest challenges the Boilermakers have faced on the road in Big Ten play in years. With the injuries being what they are for Purdue, and Penn State feeling like it has a team that can go places in 2019, this one will be very hard to keep close in front of 106,000-plus fans on the Lions' Homecoming. Brohm wants Purdue to compete, and if it can do that, then the trip to Penn State will have value for the Boilermaker program moving forward.
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