Purdue football kicks off year two of the Ryan Walters era against in-state FCS Indiana State in Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Boilermakers will aim to secure their first season-opening victory since 2021, when they defeated Oregon State at home.

Boiler Upload takes a first glimpse at the Sycamores heading into Saturday's matchup of the two Indiana programs.

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Indiana State head coach Curt Mallory comes into his seventh season at the helm for the Sycamores, holding a record of 20-47 during his time in Terre Haute. The program had trended upward after Mallory took an 0-11 team in 2017 to a 7-4 record in 2018. After back-to-back years with five wins, Indiana State has fallen on hard times, having just three wins in the last two years combined and are coming off a 1-10 campaign in 2023.

A potential bounce back season in 2024 has a grim beginning with Purdue first up on the slate. The Boilermakers have won all six meetings all-time, with the last coming via a 56-0 rout in 2022. In that game, Aidan O'Connell and Charlie Jones carved up the Sycamore defense to the tune of three scores in the first half, while Devin Mockobee introduced himself to the Purdue faithful. Indiana State has been close to pulling off an FCS vs. Big Ten upset on two occasions against the Boilermakers in the past, losing 20-14 in both 1990 and 2013.

Ryan Walters and company did not have the luxury of an FCS opponent on the schedule last season, which could be beneficial in a few areas in 2024. Purdue cannot overlook anyone on its schedule, but a matchup with a struggling FCS program could give the Boilermakers a strong start to the season and provide an extra week to get back to as close to full health as possible.

Georgia transfers and projected starters CJ Smith and Nyland Green have already been ruled out of the season-opener by Ryan Walters, but several other Boilermakers are still on the mend after sustaining various injuries during fall camp.

The most notable of which are tight end George Burhenn, wide receivers Jayden Dixon-Veal and Kam Brown, as well as left tackle Corey Stewart, defensive lineman Joe Anderson, and defensive backs Anthony Brown and Salim Turner-Muhammad.

Should Purdue execute as expected, there may not be many snaps for several of those players anyways. Saturday could provide an opportunity to give some Boilermakers rest as needed and get the younger crop of talent on the field for game reps, which did not occur much a year ago.

Elijah Owens: Redshirt freshman quarterback

Owens preserved his redshirt a year ago while playing significant snaps in three games, finishing with 310 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions while spending much of the year behind starter Cade Chambers. Owens is the projected starter for the Sycamores in 2024.

Plez Lawrence: Redshirt sophomore running back

Lawrence was Indiana State's second-leading rusher last season, tallying 502 yards and three scores on 104 attempts. With last year's leading rusher Justin Dinka out of the picture, Lawrence has the clear path to being the lead back for the Sycamores.

Rashad Rochelle: Junior wide receiver

Rochelle may have the most notable background of any Indiana State player, spending his first two years at Rutgers before transferring to Terre Haute this off-season. Rochelle held offers from Purdue, Illinois and others before landing with the Scarlet Knights in the 2022 recruiting class. Junior began his career as a running back and later earned a role as a kick returner for Rutgers, but is expected to be a top target of Elijah Owens now.

Indiana State also has receivers Zavion Taylor, Kevin Barnett, Matt Ross and Ethan Cambers that should factor into the rotation.

Maddix Blackwell: Redshirt junior defensive back

The first of three team captains on the defensive side of the ball for Indiana State, defensive back Maddix Blackwell led the Sycamores with 107 tackles and two interceptions last season from his safety spot.

Geoffrey Brown: Senior linebacker

Indiana State has a pair of talented linebackers returning after their best collegiate seasons to date. The first being senior Geoffrey Brown. He has tallied seven or more tackles for loss in each of the last three seasons and was third on the team with 77 total tackles last season.

Garret Ollendieck: Senior linebacker

The final team captain and leader of the defense, senior linebacker Garret Ollendieck was the most productive player on the field for the Sycamores last season. Ollendieck lead the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, as well as being second on the team with 97 total tackles a year ago.