Purdue opponent preview: Rutgers

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Purdue is playing a challenging schedue.

The daunting slate is noteworthy for a sneaky-good non-conference schedule that is highlighted by visits from Memphis (Sept. 12) and Air Force (Sept. 19), along with a trip to Boston College (Sept. 26).

But before that, the Boilermakers open the season at Nebraska (Sept. 5). The importance of this game can’t be overstated. The Cornhuskers and Purdue are in similar spots, each trying to rebound from losing seasons under coaches who are filled with promise.

This is an even-numbered year, so that means Purdue has just four Big Ten home games and five away. And there are plenty of challenging trips. In addition to opening at Nebraska, the Boilermakers also trek to Illinois (Oct. 17), Minnesota (Nov. 7) and Indiana (Nov. 28). And there is a cross-division junket to Michigan (Oct. 24). Purdue has one win in Ann Arbor since 1966 and hasn't been to the Big House since 2011.

Purdue is off October 3 after playing four games, offering a good time to assess the program before finishing with eight games in succession.

Looking for a make-or-break month? Check out November: at Minnesota, vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 14), vs. Iowa (Nov. 21), at Indiana.

This is the first in a 12-part series that ranks Purdue’s games from "easiest" to "toughest." Let’s take a closer look at the to-do list for Jeff Brohm’s fourth season in West Lafayette.

Rutgers may be the “birthplace of college football.” But it’s also the place where college football has come to die … at least for now.

There is no way to sugarcoat it: The Scarlet Knights have become the Big Ten’s punching bag. And they have come by that reputation honestly. How bad has it been? The last four years, Rutgers has gone 9-39. The program hasn’t gone to a bowl since what now looks like a miraculous 8-5 season during RU’s Big Ten debut in 2014 under legendary Kyle Flood. Since then, the Scarlet Knights have won 13 games in five seasons. That’s a good season at a place like Alabama.

You want stink? The Scarlet Knights are riding an inglorious 21-game Big Ten losing streak into 2020, the second longest in league annals. The good news: Greg Schiano is back, baby! He is Rutgers’ version of Bear Bryant.

From 2001-11, Schiano and his perpetual scowl made Scarlet Knights’ football relevant. None of us realized what a Herculaninan feat that was back then. This ultimate Jersey guy went 68-67 with six bowls in 11 seasons along the banks of Raritan River. But that was a long time ago in place (the Big East) that’s now far, far away.

After that “Lombardi-esque” run in New Brunswick, Schiano did the only thing he could do: Hightail it out of Tony Soprano's home state and head for the bright lights and fat paycheck of the NFL with Tampa Bay. Now, Schiano is back for Part Deux.

Schiano is walking into a far worse situation that he did way back in 2001. Rutgers isn’t anywhere close to turning the corner in 2020. It figures to be at least a three-year job to get back to respectability. Schinao inherited a moribund program that went 2-10 in 2019, often losing in spectacularly inept fashion.

The offense was off-the-charts horrid in 2019. You may want to sit down for this fact: RU was shutout four times last season and scored 10 or fewer points on four other occasions. That continued a trend that saw Rutgers finish last in the Big Ten in total offense in each of former coach Chris Ash’s four seasons, averaging 271.9 yards per game during that span.

Woof.

We could regale you with horror stories about a punchless offensive line, undersized defenders, and slow widetouts … but this is a family website. No use scaring your children or boring you with minutiae about a hapless team that's going nowhere fast. Rutgers will earn every loss it gets in 2020.

Bottom line: Officially, October 10 isn’t an off Saturday for Purdue … but it's the next closest thing. The Boilermakers figure to be a lock to rock Rutgers when it visits West Lafayette for the first time ever. The Boilermakers owe the Scarlet Knights after suffering a 14-12 loss in New Brunswick in 2017 that made Purdue fans want to gouge their eyes.

Series: 0-1

Last Purdue win: Never

Last Rutgers win: 2017, 14-12 at Rutgers

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