Rondale Moore is just 74 yards away from the most productive single season in Purdue football history.
With just 74 all-purpose yards in the Music City Bowl against Auburn, the freshman wide receiver will own the single-season record in that statistical category, topping Dorien Bryant's mark of 2,121, set in 2007.
Moore owned the single-game record for all-purpose yards before halftime of his college debut, a 313-yard performance vs. Northwestern. If Moore is able to replicate his freshman-season production and avoid injury, he'll likely stay on pace to claim Bryant's career all-purpose-yardage record in just three years at Purdue. Moore is currently fourth in the nation in all-purpose yards and just one yard behind Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor for the conference lead.
"We knew he would be a difference-maker and I probably undersold him, to be quite honest with you," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said after the win at Indiana on Nov. 24. "Nobody stopped him. Nobody contained him and numerous teams tried this season."
Moore, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-Big Ten receiver last week, is currently one of only two players in Purdue history to record 100 or more receptions in a season. Moore's 103 catches are 18 short of the single-season record established during Chris Daniels' 1999 season, but Moore is just 138 yards short of the single-season receiving yards mark. Moore's 1,164 receiving yards currently sit fourth in Purdue history, 64 behind Brian Alford's 1997 mark and 72 yards short of Daniels' 1999 mark.
By reaching the century mark in receiving yards in the Music City Bowl, Moore would have a school-record eight 100-plus-yard performances this season and be one of seven Purdue receivers with three consecutive 100-plus-yard games. However, the Auburn defense has only allowed two players to earn hundred-yard receiving performances against them this season (Ole Miss' A.J. Brown's 155 yards on Oct. 20 and Washington's Aaron Fuller's 135 yards in the season opener on Sept. 1).
"I would go to the extent to say that he's that good where that even when he's covered he's open," Purdue quarterback David Blough said in October.
Purdue got a pair of sensational receiving performances last year in the 38-35 victory over Arizona in the Foster Farms Bowl. Gregory Phillips left Levi's Stadium with 149 yards on 14 receptions and two touchdowns. Anthony Mahoungou totaled 118 yards on six catches with two touchdowns. Auburn (7-5), which finished the 2018 regular season 18th in the nation in scoring defense, hasn't allowed a multi-touchdown performance from a receiver since a 2017 win at Texas A&M.
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