Oct. 17, 2024 11:45 AM EST

No. 2 Oregon Hoping To Take Control Of Big Ten Title Race When It Visits Reeling Purdue

By The Associated Press
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Charles Rex Arbogast, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne carries the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Purdue head coach Ryan Walters watches the video replay screen during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Illinois wide receiver Collin Dixon catches a pass from quarterback Luke Altmyer as Purdue defensive back Dillon Thieneman defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) celebrates his touchdown during an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, center left, talks with a referee, center right, during an NCAA college football game against Ohio State, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
View All (5)

No. 2 Oregon (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) at Purdue (1-5, 0-3), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Oregon by 28 1/2.

Series record: Oregon leads 2-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Big Ten newcomer Oregon enters Friday night's game ranked No. 2 and as one of the league's three unbeaten teams. After leapfrogging No. 4 Ohio State with last weekend's big win, the Ducks must be wary of looking past reeling Purdue. The Boilermakers have lost five straight but hope to build on the momentum gained in last week's overtime loss.

KEY MATCHUP

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel vs. Purdue's pass defense. Gabriel has thrived in his first Big Ten season, throwing 13 TD passes and ranking 12th nationally in efficiency (169.28). While the Boilermakers have played better against the pass than the run, thanks in part to preseason All-American S Dillon Thieneman, only three teams yield more yards per completion than Purdue (15.02).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oregon: WR Traeshon Holden. The transfer from Alabama has been one of the Ducks' key player this season, but he's in the spotlight this week for all the wrong reasons. He watched the final three quarters of the big win over Ohio State after being ejected for spitting at an opponent and apologized for his actions on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Purdue: QB Ryan Browne. The second-year quarterback gave the Boilermakers a spark in his starting debut at Illinois, first taking advantage of his legs and then using the running threat to open up things in the passing game. It was so promising, coach Ryan Walters named him this week's starter Monday, — even if Hudson Card is cleared through the concussion protocol.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Boilermakers won the first matchup in this series, 13-7 in 1979, but have lost the last two in 2008 and 2009. ... Oregon is 6-0 for the first time since 2013, the ninth time in program history, and enters this weekend with its highest ranking since finishing the 2014 season with a loss in the national championship game. ... Purdue is 0-4 against ranked teams in Walters' two-year tenure. ... The Ducks have topped the 30-point mark in each of the last five games and have limited four of their six opponents to 14 points or fewer. ... Last week, the Boilermakers scored 46 second-half points after scoring just 44 in the previous 16 quarters.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Topics

Organizations in this Story

People in the Story