This will be the first time these two teams have met since Maryland joined the Big Ten. The only time the Boilers and Terrapins met previously was in the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl, when Maryland jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead on their way to a 24-7 victory. Back then, Curtis Painter was at the helm for Ole Purdue and Joe Tiller was on the sidelines with the headset, so a lot has changed.
Third-year Sophomore David Blough is under center now for Purdue and has grown much since his freshman year. In ten games with only 8 starts last season, Blough had just 1,574 passing yards on 169 completions on 293 passes. In only 3 games this season, he has 946 passing yards, which is 38th in the country. With another 300 yard passing performance, he will tie the program record at 3 straight games with over 300 yards passing, a feat just 5 Purdue quarterbacks have accomplished. Overall, the Purdue passing offense ranks 23rd in the country with an average of 317 yards per game.
Slow and steady wins the race
A key area of difference between the two teams is their turnover differential. Maryland has yet to turn the ball over, while recovering 3 fumbles and intercepting 2 passes. Purdue on the other hand has been very turnover prone this season with Blough throwing 7 interceptions and the team losing 3 fumbles. The Boilermakers turnover margin for the season currently sits at -6 overall and -9 against FBS opponents, an area
that must be addressed if they are to have success in Big Ten play.
Kickoff for Saturday’s Big Ten matchup between Purdue and Maryland is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET on Capitol One Field at Maryland Stadium.
You can watch the game on the Big Ten Network with Play-by- Play from Joe Beninati and analysis from J Lehman. You can listen to the game on Sirius Channel 135 and XM Channel 195 and on TunedIn.com
