Just six days after facing off against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium, the Oregon Ducks football team faces a bit of a potential trap game as they head east from the West Coast towards the Midwest all the way to West Lafayette, Indiana.
And in West Lafayette lies the Purdue Boilermakers, who are known for making wild upsets happen on more than one occasion. Can Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks avoid looking past Purdue in mid October? Here’s everything you need to know about the Ducks’ game against Purdue.
When and Where?
- Date: Friday, October 18, 2024
- Kickoff: 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET
- Stadium: Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
Game Details
This will be the first time these two teams have played in 15 years and it’s the first road trip to Purdue since 2008. The Ducks have only played Purdue a grand total of three times, so there’s not a ton of series history here, but Oregon has managed to beat the Boilermakers twice (and they lost once a really, really long time ago). This cross-country road trip is going to be a great showcase of what life in the Big Ten will be like for the Ducks.
Meet Oregon's opponent: Purdue Boilermakers
Purdue didn’t have much fun last season and the Boilermakers are looking to bounce back from a disappointing (maybe dreadful is a better word here) 4-8 campaign in 2023. Ryan Walters is heading into his second season and it’ll be interesting to see how this program develops as it moves forward.
Three Purdue Players to Watch
- Hudson Card, QB: Formerly a quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, Card is talented and now has a bit of experience in the Air Raid after throwing for just under 2400 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games in 2023
- Kydran Jenkins, LB: Purdue’s defense wasn’t really all that impressive, but Jenkins was a force to be reckoned with as he thrived in opposing backfields to the tune of 15.5 tackles for loss along with 7.5 sacks
- Gus Hartwig, OL: Anchoring the center of Purdue’s offensive line is Gus Hartwig, who earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors last season
Oregon Ducks vs. Purdue Boilermakers summer preview, prediction
There’s no real reason to think that Oregon should lose this game or be significantly challenged here. There’s a massive disparity in the talent levels between these two programs. But it is worth noting that Oregon will be coming off of a physically draining matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes while also preparing for the Michigan Wolverines when this game takes place.
As long as Oregon stays focused, this game should be a breeze. That said, if Oregon doesn’t acknowledge that Purdue has a history of making games close, then the Ducks might get a bit of a headache when these two teams meet. Expect Oregon to win by a sizable margin.