GoldandBlack.com Saturday Simulcast: Purdue football schedule breakdown

In our July 18, 2026 edition, GoldandBlack.com’s Alan Karpick, Tom Dienhart and Jordan Jones take a week-by-week look at the 2026 Purdue football schedule and look hard for winning opportunities for coach Barry Odom’s Boilermakers. Audio only INDIANA STATE: Sept. 10, 2022 – Purdue 56, Indiana State 0 Purdue holds a 7-0 lead in the all-time series against the Sycamores, a series dating back to 1926. While only one of the seven games was decided by fewer than 24 points (2013: Purdue 20, Indiana State 14), the 2022 game introduced a new face to Purdue fans: Devin Mockobee. Then a walk-on, the diminutive tailback from Boonville, Ind., carried 13 times for 78 yards, and he found the end zone for the first of 23 times. The Boilermakers cruised to a 56-0 win on their way to a 8-4 season, but Mockobee’s emergence became the story of the day in West Lafayette. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nUnaDoQHLII%3Ffeature%3Doembed WAKE FOREST: Sept. 13, 2003 – Purdue 16, No. 20 Wake Forest 10 The 2003 season began unceremoniously. Purdue entered the season ranked 16th nationally, but a shocking 27-26 loss to Bowling Green knocked the Boilermakers from the polls. A trip to 20th-ranked Wake Forest followed, and a slugfest occurred. Ben Jones made all three field goal attempts, and Purdue’s defense held on late thanks to a fourth down stop by Stuart Schweigert. Purdue out-gained the Demon Deacons 343-244, as Kyle Orton turned in a strong performance to lift the Boilermakers. The win sparked a six-game win streak that elevated Purdue to 10th in the AP Poll on its way to a 9-4 season and a Capital One Bowl appearance. Each of Purdue’s five contests against Wake Forest have been decided by nine points or less. While a point spread won’t be released until the week of the game, this season’s meeting projects as another tight one. UCLA: N/A Purdue remains winless against two Big Ten foes: Rutgers and UCLA. The Boilermakers and Bruins will meet for the first time since 1980, marking the sixth matchup in series history. Interestingly, this will likely serve as the lone meeting where neither team is ranked in the top 25. UCLA holds a 3-0-2 lead against Purdue. A home-and-home series in 1959 and 1960 resulted in consecutive ties, while UCLA took both ends of the 1979 and 1980 home-and-home agreement. NOTRE DAME: Sept. 28, 1968 – No. 1 Purdue 37, No. 2 Notre Dame 22 Purdue began the 1968 season ranked atop the polls and headed north to South Bend with a 1-0 record. Quarterback Mike Phipps left the game early with an injury, but he subsequently returned to lead Purdue to a rout of the Fighting Irish. The Boilermakers led by 23 points late in the game, cruising past Ara Parseghian’s squad. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tKd84Qnc8Qs%3Ffeature%3Doembed ILLINOIS: Oct. 29, 1966 – Purdue 25, Illinois 21 After a 41-20 thumping in a top-10 matchup with Michigan State, Purdue needed a strong finish to give itself a chance at smelling the roses in 1966. Homecoming in West Lafayette didn’t start smoothly, as Illinois led 21-10 in the fourth quarter. Bob Griese’s five interceptions put Purdue behind the proverbial eight-ball, but the Boilermakers rallied for a 25-21 victory. The win kept Purdue in contention for a Rose Bowl bid (because of the no-repeat rule at the time, the Spartans were not eligible for the Rose Bowl), and it closed the regular season with four straight wins, paving the way to Pasadena.Highlights here. MINNESOTA: Sept. 29, 2001 – No. 24 Purdue 35, Minnesota 28 The Miracle in the Metrodome. Purdue trailed 28-25 with just 19 seconds left, taking over at its own six-yard-line. Quarterback Brandon Hance found John Standeford on consecutive completions to take Purdue 63 yards down the field. As the clock ticked, Purdue’s field goal unit raced onto the field, and Travis Dorsch’s 48-yard try sailed through the uprights to send the game to overtime. Hance found Standeford in overtime to give Purdue the lead. Subsequently, a controversial incomplete pass call prevented the Gophers from tying the score. Two plays later, Schweigert’s interception sealed the deal, giving Purdue an improbable victory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=uQl1YNb3dUw%3Ffeature%3Doembed WASHINGTON: Dec. 31, 2002 – Purdue 34, Washington 24 A rematch of the 2001 Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and Pac-10 programs clashed once again in El Paso. Purdue played in the Sun Bowl for the second consecutive season, having fallen to Washington State one year prior. Wearing gold from head-to-toe, Purdue ended a three-year bowl game losing streak with the 34-24 win. Orton shined, throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns, and receivers John Standeford and Taylor Stubblefield each turned in big performances. It came as a rare bright spot for Purdue in this series, which the Huskies lead 8-2-1. In November, Washington dominated Purdue 49-13 in the first meeting as Big Ten rivals. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nkzt7zRbkDo%3Ffeature%3Doembed PENN STATE: Oct. 9, 2004 – No. 9 Purdue 20, Penn State 13 Led by Orton, Purdue ripped off five straight wins to catapult into the top five of the AP Poll in 2004. The win at Penn State lifted Purdue to 5-0 for the first time since 1945, setting up a now infamous meeting with Wisconsin and hosting of ESPN’s “College GameDay.” Penn State debuted its “whiteout” crowd for this game, and Purdue struggled to pull away from an underwhelming Nittany Lion squad. Joe Paterno’s team finished 2004 at 4-7, but the defense picked off two Orton passes to prevent Purdue from extending its lead in the fourth quarter. This remains Purdue’s lone win inside Beaver Stadium, and the Boilermakers own a lowly 3-17-1 record against Penn State. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MHbeZHW_Ij0%3Ffeature%3Doembed MARYLAND: Oct. 8, 2022 – Purdue 31, Maryland 29 All four of Purdue’s meetings with Maryland have taken place in the last 20 years. The most recent one, however, saw Purdue leave College Park with a wild win. Purdue ran for just 13 yards on the day, but Aidan O’Connell tossed for 360 yards, 109 of them to Payne Durham. The Terrapins led by six with seven minutes to go, but Durham’s 56-yard catch-and-run helped put Purdue up 31-23. Maryland found the end zone with 35 seconds remaining. After a penalty negated a successful two-point try, Maryland’s pass sailed through the back of the end zone, helping Purdue hold on to the 31-29 victory. Purdue holds a two-game win streak in this series, as the Boilermakers dominated Maryland 40-14 in 2019’s Homecoming game wearing the “space uniforms.” https://youtube.com/watch?v=BrPunCKAVXo%3Ffeature%3Doembed IOWA: Oct. 16, 2021 – Purdue 24, No. 2 Iowa 7 Purdue earned its “Spoilermakers” mantra in 2021, knocking off two AP top five opponents. The first came on a beautiful fall afternoon in Iowa City, where the 6-0 Hawkeyes entered ranked second in America. Fresh off its bye week, Purdue played three different quarterbacks in the game, but O’Connell threw for 375 yards to torch Iowa’s strong defense. David Bell continued his career-long trend of terrorizing Iowa, catching 11 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. Purdue’s defense picked off four passes from Spencer Petras, helping the Boilermakers out-gain the Hawkeyes by nearly 200 yards. Offensive lineman Greg Long famously poured a beer threw his facemask in the game’s final moments as Purdue capped a dominant win over the second-ranked Hawkeyes. 1929’s 7-0 Purdue victory over Iowa deserves a mention, as well. The win came late in the season, as Purdue clinched its only solo Big Ten title in program history. The 1929 Boilermakers finished 8-0 and 5-0 in Big Ten play. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XiGldH_n99c%3Ffeature%3Doembed WISCONSIN: Oct. 21, 2000 – No. 17 Purdue 30, Wisconsin 24 (OT) It doesn’t get much crazier than October of 2000 for Purdue fans. Drew Brees’ senior season began with high expectations, but a pair of September losses sucked the wind out of Purdue’s sails. Then, the calendar turned to October. A wild comeback win over Michigan and a high-scoring win at Northwestern regenerated momentum. Wisconsin backup quarterback Jim Sorgi shined in his first start, helping Wisconsin push the Boilermakers to overtime. In overtime, Wisconsin got the football first, and Purdue’s defense forced a field goal attempt. Craig Terrill broke through the offensive line, blocking the kick, and Ashante Woodyard scooped it up and ran it all the way for a walk-off touchdown. It helped set the table for Purdue to reach the Rose Bowl for the first time in 34 seasons, as Purdue won its lone Big Ten championship since the 1960s. All Purdue fans know of the program’s recent struggles against the Badgers. The Boilermakers enter this season’s contest on an 18-game losing streak in the series. Purdue’s last win over Wisconsin came inside Camp Randall Stadium in 2003, a 26-23 victory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ditnyzekdvk%3Ffeature%3Doembed INDIANA: Nov. 25, 1989 – Purdue 15, Indiana 14 Few memorable wins came from the Fred Akers area in West Lafayette. But, rivalry wins always mean more, and this one takes the cake for Purdue fans. The 2-8 Boilermakers trekked down to Bloomington where Heisman candidate Anthony Thompson and the Hoosiers needed a win to secure a bowl bid. Purdue trailed 14-3 entering the game’s final quarter, but a 32-yard field goal with 2:51 remaining gave Purdue a thin 15-14 lead. The explosive Thompson put Indiana in strong field position on the kickoff return, but it missed a 26-yard chip shot, giving Purdue an improbable win. The loss kept Indiana out of postseason play, and it unofficially eliminated Thompson from Heisman contention as he was held under 100 yards rushing for the only time in 1989. While the above game might have been more remarkable, and the 1986 “Rod Woodson Superman” game a close second, Purdue fans will never tire of the Rose Bowl clincher in Rose Ade.