The Matchup
Nebraska heads back on the road for the second straight week on Saturday when the Huskers travel to West Lafayette, Ind., for a Big Ten West matchup with Purdue. Game time at Ross-Ade Stadium is set for 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on KBBN 95.3 FM with coverage on the Huskers Sports Network beginning at 9 a.m.
Nebraska enters its final road contest of the 2020 campaign with a 1-4 record, following a 26-20 loss at Iowa last Friday. The Huskers went toe to toe with the Hawkeyes for 60 minutes, leading the contest by a touchdown midway through the third quarter. However, the Hawkeyes rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead and two late Nebraska turnovers proved costly.
The game at Purdue is part of a three-game December slate to finish the season. Following this week’s matchup, Nebraska will play host to Minnesota on Dec. 12, with a Big Ten East crossover opponent to be determined for Dec. 19.
Purdue will bring a 2-3 record into Saturday’s game after a 37-30 loss to Rutgers this past weekend. The Boilermakers have been involved in tight games throughout the season. Each of their first five contests decided by seven or fewer points, including three close losses over the past three weeks.
Coach Jeff Brohm’s team features a high-powered offensive attack. Purdue ranks among the Big Ten leaders, averaging 304.0 passing yards per game. The Boilermakers are fueled by one of the nation’s top receiving tandems with junior Rondale Moore and sophomore David Bell averaging 96.0 and 98.6 receiving yards per game, respectively.
Series History: Nebraska vs. Purdue
Saturday’s game will mark the ninth all-time meeting between Nebraska and Purdue with the series tied at four wins apiece. Nebraska and Purdue did not meet in the Huskers’ first two seasons in the Big Ten, but 2020 marks the eighth consecutive year the teams have squared off.
• Nebraska holds a 4-3 advantage in the matchups between the schools since joining the Big Ten, including splitting four games in West Lafayette.
• Due to a switch in the Big Ten scheduling rotation, Nebraska is traveling to Purdue for the second straight season in 2020, after a 31-27 setback at Ross-Ade Stadium in 2019. This marks the first time Nebraska has played a conference opponent on the road in consecutive seasons since playing at Kansas in both 1990 and 1991.
• Nebraska has a pair of two-game win streaks in the series (2013-14; 2016-17), while Purdue’s current two-game win streak is its longest in the series.
• The Huskers have scored at least 25 points in all seven meetings as Big Ten opponents. Nebraska is averaging 35.3 points in its four trips to West Lafayette since 2013.
Nebraska Set for December Football
Nebraska is scheduled to play on three consecutive Saturdays in December to complete its regular season. The stretch begins with Saturday’s matchup at Purdue, followed by a Dec. 12 home game against Minnesota and a Champions Week crossover game with a Big Ten East foe on Dec. 19.
• The December games will mark Nebraska’s first December regular-season games since a matchup with Kansas State in the Tokyo Bowl on Dec. 5, 1992.
• Since that 1992 game, Nebraska’s only December contests have been conference championship games (6 times) or bowl games (11 times).
• The last time Nebraska played a December game at home or on an opponent’s home field was a Dec. 4, 1982, game at Hawaii.
