Nebraska leaves Lincoln for the first time in 2024, traveling to West Lafetyette, Ind., to take on Purdue in the Huskers’ Big Ten road opener. Game time at Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium is set for 11 a.m. CT (Noon, local) with Peacock providing streaming coverage of the matchup.

The Huskers stand at 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in Big Ten Conference play following a 31-24 overtime loss to Illinois on Friday night in Lincoln. The Huskers took a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Illini tied the game at 24-24 midway through the fourth quarter and prevailed with an overtime touchdown. 

The loss to Illinois ended a streak of 10 straight games in which Nebraska had allowed 24 or fewer points. The Husker offense continued to show its explosiveness with 297 yards through the air, including five pass plays of at least 20 yards.

Purdue comes into the contest with a 1-2 record, following a 38-21 loss at Oregon State on Saturday night. The Boilermakers opened the season with a victory over Indiana State, before losses to Notre Dame and Oregon State. Coach Ryan Walters’ team has shown a strong running game through three contests, averaging 183.0 yards per game on the ground, including 263 rushing yards at Oregon State. The Boilermaker defense has been solid against the pass, allowing just 123 yards per game.

Saturday’s game marks the 12th consecutive year Nebraska and Purdue have met on the gridiron. Following this year’s contest the teams are not scheduled to meet again until the 2027 season in Lincoln.

Series History: Nebraska vs. Purdue
Saturday’s meeting will be the 13th matchup in the Nebraska-Purdue series, with the series tied at six wins apiece. Nebraska posted a 31-14 win last year in Lincoln to even the series.

• Nebraska holds a 6-5 edge since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. The Huskers won four of the first five matchups between 2013 and 2017, and Purdue has responded by winning four of the past six games since 2018.

• Four of the past seven games between the schools have been decided by six or fewer points, including three Purdue victories between 2019 and 2022. Nebraska’s past two wins have been by 10 and 17 points.

• Nebraska and Purdue will meet for the 13th consecutive season on Saturday. However, with the Big Ten’s new non-division schedule format, the schools do not meet in 2025 or 2026, before resuming with games in 2027 (Lincoln) and 2028 (West Lafayette).

Winning the Turnover Margin
Nebraska’s defense has posted multiple takeaways in three of the first four games in 2024. The Huskers gained a pair of turnovers against both UTEP and Colorado, before having an interception against UNI, and forcing two fumbles against Illinois. In turn, the Nebraska offense has just three turnovers in four games, giving Nebraska a +4 turnover margin. Last year, Nebraska posted a -17 turnover margin.

• The multiple takeaways in consecutive games marked the first time the Husker defense accomplished that since 2020 when Nebraska had multiple takeaways against Northwestern and Penn State.

• The first two games was the first time Nebraska had a positive turnover margin in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2022 season when the Huskers had a +1 (Wisconsin) and +3 (Iowa) turnover margin in consecutive games.

This Week’s Numbers
1 - Saturday’s game at Purdue will be the first road game of the season for the Huskers. Excluding the 2020 COVID season, the Sept. 28 road opener is Nebraska’s latest in a season since 2013.

4 - Senior receiver Isaiah Neyor has four receiving touchdowns through four games, including two against Illinois. His four TD receptions rank 10th nationally and match Nebraska’s 2023 team leader (Thomas Fidone).

7 - Nebraska’s last five Big Ten games have all been decided by seven or fewer points, including two in overtime. The last time a Husker Big Ten game was decided by more than seven points was a 31-14 win over Purdue in Lincoln last season.