WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Big Ten newcomer Oregon enters the game in second place and as one of three undefeated teams in the league. After topping No. 4 Ohio State with a big win, the Ducks should be wary of looking past a reeling Purdue. The Boilermakers have lost five straight, but are hoping to build on the momentum they gained from last week’s overtime loss.

KEY MATCHUP

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel vs. Purdue’s pass defense. Gabriel has done well in his first Big Ten season, throwing 13 TD passes and ranking 12th nationally in efficiency (169.28). While the Boilermakers have played better against the pass than against the run, thanks in part to All-American S Dillon Thieneman in the preseason, only three teams yield more yards per completion than Purdue (15.02).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oregon: WR Traeshon Holden. The transfer from Alabama has been one of the Ducks’ most important players this season, but he’s in the spotlight for the wrong reasons this week. He watched the final three-quarters of the big win over Ohio State after being ejected for spitting at an opponent and apologized for his actions on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Purdue: QB Ryan Browne. The second-year quarterback gave the Boilermakers a spark in his starting debut at Illinois, first taking advantage of his legs and then using the running threat to open things up in the passing game. It was so promising that coach Ryan Walters named him the starter even if Hudson Card is cleared through the concussion protocol.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Boilermakers won the first matchup in this series, 13-7 in 1979, but lost the last two in 2008 and 2009. … Oregon is 6-0 for the first time since 2013, the ninth time in program history, and comes in with its highest ranking since the 2014 season ended with a loss in the national championship game. …Purdue is 0-4 against ranked teams in Walters’ two-year tenure. … The Ducks have surpassed the 30-point mark in each of the last five games and have limited four of their six opponents to 14 points or fewer. The Boilermakers scored 46 points in the second half after scoring just 44 in the previous 16 quarters.