The 2019 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Boilermakers played their home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Jeff Brohm. They finished the season 4–8, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division.
Preseason
Coaching changes
Purdue cornerbacks coach Derrick Jackson and tight ends coach Mark Tommerdahl both left to take jobs at Northern Illinois and Texas Tech respectively in early February 2019. Purdue announced the hiring of Greg Brown as cornerbacks coach on February 21. He previously was the secondary coach at Auburn for two seasons. Head coach Jeff Brohm also announced the promotion of former Purdue quality control assistant Ryan Wallace to be the new tight ends coach.
Player news
Wide receiver KeyRon Catlett announced his decision to transfer to Hampton. Tight end Jess Trussell and offensive lineman Michael Mendez announced that they would leave as graduate transfers. Linebacker Tobias Larry transferred to Tennessee State. Benaiah Franklin transferred to Northwestern State.
Recruiting
The Boilermakers signed a total of 24 recruits.
Award watch lists Listed in the order that they were released Lott IMPACT TrophyMarkus BaileyLBRSrRobert Maxwell AwardRondale MooreWRSoChuck Bednarik AwardMarkus BaileyLBRSrFred Biletnikoff AwardRondale MooreWRSoJohn Mackey AwardBrycen HopkinsTERSrDick Butkus AwardMarkus BaileyLBRSrOutland TrophyLorenzo Neal DTSrPaul Hornung AwardRondale MooreWRSoBronko Nagurski TrophyMarkus BaileyLBRSr
Preseason Big Ten poll Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2019 poll, Purdue was projected to finish in fifth in the West Division.
Schedule Purdue's 2019 schedule would begin with three non-conference games, first on the road against Nevada of the Mountain West Conference, and then returning home for games against Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and TCU of the Big 12 Conference. In Big Ten Conference play, Purdue would play all other members of the West Division and draws Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana from the East Division.
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Roster
Game summaries Nevada
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To begin the season, Purdue traveled to Nevada, the first time Purdue has played in Reno.
Purdue lost to Nevada, 34–31. Purdue scored the first 10 points in the first quarter via 2-yard touchdown pass from Elijah Sindelar to Brycen Hopkins and a 32-yard field goal by J. D. Dellinger. Nevada responded with points in the second quarter via a 38-yard touchdown pass from Carson Strong to Dominic Christian. Purdue extended its lead in the second quarter via a 38-yard touchdown reception by Jackson Anthrop and a 39-yard touchdown reception by Rondale Moore, both passes coming from Sindelar. Purdue two touchdowns made the score 24–7 in favor of Purdue at half-time. Nevada added a 21-yard touchdown reception by Elijah Cooks in the third quarter. Purdue responded just 30 seconds later with a 49-yard touchdown reception by David Bellfrom Sindelar. Nevada closed out the third quarter scoring following a 34-yard field goal from Talton in the third quarter. Nevada reduced Purdue's lead to seven points with just 6:56 remaining following a 7-yard touchdown run from Toa Taua. Following a Purdue punt, Nevada drove 87-yards with the final play being a 21-yard Elijah Cooks touchdown reception from Strong to tie the game with :52 remaining. On Purdue's second play of their final possession, Sindelar was intercepted by Daniel Brown. Talton was then able to connect on a 56-yard field goal as time expired to give Nevada their first lead of the game, and a victory.
Purdue was minus-5 in turnover margin, just the third time since 2000 that Purdue had five or more turnovers while its opponent had zero. Purdue's 519 yards of offense were the fifth most in a loss since the 2000 season.
Vanderbilt
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After opening the season in Nevada, Purdue returned home for their second game against Vanderbilt. The two schools have not played each other since 1942.
Purdue defeated Vanderbilt, 42–24. Vanderbilt scored first in the first quarter via 1-yard touchdown run by Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Purdue responded with at 12-yard touchdown reception by Brycen Hopkins from Elijah Sindelar. Purdue took the lead in the second quarter via a 2-yard touchdown reception by Payne Durham from Sindelar. Vanderbilt added a 48-yard Ryley Guay field goal to make the score 14–10 in favor of Purdue at half-time. Purdue extended its lead on a 50-yard touchdown reception by Jared Sparks and a 20-yard touchdown by Hopkins in the third quarter. Vanderbilt responded with a 10-yard touchdown reception by Cam Johnson from Riley Neal, but failed to convert on the two-point conversion attempt, to open the fourth quarter scoring. Purdue responded with a 34-yard touchdown reception by Rondale Moore from Sindelar. Vanderbilt countered just 9 seconds later when Neal found Chris Pierce on a 75-yard touchdown pass, this time Neal's pass to Kalija Lipscomb was a successful two-point conversion. Purdue concluded the scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with by Sindelar.
Sindelar's 509 yards passing tied for the sixth most in a game in school history. Purdue's 42 points were its most points ever scored against current members of the SEC. The following Monday, Elijah Sindelar was named the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
TCU
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After defeating Vanderbilt, Purdue remained at home for their third game against TCU. The two schools have not played each other since 1970.
TCU won in a blowout, 34–13. Purdue opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal by J. D. Dellinger. TCU responded with a 24-yard field goal by Jonathan Song. Darius Anderson broke loose to score on a 32-yard run to finish the first quarter scoring. Purdue responded in the second quarter when Dellinger hit a 53-yard field goal. TCU would score again just before the half on a 40-yard Song field goal to make the score 13–6 in favor of TCU at halftime. TCU struck first in the second half when Max Duggan found Al'Dontre Davis for a 22-yard touchdown catch. TCU scored again on a 1-yard touchdown run by Sewo Olonilua to round out the 3rd quarter scoring. Anderson scored again for TCU on an 8-yard run to increase the lead in the 4th quarter. Purdue scored their first touchdown when Jack Plummer found Amad Anderson for a 54-yard touchdown pass.
Purdue's 23 yards rushing were its fewest since having 23 against Minnesota on November 5, 2016. Purdue's 8 first downs were its fewest since having eight against Wisconsin on October 31, 2009. Jack Plummer and Amad Anderson both go the first touchdowns of their careers when Plummer found Anderson for a 54-yard reception in the 4th quarter. J. D. Dellinger's 53-yard field goal was the third longest in school history. George Karlaftis became the first true freshman to record a sack and interception in the same game since Torri Williams on November 6, 2004.
Minnesota
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After facing TCU, Purdue remained at home for their four-game and Big Ten Conference opener against Minnesota.
Minnesota won, 38–31. Rodney Smith opened the scoring for Minnesota with a 2-yard touchdown run. Purdue responded with a 21-yard field goal by J. D. Dellinger. The Golden Gophers then extended their lead when Tanner Morgan found Chris Autman-Bell for a 70-yard touchdown pass. On Purdue's next drive, Elijah Sindelar and Rondale Moore both left the game on the same play. Following their departure, Jack Plummer lead the Boilermakers down the field to score on a 7-yard pass to Zander Horvath. Morgan found Rashod Bateman for a 45-yard touchdown, and Tyler Johnson on a 4-yard touchdown to bring the halftime score to 28–10 in favor of Minnesota. Purdue opened the second half scoring when King Doeroe scored on an 8-yard run. Minnesota then connected on a 32-yard field goal by Michael Lantz and Morgan found Bateman on a 47-yard touchdown pass to round out the third quarter scoring. Purdue would add two touchdowns by Doeroe in the fourth quarter, a 2-yard touchdown run and 13-yard reception from Plummer.
Jack Plummer's 7-yard pass to Zander Horvath in the 2nd quarter was his first career touchdown pass, as well as Horvath's first career touchdown reception. George Karlaftis became the first Purdue freshman since 2000 with at least 3.0 sacks in a season. David Bell became the fifth true freshman since 2000 with at least eight catches in a game. King Doeroe became the first true freshman with three touchdowns in a game since Kory Sheets had three against Indiana on November 19, 2005.
Penn State
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After facing Minnesota, Purdue traveled to University Park, Pennsylvania for the 2nd road game and Big Ten Conference game against Penn State.
Penn State won in a blowout, 35–7. Penn State opened up the scoring in the first quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run by K. J. Hamler. After a Purdue punt, the Nittany Lions scored again on a 3-yard run by Sean Clifford. Penn State would strike again in the first with a 72-yard reception by Jahan Dotson from Clifford. Penn State scored first again in the second quarter with a 7-yard reception by Pat Freiermuth. Purdue finally got on the board with a 15-yard touchdown reception by Amad Anderson Jr. from Jack Plummer, bringing the halftime score to 28–7. The lone score of the second half came during a 2-yard touchdown run by Noah Cain in the fourth quarter.
Maryland
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After traveling to Penn State, Purdue returned home for their Big Ten Conference game against Maryland.
Purdue won in a blowout, 40–14. Purdue scored first when Jack Plummer found David Bell, but a bad snap forced Danny Corollo to scramble and the PAT was failed. On their next possession, King Doeroe scored on a 4-yard run for the Boilermakers. Maryland scored their first points in the second quarter on a 21-yard run by Javon Leake. Purdue returned the score with a 59-yard touchdown reception by Milton Wright from Plummer. Maryland cut the deficit when Tyrrell Pigrome scored on a 61-yard run. J. D. Dellinger increased the Purdue lead when he added a 27-yard field goal. A Pigrome interception by Cory Trice returned for 37-yard touchdown to bring the halftime score 30–14 in favor of the Boilermakers. Dellinger's 27-yard field goal was the lone score of the third quarter. Plummer found Bell again for an 8-yard touchdown in the 4th quarter to cap the scoring.
Four freshmen scored all five touchdowns. It marked the first time since at least 1997 that even three freshmen scored a touchdown in a game. It was also the first time since December 31, 2001, vs. Washington State that Purdue had at least three players with at least eight receptions. Cory Trice returned an interception for a touchdown just before halftime, becoming the first Purdue freshman with a pick-six since Ricardo Allen in 2010 at Michigan State.
Iowa
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Purdue hit the road again, this time traveling to Iowa City, Iowa for a Big Ten Conference game against the Hawkeyes of Iowa.