Texas Christian @ Purdue preview
Ross-Ade Stadium
Purdue looks to notch back-to-back wins over Power Five opponents in non-conference play for the first time since 2003 when it hosts TCU on Saturday. The Boilermakers bounced back from a disappointing 34-31 loss to Nevada in their season opener with a 42-24 win against Vanderbilt last week and hope their high-octane offense keeps humming by improving to 10-4 against teams currently in the Big 12 Conference.
"We're looking forward to having a night game in our stadium against a good TCU opponent," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm told reporters. "They play football at a high level and we'll have our hands full." TCU opened the 2019 campaign with a 39-7 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff before going on a Week 2 bye. The Horned Frogs played two quarterbacks in their season-opening win and graduate transfer Alex Delton and freshman Max Duggan are expected to split snaps once again as they hope to lead the team to their first non-conference win against a Big Ten foe in four years. "I've got 50,000 armchair quarterbacks telling me how to do it," TCU coach Gary Patterson told reporters. "These guys know they're getting a fair chance and I expect at some point in time it will be very obvious who the guy is."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: TCU -2
ABOUT TCU (1-0): Delton, who spent the previous three years at Kansas State, was limited to 119 yards on 10-of-22 passing but rushed for 67 yards, while Duggan went 16-of-23 for 165 yards and a touchdown to go along with a rushing score in his college debut. Linebacker Garret Wallow was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of Week 1 as the junior linebacker made a career-high 13 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, to go along with a sack against the Golden Lions. Jalen Reagor caught five passes for 71 yards and a touchdown to take sole possession of third place on the program's all-time receiving TDs list with 18.
ABOUT PURDUE (1-1): Elijah Sindelar was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after completing 34-of-52 passes for a career-high 509 yards and five touchdowns in the win against Vanderbilt. Sindelar, who became the 18th player to surpass 3,000 passing yards, is questionable after suffering a concussion late in the fourth quarter and Brohm revealed that freshman quarterback Jack Plummer will make his first career start if Sindelar isn't cleared to play. Offensive tackle Matt McCann (ankle), defensive tackle Lorenzo Neal (knee) and running back Tario Fuller are all expected to miss Saturday's game with injuries.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Purdue WR Rondale Moore has registered nine 100-yard receiving games.
2. TCU is 115-5 when allowing 17 or fewer points under Patterson.
3. Sindelar leads the nation in passing yards (932) and total offense per game (484).
PREDICTION: Purdue 35, TCU 34