Purdue @ Iowa preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 19, 2011 ) Iowa 31, Purdue 21

Purdue and Iowa, two of the coldest teams in the country, meet Saturday in Iowa City. The Boilermakers haven't won a game since September. After a 3-1 start which included three 48-plus point performances and a lone 20-17 slip-up to Notre Dame, Purdue proceeded to drop five straight, its longest Big Ten losing streak since 2005. Only one of the defeats was by a one-point margin and in the three home losses, the Boilermakers were outscored by a collective score of 116-26. The Hawkeyes' slide stretches only three games after blowing a 14-point lead to Indiana last week, but the failures have come on both sides of the ball. Quarterback James Vandenberg was intercepted three times in the first six games and has thrown three more in the last three. And the Iowa defense which gave up only 17.2 points per game before the skid has allowed an average of 30 in those three games.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Iowa -2

IOWA (4-5, 2-3 Big Ten): The Hawkeyes left East Lansing, Mich., on October 13 with a 19-16 double overtime victory over Michigan State and a 4-2 record. While the slide started after that, Vandenberg’s struggles have been apparent through the season. In addition to his six interceptions, he has thrown only four touchdowns, for 1,786 yards and a 107.3 passer rating this season. He finished with 25 touchdowns, 3,022 yards and a 138.4 mark last year. Mark Weisman leads the team with 661 rushing yards and eight scores and Damon Bullock has 470 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Boilermakers have a plus-8 turnover margin, tied for 17th nationally.

PURDUE (3-6, 0-5): Robert Marve and Caleb TerBush split time under center for the Boilermakers. Marve, who tore his ACL early this season against Notre Dame, saw the majority of the snaps in Purdue’s 34-9 loss to Penn State last week. He was 22-of-30 for 138 yards while TerBush was 10-of-20 for 155 yards and one touchdown. While seven Boilermakers have registered rushing touchdowns this season, Akeem Shavers is the most consistent ground threat with 489 yards and three TDs. Antavian Edison leads the Boilermakers with 525 yards and seven touchdowns. He was the lone bright spot against the Nittany Lions, tallying a season-high nine receptions. The porous Purdue defense has allowed 30.1 points per game, 85th in the nation.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Purdue has lost six straight in Iowa City dating back to 1993 and 11 of its last 12.

2. Five of Iowa's nine games have been decided by three points or less. Two have been decided by one point each and one in double overtime.

3. Edison has a reception in 30 consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Iowa 27, Purdue 26