Purdue is the worst team in college football in one key statistic

The Purdue Boilermakers enter Saturday’s matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers after a rocky start to the season.

Ryan Walters’ team began the year with a 49-0 win over Indiana State, signaling the program could be moving in the right direction entering his second year in charge. Three straight losses then followed. The Boilermakers fell 66-7 to Notre Dame, 38-21 to Oregon State and 28-10 to Nebraska.

That leads into Saturday. Purdue is 1-3 (0-1 Big Ten) on the season and just fired its offensive coordinator. Its offense ranks No. 106 in the nation with 21.8 points per game — a slot which drops to No. 130 in the nation if Week 1 vs. Indiana State is eliminated.

Somehow, the offense hasn’t been the team’s main issue. The Boilermakers’ defense currently ranks No. 117 in the nation with 33 points allowed per game. That side of the ball is the biggest big-picture concern as it is Walters’ specialty (he was a longtime DC at Missouri and Illinois before getting the Purdue job).

There may be many reasons for the team’s struggles on defense since Walters took over to start 2023. One statistic through four games in 2024 sums it up: Purdue is the only team out of 133 in the FBS without a single turnover forced.

The Boilermakers’ overall turnover margin of -6 (four interceptions, two fumbles lost) ranks No. 127 of 133 total teams. The most startling number is under the ‘turnovers gained’ category. It is the only team in the nation with a ‘0’ in the column.

This reality is notable as the Wisconsin Badgers enter Saturday badly in need of a victory. Purdue being unable to force turnovers is significant news for a Wisconsin offense that at times has struggled to take care of the football.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, enters Saturday with a turnover margin of -1 (six lost, five gained). Week 5’s loss to USC painted a good picture of how Wisconsin’s season has gone thus far: the Badgers capitalized on several USC turnovers in the first half and led 21-10 at halftime. Then the script flipped completely, Wisconsin gave the ball away in the second half and fell 38-21.

The Badgers and Boilermakers will kick off on Sunday at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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