The start of conference play comes with a big-time challenge for the Purdue Boilermakers, as the team not only will travel across the country to take on the 2-0 UCLA Bruins, they’ll do so with kickoff set for 8:00p.m. Pacific Time.
An 8:00p.m. kickoff in California means that Purdue will begin the game versus the Bruins at 11:00p.m. back on campus. Not only will that make it tough for Purdue fans to stay awake in the second half of the game, it’ll make it tough on the Boilermakers to compete.
Oddsmakers have already factored in the time change to the game’s line, with UCLA sitting as 14-point favorites for the Big Ten Conference opener. Purdue is 1-1 on the season, coming off of a double-overtime loss to Wake Forest this past Saturday.
While the
Boilermakers couldn’t walk away with a victory, Purdue was able to overcome a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime. Purdue relied heavily on quarterback Ryan Browne and running back Fame Ijeboi. Browne threw for 329 yards while Ijeboi added another 114 yards on the ground and 42 through the air, finding the end zone on three occasions.
The Boilermaker defense didn’t show a ton of resistance against Wake Forest. Junior defensive end Jeremy Lewis tallied 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for losses but that was the lone standout for the Purdue defense.
Wake Forest finished the game with 411 yards of offense, controlling the game on the ground. The Demon Deacons rushed for just 4.5 yards per carry but were able to run the ball 41 times, wearing down the Purdue defense. UCLA will look to have the same success against Purdue Saturday night.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Purdue has a late night ahead of them on Saturday against UCLA
