5 Purdue players to watch against Iowa

Iowa won for the first time against Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium since 2014 last week. This week, the Hawkeyes will seek their first win in West Lafeyette, Ind., since 2016.

The Purdue roster includes plenty of familiar faces, whether that be because of transferring from Iowa or having prominent roles in Purdue’s 17-point win over then-No. 2 Iowa last year.

Here are five Purdue players to watch when Iowa visits Ross-Ade Stadium Saturday:

WR Charlie Jones

This name likely is especially familiar for Iowa football fans.

Charlie Jones transferred from Buffalo to Iowa in 2019 and was an electrifying punt/kick returner in 2020 and 2021.

Jones was the Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year in 2021 and also had a minor role in Iowa’s receiving corps. Then about a month after Iowa’s 2022 spring practices concluded, Jones entered the transfer portal.

Now at Purdue, Jones has emerged as one of the top receiving threats in the Big Ten, earned the nickname “Chuck Sizzle” and could be an All-American wide receiver this year.

His 9.0 receptions per game are second in the FBS behind only Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson. The former Hawkeye is on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the top receiver in college football.

QB Aidan O’Connell

Iowa may be going up against the best quarterback in the Big Ten West this week.

Aidan O’Connell is coming off a season where he completed 71.6 percent of his passes while throwing 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was a second-team all-Big Ten honoree behind Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, who also was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

This year’s numbers are not quite as glamorous, but still respectable. O’Connell has completed 66.3 percent of his passes while throwing 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Saturday will mark the third time O’Connell has faced the Hawkeyes. In 2020, he went 31-for-50 for 282 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

In 2021, he went 30-for-40 for 375 yards and two touchdowns. He did not have any interceptions.

DB Cam Allen

Cam Allen has been a key part of Purdue’s secondary since 2020.

He has played in all 27 of Purdue’s games in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and started in all but one of them. Allen has been the team leader in interceptions in 2021 and ’22.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Penn State’s Ji’Ayir Brown is the only Big Ten player with more interceptions than Allen.

The Bluefield, Va., native had a 65-yard pick-six earlier this season in Purdue’s 56-0 win over Indiana State.

Allen also had quite the game when Purdue visited Kinnick last year, picking off Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras twice.

RB Devin Mockobee

Devin Mockobee has taken an impressive step in his first season seeing game action.

The redshirt freshman running back has 561 rushing yards through eight games while averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

Mockobee had a breakout game against Minnesota earlier this year, when he put up 112 rushing yards on 11 carries. His 68-yard run where he artfully evaded scores of Minnesota defenders helped the Boilermakers secure the 20-10 win.

TE Payne Durham

Purdue has a reputation for producing high-caliber wide receivers, but that doesn’t preclude it from having effective tight end play.

Payne Durham has been one of O’Connell’s go-to targets this season.

The Suwanee, Ga., native has 39 receptions for 376 yards and four touchdowns. He is second on the Boilermakers in all three stats to Jones.

Durham has caught at least four passes in Purdue’s last six games and is coming off consecutive seasons with all-Big Ten honorable mentions.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com