RUTGERS (1-4) at PURDUE (2-2)
November 28, 2020 • 4:05 p.m. ET • FS1
Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, Ind.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After two-straight home games, Rutgers football returns to the road to face Purdue on Saturday at 4 p.m. on FS1. It will be the Scarlet Knights' first visit to Ross-Ade Stadium and second all-time meeting against the Boilermakers.
 
Rutgers is averaging 29.6 points per game, on pace for its best scoring average in Big Ten conference play since joining the league in 2014. The previous high is 21.3 points per game against Big Ten opponents in 2015 (eight games). Defensively, the Scarlet Knights lead the league with 37 tackles-for-loss in 2020.
 
TV: FS1 (FOX Sports App)
Play-By-Play: Kevin Fitzgerald
Analyst: Sam Acho
 
Radio: RWJBarnabas Health Rutgers Sports Network
WCTC 1450-AM, WOR 710-AM, WENJ 97.3-FM, XM 384
Play-By-Play: Chris Carlin
Analyst: Ray Lucas
Sideline: Anthony Fucilli
Engineer: Paul Shrager
Pregame: 3 p.m. (Marc Malusis & Eric LeGrand)
 
Student Radio: WRSU 88.7-FM
Raj Shah & Brant Wolff

 
 

SCOUTING RUTGERS

Capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Noah Vedral to wide receiver Aron Cruickshank on fourth-and-nine, the Scarlet Knights put together a 16-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game with 27 seconds remaining to pull within 35-33 against Michigan last Saturday. Vedral then rushed into the end zone on a two-point conversion to send the game to overtime. Each team missed a field goal in the first frame before tight end Jovani Haskins started the second extra period with a 25-yard receiving score, but the Wolverines matched. Michigan then recorded six points and held on for the 48-42 victory in triple overtime.
 
Vedral finished with a career-high 381 passing yards, eighth-most in a game in program history, on 29 completions. He became the third RU quarterback to reach 300 yards through the air in Big Ten play and now ranks third in the conference in passing yards with 1,104 this season. In addition, Vedral is fourth in the league with eight touchdowns passes, two short of the program record versus Big Ten opponents in a year.
 
Cruickshank's first career receiving score was one of his eight receptions against the Wolverines, making it 22 over the last three games for the most by a Scarlet Knight in a three-game span since Mohamed Sanu in 2011. Wide receiver Bo Melton, who was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list last week, paces the offense with 443 receiving yards after back-to-back games in triple figures. He seeks to become just the fourth player in school history with three consecutive games recording at least 100 receiving yards. Overall, Melton is third in the Big Ten with six total touchdowns and fourth with five receiving touchdowns. Wide receiver Shameen Jones joins Melton with multiple catches in all five games and is coming off a career-high 127 receiving yards on seven receptions versus Michigan.
 
On the ground, Vedral and running back Isaih Pacheco have both picked up 12 first downs. Pacheco is up to 1,609 career yards with six games rushing for at least 100 yards. The rushing attack has produced 149 more yards than through five Big Ten games last year, while the passing offense has increased by 800 yards and total offense is up by 949 yards.
 
Linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi padded his Big Ten lead with a career-high 17 tackles last time out, including two sacks to also take over the conference lead at 9.0 tackles-for loss. He is the first Rutgers player with double-digit stops in five-straight games since Aaron Brady (six games) in 1998. Linebacker Tyshon Fogg ranks second in the league with 50 tackles and holds the most on the active roster with 220 in his career.
 
Punter Adam Korsak has helped the punt team rank second in the Big Ten with a net mark of 41.35. Only five of the Aussie's 180 career kicks (2.7 percent) have resulted in touchbacks. Kicker Valentino Ambrosio, a former member of the Rutgers men's soccer team, is 4-for-5 on field goals since taking over the position two games ago. Both defensive back and Lawrence Stevens and linebacker Mohamed Toure are tied for the team lead with five tackles on special teams.
 

VERSUS PURDUE

• Rutgers will take on Purdue for the second time in its first visit to Ross-Ade Stadium. After this week, the only Big Ten stadium the Scarlet Knights will have never traveled to is Northwestern's Ryan Field.
• Rutgers won the only other meeting in Piscataway, the 2017 Homecoming game, by the score of 14-12.
• Gus Edwards recorded a 74-yard touchdown to give the Scarlet Knights a 7-0 lead 2:37 into the game. Giovanni Rescigno found Raheem Blackshear for a 35-yard passing score in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 14-6.
• The Boilermakers scored a touchdown to pull within 14-12 with 25 seconds remaining. However, RU denied the two-point conversion attempt to seal the victory.
• The 12 points permitted are the least amount surrendered by Rutgers against a Big Ten opponent since joining the conference. The defense held Purdue to 3-of-15 on third downs and 1-for-4 on fourth down, recording 11 pass breakups.
• Rutgers game highs versus Purdue:
Rushing Yards: Gus Edwards, 94 (2017)
Passing Yards: Giovanni Rescigno, 87 (2017)
Receiving Yards: Raheem Blackshear, 39 (2017)
 

UP NEXT

Rutgers plays its fourth home game of the season at SHI Stadium versus Penn State on Dec. 5, presented by Provident Bank. The game time and television network will be announced late Saturday or Sunday morning.
 

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