Rutgers has been a member of the Big Ten since the 2014 season, but this is the first time they will be making a trip to West Lafayette in football. The six year rotations just worked out that their last “first” visit was this year, and if not for the restart it would have been until at least 2026 before they finally got around to coming to Purdue. The only matchup was a 14-12 game in Piscataway in 2017 where Rutgers won by breaking math.
This also feels like a must-win for Purdue and Jeff Brohm. The Boilers are coming off of one of the worst screw job calls I have seen and one that definitely cost them the game in Minneapolis. Coach Brohm needs this win over a rebuilding, but feisty, Rutgers team otherwise even more questions will arise. can Purdue respond after a gut punch of a loss that was out of its control as we’re clearly trying to set things up for a big year in 2021 now.