Huskers Plan for PurdueHuskers Plan for Purdue
Football

Huskers Plan for Purdue

Lincoln - Coach Bo Pelini and members of the Nebraska football team discussed this Saturday's game against Purdue with media members Monday at Memorial Stadium.

Kickoff between the Huskers (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) and the Boilermakers (3-5, 1-3 Big Ten) is set for 2:30 p.m., with live regional television coverage provided ABC and additional coverage by ESPN2. 

Nebraska, which is coming off a 42-24 win over Rutgers this past Saturday at Memorial Stadium, will welcome Purdue to Memorial Stadium for the first time. The game against Rutgers also marked the first trip to Lincoln in history for the Scarlet Knights.

Nebraska is 1-1 all-time against Purdue, including last season's 44-7 win over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind. The only other meeting in history came with a 28-0 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette in 1958.

Senior I-back Ameer Abdullah, who was named to the Paul Hornung Award Weekly Honor Roll and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after his record-setting performance against Rutgers, leads the Huskers against Purdue.

Abdullah, who erupted for a school-record and 2014 NCAA season-best 341 all-purpose yards against the Scarlet Knights, leads the nation with 1,690 all-purpose yards this season (211.2 ypg). His total is 368 yards more than No. 2 Tevin Coleman from Indiana.

Abdullah also leads the country with 1,249 rushing yards (156.1 ypg). He has been at his best at home, unleashing four 200-yard rushing efforts in Nebraska's first five home games to pile up 948 rushing yards at Memorial Stadium already this season. He is averaging nearly 190 rushing yards per game at home.

Abdullah needs just 52 rushing yards against Purdue to join 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier as the only players in Nebraska history to rush for 1,000 yards at home in a season. Rozier amassed his total of 1,144 yards in six games at Memorial Stadium. Rozier added 1,004 yards on the road to finish with a school-record 2,148 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who has powered a Nebraska passing attack that is averaging 221.4 yards per game, will face a Boilermaker defense that ranks 93rd nationally in allowing 255.5 yards per contest. Armstrong needs 291 yards to become just the ninth Nebraska quarterback to record a 2,000-yard passing season.

Armstrong, who is 14-2 as a starter, needs just 123 yards to join Nebraska's top 10 in single-season total offense yards. He recorded his third career victory in his third career start in last season's win at Purdue.

Complete transcripts of the Huskers' conversations at the press conference, including Coach Pelini, sophomore quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., are available in the links below.