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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 11 • 11 BY TRAVIS BAUGH AND ALAN KARPICK T he Boilermakers will face the first pass-happy offense they have seen since Oct. 11 against Michigan State when Northwest- ern comes to town. The Wildcats have aired it out 389 times in 2014, more than any other team in the Big Ten. Despite his high frequency of passes, quar- terback Trevor Siemien has just six touchdowns compared to 10 inter- ceptions this season. Siemian played one of his best games of the season Saturday against Notre Dame, completing 30-of-48 passes for a season-high 284 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. "Trevor Siemian was our big playmaker," Coach Pat Fitzger- ald told reporters Monday. "Just had a terrific day. A couple drops away from having one of those re- ally memorable games that would have gone down in Wildcat history." Kyle Prater, who was the No. 3 player nationally in the 2010 class according to Rivals, nabbed a ca- reer-high 10 catches for 81 yards Saturday. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound USC transfer leads Northwestern with 47 catches for 453 yards and two touchdowns. "Kyle Prater had arguably the best game of his career," Fitzger- ald said. "Couldn't be happier for a young man who's persevered through so much. To see the game he had was absolutely outstanding." DEFENSIVE WOES Northwestern's defense has struggled of late, having allowed at least 38 points and 471 yards in three of its last four games. Opponents have had similar success on the ground and through the air against Northwestern as the Wildcats rank eighth and ninth in the conference in rush defense and pass defense, respectively. The Wildcats thrive on forcing turnovers with 21, the fourth-most in the country. Cornerback Nick VanHoose ranks second in the con- ference in pass breakups with 10 to go along with two interceptions. NO MARK, NO PROBLEM After Venric Mark transferred to West Texas A&M a week before the season started, freshman Justin Jackson has received the bulk of the carries for Northwestern with 198 for 910 yards and six touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound back has led Northwestern in rushing all 10 games this season and has ran for 100 yards or more in four of the last six games. His 910 rushing yards rank fifth among all freshman backs in the nation. Jackson tallied 149 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame in one of the best performances of his young career. Fitzgerald was impressed with the way Jackson blocked Satur - day, an area he has struggled in throughout the season. "He was pretty solid," Fitzgerald said. "He'll be better next year than he is right now. He hasn't been through a winter workout or spring practice, but he's doing well there." POST-BYE BLUNDERS Purdue will be the fourth team this season to play North- western coming off of a bye. The Wildcats are 0-3 and have been outscored 110–41 by Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa, the three op- ponents who have played North- western after a week off. Fitzgerald called this week's game tougher than last week's against Notre Dame due to Pur- due's extra week of preparation. "That's a big advantage for (Purdue)," Fitzgerald said. HISTORICALLY SPEAKING Purdue has owned two teams in the Big Ten more than other, and it just happens to be its last two foes in the 2014 season: Northwest- ern and Indiana. Since 1970, Purdue has beaten Northwestern nearly 75 percent of the time with a 29-10 mark. The number isn't quite as good against Indiana (28-16, .636). But, of late, the tide has turned in favor of the Wildcats as they are having their best run against the Boilermakers (four wins in the last seven games) since the 1950s. With the weather being suspect for Sat- urday, the Boiler- makers may need a big-time rush- ing performance against North- western. They've gotten those be- fore against the Wildcats. Of the 17 times Purdue play- ers have rushed for at least 190 yards, three have come against the Wild- cats. Otis Arm- strong set what was the single-game Boilermaker standard with 233 yards in a 37-0 win over the 'Cats in 1972. That total was surpassed later that season by Armstrong with 276 yards against Indiana, and Ralph Bolden (234 vs. Toledo, 2009) and Mike Alstott (vs. IU, 1995) have also done better. The other two top single-game rushing performances against Northwest- ern came from Jimmy Smith (190, 1980) and Mel Gray (193, 1982) j What You Need To Know About Northwestern Tom Campbell Dan Dierking's 7-yard touchdown run with 3:54 left in the game gave the Boilermakers a hard-fought 20-17 win at Northwestern on Oct. 9, 2010, the last time the two teams faced each other. Airing It Out THE LAST TIME...