2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team
The 2020 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University in the 2020 college football season. They played their home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, as a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. Jeff Brohm served as the head coach for his fourth year.
The season was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Ten initially canceled fall sports in August, then later announced an eight-game, conference-only schedule beginning in late October. Spring plans, including a scheduled spring game, were canceled earlier in the year. Purdue and many opponents faced multiple schedule changes and cancellations, including a Wisconsin game that was called off and the Old Oaken Bucket game against Indiana being canceled and later rescheduled before ultimately being canceled again due to ongoing COVID issues. The result was a shortened season with seven games played.
Coaching changes were part of the off-season. Bob Diaco was hired as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, following the departure of Nick Holt. Several assistants did not return, and Purdue added Marty Biagi as special teams coordinator and Terrance Jamison as defensive line coach.
Purdue started the season with a win over Iowa, 24–20, in a game that marked the latest season opener since 1918. The Boilermakers’ receiving standout David Bell caught three touchdown passes in that game, and J. D. Dellinger added a career-long field goal. In their next game, Purdue defeated Illinois, 31–24, with Aidan O’Connell throwing touchdown passes and Zander Horvath scoring from the 1-yard line.
Purdue finished the season with a 2–4 record in conference play (and 2–4 overall), a result of the shortened schedule and several cancellations. They also lost to Northwestern, 27–20. Overall, the 2020 season was a compressed, pandemic-shortened campaign with key players putting up notable performances amid the disruptions.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:13 (CET).