Iowa Hawkeyes vs Purdue Availability Report: Nick DeJong, Deshaun Lee Officially Ruled Out

The Iowa Hawkeyes are reeling after losing their starting quarterback for the season when Cade McNamara tore his ACL a week ago against Michigan State. Now as they look to cling to life in the Big Ten West with new starter Deacon Hill set to step under center, it appears the Hawkeyes will be even more short-handed against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Offensive guard Nick DeJong went down against Michigan State after center Logan Jones landed on his elbow. We saw Connor Colby, who missed last week’s practices, step in for the remainder of the game with Rusty Feth already starting in his place. Expect a similar look up front today.

Perhaps more concerning is the addition of starting LT Mason Richman to the report. Richman didn’t appear injured last week and was still atop the depth chart all week so his addition as questionable raises some eyebrows at a position that simply can’t lose any more bodies.

Staying on offense, running back Jaziun Patterson remains sidelined with his ankle injury, but the Hawkeyes get starter Kaleb Johnson back this week after missing the last month of games. Notably, Johnson went off against the Boilers in last year’s Iowa win, rushing for 200 yards and a TD in West Lafeyette.

One last note here is tight end Addison Ostrenga. With starter Luke Lachey already out for the year, Ostrenga had been serving as Iowa’s #2 tight end in 12 personnel. His absence today may limit Brian Ferentz’s ability to utilize three tight end sets and leaves the Hawkeyes very thin at tight end. Look for more 11 personnel and hopefully some more involvement of WRs in the Iowa passing game.

On the other side of the ball, Iowa is without top backup corner Deshaun Lee, who had stepped in admirably as the starter for Iowa’s first two games of the season when Jermari Harris was suspended.

Here’s a look at the full report for this week.

On the other side of things, our most hated rival is also facing several injuries. Notably here, Max Klare has been the Boiler’s third-leading receiver on the season and is their top tight end.

Purdue will also be without one of their top defensive backs with Marquis Wilson sidelined. Wilson has 20 tackles on the season. Up front, the Boilermakers will be without OC Brothers who has a pair of sacks on the season.

Here’s the full look at Purdue’s injury report.

As we march toward kickoff in Kinnick, here’s a reminder of the details on today’s matchup.

Date: Saturday, October 7th
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: Purdue Boilermakers (2-3, 1-1) Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1)
Location: Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
Streaming: Peacock
Preliminary Weather Forecast: mostly sunny with temps in the mid-50s, 10-15 mph winds
DraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -2.5, O/U 38.5

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.