1971 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 1971 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University during the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. Led by second-year head coach Bob DeMoss, the Boilermakers compiled an overall record of 3–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for sixth in the Big Ten. Purdue played home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 18	at Washington*		Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	L 35–38	58,927
September 25	No. 2 Notre Dame*		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	L 7–8	69,765
October 2	Iowa		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	W 45–13	63,485
October 9	Minnesota		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	W 27–13	64,281
October 16	at Northwestern	No. 20	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL	W 21–20	40,059
October 23	at Illinois	No. 17	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL (rivalry)	L 7–21	52,344
October 30	Michigan State		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 10–43	66,339
November 6	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	L 10–14	78,451
November 13	No. 3 Michigan		Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	L 17–20	65,254	[1]
November 20	at Indiana		Seventeenth Street Stadium Bloomington, IN (Old Oaken Bucket)	L 31–38	50,978
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[2]

^[3]

• Otis Armstrong 19 rushes, 121 yards

• Gary Danielson 15/20 passing, 300 yards

• Otis Armstrong 30 rushes, 179 yards

• Otis Armstrong 35 rushes, 155 yards