There's a reason stories aren't written at halftime of football games. The first 30 minutes of Friday night's season opener against Indiana State was ugly, but Purdue came out of the locker room with something to prove.
The Boilermakers outscored the Sycamores 28-13 in the second half and cruised to a 44-19 victory to start the year 1-0. Bryan Browne threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, Fame Ijeboi accounted for 117 total yards and Asaad Waseem had 107 receiving yards in the victory.
In Week 1 games, you expect to see plenty of positives and negatives. There are plenty to talk about from Purdue's win at Ross-Ade Stadium on Friday night.
Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Xavier Townsend (3) carries the ball. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The groans were audible from the press box when the two teams headed to the locker room after two quarters. Purdue owned a narrow 16-6 advantage, struggling on both sides of the football.
Offensively, the Boilermakers failed to turn successful drives into touchdowns. They had three trips into the red zone, but were forced to settle for two field goals. The only touchdown in the first half was aided by an Indiana State holding call.
Purdue also shot itself in the foot in the second quarter, as a 62-yard touchdown run by Ijeboi was wiped off the board because of a holding penalty. On that same possession, the Boilers got the ball down to the 2-yard line, but a false start and an incompletion forced Barry Odom to settle for a field goal.
It was an ugly start, but the Boilers turned things around in the second half. The Boilermakers scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and forced Indiana State into a pair of three-and-outs, building a 37-6 advantage and essentially sealing the game.
Ijeboi delivered on the hype in his debut with the Boilermakers. He didn't waste much time, either. The Minnesota transfer racked up 30 yards on his first three carries of the day, and flashed his combination of speed, physicality and elusiveness throughout the night.
There's no question Ijeboi is the team's top running back, possessiong a complete skill set. He ended the night with 87 rushing yards and 30 receiving yards. His lone touchdown of the night came on a 1-yard run out of the Wildcat formation.
Odom has talked adamantly about the offense establishing the run. Ijeboi can be a real weapon for the Boilermakers on the ground.
Sep 4, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Indiana State Sycamores quarterback Elijah Owens (2) passes. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Third-down defense and explosive plays were issues for the Boilermakers last season and are two areas that needed to be cleaned up entering the 2026 season. Purdue still had some trouble in those areas on Friday night, especially in the first half.
Purdue allowed 10 plays of 10-plus yards, four of those coming on third downs. That includes three pass plays of 41 yards or more. That's something the Boilermakers are going to have to work on moving forward, especially with much more potent offenses on the schedule.
Indiana State converted just 4-of-12 third downs, but the fact that it converted so many third-and-long situations was the issue. That must get addressed immediately with Wake Forest coming to town next week.
Purdue can't afford to shoot itself in the foot. It was the first game of the season, so there's a little grace given to the Boilermakers. But committing nine penalties for 85 yards isn't a recipe for success in the long term.
Those penalties cost Purdue at least one touchdown in Friday night's game (that 62-yard run by Ijebo). Those penalties were a big issue in the first half, hindering drives and forcing the Boilers to settle for field goals.
In fall camp, offensive coordinator Josh Henson hinted that penalties had been a bit of an issue. It was still a problem in Week 1.
Sep 4, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) catches a snap. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Browne was outstanding in his first game, finishing the contest with 317 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 23-of-29 pass attempts. It certainly helps when you have reliable targets who can catch the ball.
A total of 11 different Boilermakers caught passes in Friday night's opener. Some of those came late, but it does show that Purdue has some options in the passing attack.
Waseem was particularly impressive, totaling 107 yards and a touchdown on six receptions. Jesse Watson had 57 yards, Xavier Townsend totaled 47 and George Burhenn ended with 43. Having multiple reliable receivers is going to be a huge benefit to Browne this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/purdue as 5 Thoughts From Purdue's 44-19 Win Over Indiana State in Week 1 .
