Last year in their first game of the season Purdue struggled to run the ball against a Ball State squad that they eventually beat 31-0. In this game Purdue needed to show the fans what they were capable of. In the first half, after 30 minutes of football Purdue went into the locker room up 16-6 after failing to score touchdowns on three drives including two trips to the red zone, and one drive to the 21 yard line which is red zone adjacent. It was not a first half that showed fans any sort of confidence in what this team could be. Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Boilermakers offense in the first half was Fame Ijeboi who rushed 8 times for 54 yards while also hauling in one pass for 11 yards. Other than that, Ryan Browne did okay, if you just look at the stats, but 16-22 with 1 TD hides the issues that he had. He overthrew a number of targets including on one play where he had two guys wide open down the middle of the field. He also had guys open in the endzone on two of those drives that ended in field goals but couldn't put the ball in the right place. Sure, I know some of it is on the WRs but Browne has to put them in a place to succeed.
What else killed Purdue in the first half, stop me if you've heard this one, penalties. Purdue had 6 penalties for 45 yards and these were big penalties. That included a hold on an Ijeboi run that would've been a 63 yard touchdown with some nifty cut backs and a couple great down field blocks. Unfortunately, Purdue had to settle for a field goal on that drive. But it was emblamatic of a problem that has haunted this team for the past two seasons. Too many penalties and at increidbly inopportune times.
On the defensive side of the ball Purdue played that defense that all fans hate. Bend, don't break. They allowed ISU to get into the red zone on multiple occasions but did hold them to six points. That's the good…I guess? They did convert two long third downs but were overall 2-6 on third down in the first half. A lot that Purdue would love to improve upon from that first half and they would have 30 minutes to do so.
Joe Tiller Memorial Player of the Game (JTMPOTG): Fame Ijeboi is the obvious winner here. The transfer running back showed a spark receiving, running, and even taking the direct snap for an easy TD to start the second half scoring for the Boilermakers which put them up 23-6. He finshed the game with 2 catches for 30 yards and 11 rushes for 87 yards and a TD. It was a great Purdue debut.
I'm not sure what Barry Odoom and the staff said or did but it really motivated the team in the third quarter. They came out and forced a quick three and out for the Sycamore before taking it down for a touchdown. Then, another quick stop of Indiana State and another quick touchdown from the Boilermakers and suddenly the 16-6 score was 30-6 and Purdue fans had a little pep in their step. Then, a familiar face stepped onto the field for Indiana State. Brady Allen stepped into the QB position for the Sycamore and we were finally getting a chance to see what Jeff Brohm saw all those years ago. What did we see? Well, Don Saunders stepped in front of a Brady Allen pass and ran it into the endzone for a pick six. It put Purdue up 37-6. A nice deep ball from Brady Allen to Jayden Reed for 45 yards resulted in ISU putting their first TD on the board. They would miss the ensuing PAT to make the score 44-12. Quick reminder that the spread was 36.5 coming into the game (give or take a point depending). Those Vegas folks know what they're doing.
Late in the 4th quarter Purdue would take out Ryan Browne and put in Evans Chuba at QB. Purdue mainly focused on the run in his first drive which resulted in turnover on downs as Purdue found themselves at the 40 yard line and opted to go for it rather than kick a 57 yard field goal or punt it away. Allen then threw a 55 yard bomb and ISU subsequently ran it in for a quick TD to finish the scoring at 44-19.
So, what do you take from a game like this? Well, there were no obvious injuries which is good. The first half was not good on the offensive end and there were too many big plays allowed on defense, even if ISU only scored 6 points, so that was bad. There were far too many penalties that took away big plays including a TD run, a big kick return, and on a big punt return. Those things need to be cleaned up because Purdue will face a much tougher opponent next week in Wake Forest. Much more to come on this one.
