Purdue football pulled off a 44-19 victory over Indiana State, but if you just looked at the score, you’d be missing the whole story. This win was far from flawless, folks. The Boilermakers needed a full half just to warm up, and while a win is a win against an FCS program, there’s definitely some serious room for improvement as they head into next week. We saw some awesome stuff, and we saw some head-scratchers, that’s for sure.
Browne Blew Up While the Offense Started Slow
Listen, the first half for this offense was a real test of patience, and not the good kind. They put up great offensive numbers, sure, but how do you only come away with 16 points after settling for three field goals? Come on, you gotta convert those! Thankfully, the second half looked like the blitzkrieg we were all hoping for. Quarterback Ryan Browne? What a performance! He had a minor mistake or two, but he played turnover-free football and threw for a career-high 317 yards on 79.3% passing with three touchdowns. That’s his fourth career 300-yard game, and man, did we need it! Fame Ijeboi looks like he’s going to bolster a running game that was absolutely desperate for some juice, even if an unnecessary holding penalty wiped away his most impressive run of the night and kept him from a multi-TD performance. Asaad Waseem and Xavier Townsend were exactly as advertised from fall camp, which is great to see. Travis Terrell Jr. might not be your traditional between the tackles running back, but the team sure tried him there several times on their second drive.
Defense and Special Teams, a Tale of Two Halves (and Units)
Now, let’s talk defense. Don Saunders had that pick six, which was awesome, but it came late and against Indiana State’s backup quarterback, Brady Allen. That makes you wonder how much it really bolsters the overall grade. The Sycamores’ touchdown actually came against Purdue’s No. 1 defense, and just before that, an undisciplined unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gifted Indiana State a free 15 yards. That kind of stuff can’t happen! On their two first half scoring drives, Indiana State carved out a 24-yard play on third-and-11 and a 41-yard completion on third-and-9. That’s just too many big plays in critical situations. On the bright side, three sacks and a forced turnover are already a step ahead of where this defense started out last season, even with a season-opening shutout back then.
However, the special teams were a shining beacon of hope! First-year kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano? Coordinator James Shibest hoped his first college kick would be a low-pressure extra point, but instead, it was a 39-yard field goal. Didn’t matter! Lozano split the uprights with ease and nailed two more field goals for a perfect night. Dylan Drennan booted a 54-yard punt and Bisi Owens even blocked one! The only critiques were a holding call that wiped out a 72-yard kickoff return and a penalty on a punt for having too many players in the backfield. Still, an A- grade is well deserved for those guys.
The coaching staff, especially with that second-half improvement, got a B, which feels fair. Allowing 19 points feels like a lot, but they cleaned it up when it counted. Next up is Wake Forest on September 12. They’ve gotta tighten up those penalties and make sure the defense can consistently stop those third-and-long conversions. We need a full 60-minute performance if we want to keep things rolling!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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