We are two weeks into the 2025 football season, a full 1/6th of the way through the regular season. Sure, the competition has been less than tough, but we’ve still learned things about this Purdue team right? Well, I asked the staff for their opinions on the following question. We are two games in, which unit has done better than expected and which unit still needs some work?
Ledman:
I’m going to give
what I think will be a controversial opinion but it’s more about my expectations than anything. I think the wide receivers have done better than expected. Yes, there have been drops and yes there’s been some problems overall with them, but my expectations were so low. The majority of these guys had never played at Purdue and the two main players had never caught a touchdown pass. To come in with any sort of consistency was all I was looking for and while they’ve been up and down from half to half I’m excited for the talent in this group and I think they can make big plays when necessary.
As far as what group has disappointed I’m going with the secondary. They didn’t get much of a game against Ball State since the Cardinals refused to throw the ball, but the SIU QB carved them up at times and honestly the passing yards should’ve been much worse. There were numerous plays where the Purdue defender got absolutely beat but there was no harm done because SIU simply couldn’t make the play. There’s a lot of room for improvement in the defensive backfield.
Travis:
I think the defense has been relatively solid so far. The first two drives against SIU were dicey, but the shutout against Ball State was good and the rest of the SIU game was really solid. I also want to credit the offensive line for giving up just one sack and for kicking ass most of the SIU game. We’ve seen they can be physically dominant against lesser competition. Now it is time for a step up in weight class.
As far as disappointing, Purdue has had some pretty big drops in the passing game. The consistency with the receivers is not quite there yet and points have been left on the field due to drops. You can get away with that against Ball State and Southern Illinois, but not against anyone else on the schedule.
Ryan:
I’m going to avoid the actual question for what I think the intended response should be. I actually think both units have done better than expected (mostly because I rightfully had next to no expectations coming in) but both units need plenty of work as well. I think it’s fairly clear that the offense has been the better unit (I exclude special teams which have actually been perfect outside of 2 decent kickoff returns from Ball State). And yes, I realize that scoring 65 combined points against Ball State and Southern Illinois does not make the offense a juggernaut. The offense has just looked more well rounded in these two games as the first two drives of the season were composed of quick and flashy plays while several drives against Southern Illinois were time consuming and methodical. Ryan Browne passed for over 300 yards in week 1 while Devin Mockobee rushed for over 120 yards in week 2.It is by no means perfect, but this Purdue team is more likely to get into a shootout than a rock fight in my opinion.
The defense, on the other hand, has given me some pause. While yes, they did shut out Ball State in the opener, it took 2 missed field goals and a quarterback with a rubber arm to accomplish that. Playing against SIU, a dual threat QB did expose the Purdue defense a bit and while Purdue did make adjustments following the 14-point blitz, it’s still somewhat concerning to allow that from an FCS foe. Also concerning is the fact that Purdue has yet to force a turnover this season and furthermore, Purdue has yet to come even close to a turnover this season. So while Purdue has outperformed the incredibly low bar set by previous coaches, there needs to be a lot of work done on both sides of the ball to compete once the level of competition cranks up next week.
Jed:
I think the linebackers have really exceeded expectations. The combination of Mani Powell and Charles Correa have made the jump from UNLV look a bit easier than I think anyone expected. Those two are 2nd and 3rd in total tackles and have combined for 2 sacks and a pass defended. That’s been a big help for a defense that had zero playmakers in that unit last year.
I think this is probably a tie between the receivers and the defensive line. The receivers may get a little bit of a pass as they are missing their best piece of the puzzle in Morissette and others have appeared to have some ability, but there have been too many drops and not quite enough big plays.
The defensive line is really where Purdue is hurting. That unit just doesn’t appear to have that next level type player that can apply pressure on a QB and make plays in the backfield on a consistent basis. CJ Nunnally is probably the closest guy Purdue has to that but he is still largely unproven.
