Time to get the staff together for a roundtable. There’s been a lot of chatter asking if this team is truly better than last year’s team or if we are just enamored with a two win season. So I asked the staff for their thoughts. We are now three games into the 2025 Purdue football season. What is the biggest difference you see when comparing 2024 Purdue football and 2025 Purdue football?
Ledman:
It’s as plain as the nose on my face that this Purdue team is better than last year’s version. Look no further
than the man pictures. Barry Odom has brought more discipline and passion in three games than Ryan Walters and company did at any point last year. Yes the win total is higher, the non-conference games were also easier, but it’s more than just wins and losses that defines a team. The effort is better, the penalties are less boneheaded, and there appears to be actually improvement from game to game. It’s not perfect but I’ll take it.
Travis:
I feel like I was greatly encouraged in a 16 point loss to a superior opponent. This was a game where a single play was a potential 14 point swing, and 6-14 more points were lost with the other red zone interceptions. With five minute left Purdue still had a puncher’s chance of winning. We could say that about what, two games last year against teams not named Indiana State? Three games? The point is that Purdue kept fighting. Even after the Thicc-Six the Boilers got another TD and were marching down the field to make it a one possession game before the final interception. How does htat final five go with Michael Jackson III holds on to the ball the play before? Last year’s team was pretty much destroyed by NOtre Dame and never recovered. This year’s team has some fight and is very disciplined. That will pay off.
Ryan:
We talked about this on the Boiler Alert podcast but it seems pretty clear that the coaching staff is getting through to the players far more effectively than the previous regime. We cannot say that the talent level between this season and last season are far and away different but Purdue has looked more poised, more disciplined, and more competent than just 1 year ago. I don’t want to dive into the scoring statistics fully because Purdue still has 8 conference games and a trip to South Bend to play but in 3 games thus far, they are scoring nearly 10 more points per game and allowing 23 less points per game compared to last year. A few other stats worth noting that directly relate to poise and discipline are Purdue’s 3rd / 4th down numbers and their penalties. Last season, Purdue was successful on 3rd down 31.3% of time and 27.8% on 4th down while amassing 5.5 penalties per game worth nearly 52 yards. This year, Purdue is converting 51.3% on 3rd down, 83.3% on 4th down, while commiting about 3 penalties per game for 38 yards. Again, this is a small sample and Purdue still needs to play Notre Dame, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan, and Indiana but the coachable aspects of the team are clearly better.
Specific to the game last weekend, last season, this team would not have even sniffed a close game against USC and here we are this week justifying the loss for being much closer than it looked due to 3 untimely turnovers. On that same plane, Purdue may have allowed 70 points to this USC team a year ago whereas this year’s team held them to under 35. I’m definitely not saying the 2025 team is great but it is greatly improved. It’s very easy to see that this program is in a better position currently and I look forward to coach Odom continuing to strive closer to his vision of success at Purdue. It may take time, but I’m glad the needle is moving in the right direction, maybe even quicker than we thought.
Drew:
This team, at worst, is going to be entertaining. I’m not sure how many wins that translates to, but I feel like it’d going to translate to fewer games that feel like watching a root canal.
That wasn’t great football on Saturday but I was entertained. That’s a step in the right direction.
Jed:
Outside of the win total being double what it was last year, I think it is plainly obvious this team is exponentially better from a fundamentals and preparation standpoint. The team, simply put, looks prepared from the first snap, makes adjustments throughout the game, and plays fundamentally sound football.
Purdue fans want a program that wins and can get 10 wins, but we know who we are in the grand scheme of things. If the team can be competitive looking like they are playing hard, smart football against the best opponents on the schedule, Purdue fans will continue to show up in droves.
I think Barry Odom knows what he is doing and eventually it will pay off with a big season. It likely isn’t this season but how the program looks after arguably the worst season in program history should be cause for optimism.
