Purdue didn’t win the game on Saturday, but I was entertained. It’s been a while since I’ve been engaged in something other than flipping through channels, looking for a better game in the 4th quarter of Purdue football games. I paced around the living room and swore at the television for the duration of the game, and I actually felt let down at the end, instead of resigned, at the final whistle.
Ryan Browne played a clean game, threw for over 300 yards, and helped lead a 10-point comeback in the
last 4 minutes of the game. Fame Ijeboi put the Big 10 on notice with one of the most impactful individual games since Rondale Moore’s 2018 freshman campaign. The receivers and the offensive line were both competent. If not for the continued red zone woes, this was the best overall offensive performance I’ve seen since Jeff Brohm left town.
Unfortunately, the inability to convert 1st and goal into 7 points doomed an otherwise spirited effort.
Quarterback
*Starters in Bold
Ryan Browne: Snaps – 86 – Comp – 32/42 (76.2%) – Yds – 329 – Td – 1 – Rushes – 6 – Yds – -10
Grade: A-
There were some questions regarding Barry’s Odom’s decision to run it back with Ryan Browne instead of pulling a veteran out of the portal, after last season’s horror show. Barry Odom and company appear to have made the correct call. Browne put on an absolute clinic on Saturday, peppering the ball around the field like a true field general. With one glaring exception, that’s the best game I’ve seen out of a Purdue quarterback in a loooong time.
Unfortunately, that exception was putting the ball in the end zone. When the field shrinks, arm strength becomes an important factor, and while Browne’s downfield arm strength is fine when he can put air under the ball, he’s not the type of quarterback who wants to gun the ball into tight windows. That’s a helpful skill to have in close quarters.
I was surprised you didn’t see more of Browne in the run game close to the goal line, but at the same time, I get not wanting to risk Browne’s health. I like Evans Chubba in theory, but I’m not sure I want to see Evans Chubba have to play substantial snaps in 2026. That being said, if offensive coordinator Josh Henson doesn’t want to run Browne on the goal line, maybe there is a limited role for the athletic, 6’3”, 215-pound backup quarterback this season?
Probably not; coaches don’t like to put in the backup on the goal line for a multitude of reasons, but it’s still fun to talk about.
Running Back
- Fame Ijeboi: Snaps – 65 – Rushes – 27 – Yds – 114 (4.2 YPC) – Tds – 3 – Rec – 6 – Yds – 42
- Travis Terrell Jr.: Snaps – 15 – Rushes – 3 – Yds – 4 (1.3 YPC) – Tds – 0 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 16
- Jerrick Gibson: Snaps – 5 – Rushes – 2 – Yds – 6 (3 YPC) – Tds – 0
Grade: A
Coach Odom dropped some serious coin on the running back room this offseason, and the dividends are evident. Ijeboi ran like a man possessed, with 95 of his 114 yards coming after contact. I’m having a hard time coming up with a running back in Purdue’s recent past with Fame’s combination of speed, power, and patience. I almost tore my ACL watching him shake Wake defenders in the open field. The outcome was disappointing, but watching a star player emerge was entertaining, and Fame is going to be a star (insert health disclaimer…I’m not going to put those words out into the universe).
Terrell Jr. and Gibson combined for 5 carries, none of which were particularly useful, but Terrell’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield showed why he is the primary backup right now.
Ijeboi is the clear lead back, but it would be nice if either Terrell Jr. or Gibson could shoulder a little more of the load to keep Purdue’s star running back fresh for the 4th quarter (and two overtimes).
Wide Receiver
- Chauncey Magwood: Snaps – 79 – Targets – 7 – Rec – 5 – Yds – 77
- De’Nylon Morrissette: Snaps – 74 – Targets – 4 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 26 – Tds – 1
- Xavier Townsend: Snaps – 49 – Targets – 7 – Rec – 6 – Yds – 58
- Assad Waseem: Snaps – 42 – Targets – 6 – Rec – 6 – Yds – 65
- Jaylan Hornsby: Snaps – 12 – Targets – 0
- Tra’Mar Harris: Snaps – 7 – Targets – 0
- Jesse Watson: Snaps – 1 – Targets – 0
Grade: B-
Purdue’s receivers were perfectly serviceable on Saturday. When Ryan Browne threw the ball their way and they had a reasonable chance to catch it, they caught it. You couldn’t say that after several games last season. One thing I didn’t see coming was this snap distribution. I wrote what felt like 2 thousand articles on all of the possible wide receiver permutations this offseason, and Magwood and Morrissette dominating the top of the depth chart wasn’t something I considered a possibility. I spent more time talking about Penn transfer Bisi Owens and freshman Brandon Kinsey than I did about two guys coming off season-ending injuries this offseason, but neither Owens nor Kinsey saw the field on Saturday.
The two veterans on the roster appear to be making the most of their final season of college football. They’re not spectacular, but they’re dependable. Magwood had 3 first-down receptions, and Morrissette had 2. They’re where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, and the name of the game for this Purdue team is keeping the chains moving. It will be interesting to see if some of the younger guys start eating into their snaps as they gain experience, but I don’t have any major complaints.
Townsend and Waseem split snaps in the slot and were both solid, with Waseem verging on spectacular as a key cog in Purdue’s improbable 4th-quarter comeback. I wish Coach Henson could find a way to get them both on the field, but their size and skill sets are so similar they’d be almost redundant. After Saturday’s 4th-quarter performance, I think Wasseem will get a larger share of the snaps moving forward. It took him three quarters to get going, but he certainly looked like Purdue’s WR1 when it mattered the most.
Tight End
- Jackson Berryman: Snaps – 37 – Targets – 0
- Ar’Mari Towns: Snaps – 17 – Targets – 3 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 10
- Luca Puccinelli: Snaps – 13 – Targets – 1 – Rec – 1 – Yds – 18
- George Burhenn: Snaps – 6 – Targets – 2 – Rec – 2 – Yds – 17
Grade: C+
It sounds like Burhenn is injured…again. First and foremost, I hate it for the young man who has gone through so much, both on and off the field, during his time in West Lafayette. This wouldn’t be so frustrating if he weren’t undeniably talented. Thinking back to the Indiana State game, I wonder if he picked up the injury on his diving catch. It would almost be fitting if that were the case. He gave it a go on Saturday and managed to catch 2 passes in 6 snaps, which frustrates me even more.
Jackson Berryman picked up the majority of Burhenn’s snaps, which really speaks to how Coach Henson had to change the offense without his senior tight end. George Burhenn is a wide receiver who got too big. Jackson Berryman is an offensive tackle who didn’t get big enough. They function in two totally different ways. The 6’7”, 275-pound Berryman is in the game to block, and he did a solid job from what I could tell.
Ar’Mari Towns and Luca Puccinelli chipped in 3 receptions for 28 yards in the passing game, which isn’t bad. Towns is an intriguing talent, and he’s only two games into his college career. He entered the season 4th on the depth chart, but with Kylan Fox out for the season and Burhenn limited, he’s now the primary receiving option for the Boilermakers at tight end. I like Towns’s upside, but man, Burhenn, in theory, is Purdue’s best red-zone receiver with his combination of size and jumping ability.
Offensive Line
Left Tackle
Nuku Mafi: Snaps – 86
Left Guard
- Brock Brownfield: Snaps 15
- Marques Easley: Snaps – 71
Center
Boaz Stanley: Snaps – 86
Right Guard
Micah Banuelos: Snaps – 86
Right Tackle
Jude McCoskey: Snaps – 86
Grade: C+
I may be grading a bit on a curve because I came into the season expecting the offensive line to be a problem, and it hasn’t been through the first two games despite the absence of starting left tackle Joey Tanona. In fact, Purdue was down two of their presumed starters coming out of camp, with freshman Brock Brownfield tapping out with an injury 15 snaps into the game.
Nuku Mafi has held up well at left tackle. He lacks prototypical size but moves his feet well and has helped keep Ryan Browne’s blindside relatively safe. In retrospect, Mafi may be the best portal pickup on the team, aside from Fame. He’s playing out of position, but playing well.
I was disappointed that former blue-chip recruit Marques Easley didn’t win the starting job over true freshman Brock Brownfield coming out of camp. Easley stepped in early (I’m pretty sure Brownfield was carrying an injury from the Indiana State game) and did a respectable job. Fame did most of his damage on the ground running left, and Mafi and Easley (along with Berryman) helped facilitate a few of his trips down the field.
Boaz Stanley botched a snap but otherwise played a solid game at center and looked good as a puller when Purdue went to their gap scheme run game. Micah Banuelos was charged with the only sack given up by a Boilermaker offensive lineman and the offensive line’s only penalty. Jude McCoskey continues to impress on the right side. The former Indiana State offensive tackle didn’t allow a single pressure when lined up one-on-one with a Wake defensive end. He still plays too high in the run game (to be fair, he’s 6’8”) and can get pushed back in short yardage, but he’s surprisingly good in space for a guy his size in both pass protection and the run game.
I went with a C+ instead of a B- because of the goal line struggle. This line moves well, but it lacks punch at the point of attack. The middle of the line, in particular, can’t seem to get enough of an initial surge to give Fame a running start at things. I’m not sure that’s a problem that’s going to go away anytime soon. Outside of Easley subbing in for Brownfield, Purdue’s starters went the distance. One wonders if there aren’t a couple of guys who could specialize in short-yardage situations sitting on the bench. Massive freshman Rico Schhrieber comes to mind as a potential suspect. Whatever it is, something needs to change moving forward, or it’s going to keep costing Purdue games. Winning teams don’t kick field goals inside the 10-yard line.
That held true again on Saturday.
