It’s a new season, and Purdue football is undefeated. The 10-game losing streak is no more and we’re on the happy side of .500 after winning a third straight season opener.
That’s about all you can say about this one.
The first half was… dull, to say the least, as the Boielrs led just 16-6 at the break and had to settle for field goals three times. The second half was much better. The lead eventually stretched to 44-6 after pick-6 from Don Saunders, and that was effectively the games from there. Two
late Indiana State touchdowns made things look cosmetically better for the Trees, but in the end Purdue did what it needed to do.
Oh, That’s good!
- Fame Ijeboi had a solid night in the start at running back. He scored a TD, almost topped 100 yards, and showed he is a bit of a weapon.
- Ryan Browne went for 300+ and three TDs.
- Jacobo Echeverria-Lozano had an excellent debut at kicker, going 3 for 3 on field goals and hitting all five extra points. That’s a pretty impressive debut for a freshman.
- Asaad Waseem was over 100 yards receiving with a score.
- Purdue spread the ball around to 11 different receivers, with Evans Chuba getting a couple of important drives as the backup QB.
- We finally got to see Brady Allen throw a touchdown pass to a Purdue player in Ross-Ade Stadium.
Oh, That’s Bad!
- This game was too competitive for too long. Purdue was not as dominant as it was two years ago against Indiana State, and that team was horrid. 16-6 at halftime did not fill me with confidence.
- Penalties in the first half were a major problem.
I feel like Purdue was as vanilla as it could be, and I am fine with it. The Boilers won comfortably (effective 44-6), got a lot of guys some reps, and it didn’t have to work too hard. Wake Forest is a major step up in weight class from the Trees, so we will see what was learned this week from a game where you couldn’t really learn a lot. Purdue was supposed to win this game big.
It did.
You can’t take much else from it.
Barry Odom
Ryan Browne, Asaad Waseem, and Don Saunders
