A heartbreaker.
Ledman:
I had basically no expectations going into this game. My expectations were blown away. Switching up the QB due to the injury to Hudson Card resulted in Ryan Browne getting his first real minutes of the year and despite having just 9 passing yards in the first half he showed up in the second half to not only keep the game presentable, but to pull Purdue back into the lead with less than a minute to go. Losing in OT is a killer, but I do think that going for two to try and win the game was the right decision.
It should be noted that Ryan Walters called both the offense and defense during this game and that has to give him a little bit of leeway with a number of fans. It was uneven sure, but perhaps Purdue unlocked something in this one. This is something to build on. I’ve said for the past few games that I wanted to see fight from this team. Tonight I saw that and more. This is what we need.
Jed:
Well, given the last four weeks and how the fire half started that second half was a surprise. I’m not sure I can properly place words into context with how different that Purdue team looked, especially once they went down 24 points early in the second half.
A few things do stand out:
Ryan Browne needs to be the starter moving forward and it really shouldn’t be a competition. Card has struggled to do much of anything all year offensively outside of Indiana State and Browne just threw up a 33 in the second half alone.
The defense looks so much better when Jenkins is allowed to rush the QB. If that means Purdue needs to go smaller at ILB and get more speed with smaller guys at OLB, then so be it.
I’m not sure this saves Ryan Walters but it definitely holds the dogs off for a week. This could definitely be a ‘fight for you life’ kind of half and if it is an apparition, then the entirety of the season so far needs to be used to make a decision….
Ryan:
First and foremost, the decision to go for 2 was the correct choice.
Secondly, Ryan Browne is the Purdue QB next week no matter what.
Third, Ryan Walters really looks like he was putting his career into his hands by calling the offense. For now, this type of game keeps him employed. He needs to show fight and progress each week but considering 3 of the next 4 games are Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State, progress might be difficult to measure. Either way, that second half explosion blew all of our collective expectations. I like that feeling.
Drew:
What a weird game.
At halftime I said “Purdue played well, but they keep shooting themselves in the door on offense.”
That’s what it has looked like all season. A holding call, dropped pass, or missed block interspersed with a solid run game that keeps getting short circuited by negative plays.
You saw that in the first half.
In the second half, I’m not sure what clicked, but they finally stopped committing drive killing mistakes. Ryan Browne’s legs allowed him to get outside the trash and actually make plays. He wasn’t perfect, Illinois left a couple picks on the field, but he was a live wire and looked like he enjoyed playing football. That’s a big step in the right direction.
The defense, unfortunately, struggled. They couldn’t get the stops they needed when the offense was red hot. I will say that when Purdue submits tape to the Big 10, they’re going to highlight Illinois receivers latching on to Purdue defense backs, initiating contact, and still drawing a flag.
Still, the defense wasn’t good enough.
In the end, this was a sign of life from the Walters coaching staff. If nothing else, they stopped digging. I’m not sure they can see the top of the hole. They dug with such vigor the first 5 weeks, that it may be too late, but, if nothing else, that game didn’t make me want to clean the garage.