We’ve got initial reactions to this one.
Jumbo Heroes:
This game was lost in the first quarter when Purdue had a botched exchange between Hudson Card and Devin Mockobee that resulted in a turnover in the red zone. Then Purdue had an absolutely bizarre pick six that was first, a terrible throw from Card, and then it bounces off Love’s leg right into the hands of the Oregon State defender. Purdue just wasn’t gonna come back from that.
This Purdue offense was without their best WR and unfortunately were without a functioning offensive coordinator. No play was more boneheaded than a 3rd down where Card threw the ball 2-3 yards before the line to gain and also threw it over his target’s head. Purdue’s offense can’t muster anything against anyone right now.
The defense struggled to stop the run once again and especially couldn’t figure out the option. This team is difficult to watch and difficult to enjoy. It didn’t help that this game was in the CW which put on one of the worst productions I’ve ever seen. Their rules expert answered questions unrelated to the issues being reviewed, we were treated to a ref hat cam for some reason, and we saw the same drone shot multiple times. Just terrible.
Purdue is now 1-2 on the season and this season will only get worse from here. If Coach Walters doesn’t make a change on his offensive staff soon I’m going to lose all faith in him.
Ryan:
**Writing this at halftime, let’s see if the team makes me change my mind**. This team just looks lost. Mental errors on top of coaching mistakes on top of bad play calling. Someone needs to get fired.
Second half: Is it basketball season yet? Can Matt Painter also coach football?
Jed:
Well, this one went just like I expected it to go. Purdue played another terrible first half that was highlighted by Ryan Walters calling a timeout after Oregon State got a first down. That mistake led to the Beavers kicking a field goal and Purdue being down 17-7 rather than 14-7. Just an utterly bad decision.
Graham Harrell’s offense is a schematic mess and his offense again left the defense on the field for what may amount to three games the last two games. The Beavers held the ball for _________ while Purdue had the ball for a total of ________.
As bad as that might have been, it was very clear that the defensive scheme has major holes and Oregon State’s coaches made some very simple adjustments to take full advantage. Purdue often times didn’t have enough men to account for the run game and couldn’t set the edge to prevent some easy concepts like speed options and jet sweeps from being big plays.
Last week was undoubtedly the worst game I’ve ever seen from a Purdue Football team in person. Watching that same team get dominated by a bad Oregon State Beavers squad at the level that just happened? Sometimes the best thing to do is just move on and admit a mistake was made. This was, again, embarressing.