Purdue Football Report Card: Quarterback Concerns Persist as Boilermakers Struggle to Score

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Purdue Football Report Card: Quarterback Concerns Persist as Boilermakers Struggle to Score

 

 

A  WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue football stumbled in a 35-0 loss to No. 2 Oregon on Friday night, struggling to keep up but never fully collapsing.

A  Early on, it seemed like the Boilermakers might be left behind once again, a recurring issue for the team. However, they managed to hang on, forcing Oregon to work for their shutout—their first at Purdue's home field since 2013.

A While the Boilermakers couldn't build enough on last week's progress to challenge the Ducks, they also didn't completely fall back into their early-season woes. They never posed a real threat but maintained a manageable pace, with a defensive effort that showed signs of life.

A  With a two-week break ahead, the program faces a critical moment. Head coach Ryan Walters and his staff must capitalize on the team's best moments from the past two games, aiming for consistency before their November 3 home matchup against Northwestern.

Here's a breakdown of how Purdue dropped to 0-2 against teams from the Pacific Northwest:

Purdue offense: F 

A  Ryan Browne had an opportunity to put the quarterback debate to rest heading into the bye week, but that didn’t happen. After showing poise at Illinois, he looked unsettled at times on Friday, with too many negative plays and pre-snap penalties. The strategy to shorten the game was sound, but without getting into the end zone, it only helped keep the score closer. Once again, Purdue entered the game averaging a national low of 3.1 points in the first half—and failed to even reach that mark.

 

Purdue defense: C-

 A  Facing Dillon Gabriel and his arsenal of weapons would have been a tough challenge even with a healthy secondary. With Nyland Green sidelined, Oregon's quarterback started off by completing 12 of 13 passes for 208 yards. Purdue’s defense didn’t show much resistance until the final minutes of the first half. Oregon, which came in averaging 7.03 yards per play, ended up at 7.2 per play on Friday. While that’s still not good enough, the defense’s unpredictable energy just needs some support from the offense. If that happens, perhaps a game like this could become a four-quarter battle.

 

Purdue Special Teams: C-

A  This unit continues to deliver big plays, like downing a 64-yard Keelan Crimmins punt at the 1-yard line. Unfortunately, Oregon promptly marched 99 yards in just six plays. Spencer Porath missed a 36-yard field goal in the first half, snapping his streak of five straight makes. While that’s disappointing, the bigger issue is an offense that relies on him for all its first-half points. The placekicking isn’t Purdue’s biggest problem right now.
 

Purdue Coaching: D-

A  This grade is given right at the buzzer, so it will be interesting to hear how much Purdue added to its offensive playbook postgame. Oregon was clearly more prepared for Browne’s zone-read offense than Illinois had been. Opting for a field goal on fourth-and-4 while down 21-0 was just one of many tough calls for Ryan Walters. For the second week in a row, the coaching staff avoided a power run option on a crucial short-yardage play. It might be time to give Devin Mockobee or even Browne a shot in those critical third- or fourth-and-1 situations. And leaving the starters in down 35-0, especially when Corey Stewart went down with an injury in the final minutes, raised questions about game management.
 

Oregon vs. Purdue Play of the Game:

A  After Purdue downed the punt at the 1-yard line, Oregon responded with six straight plays gaining 9-plus yards each. The pivotal moment was a 39-yard pass from Dillon Gabriel to Kenyon Sadiq, setting up Oregon’s third consecutive touchdown and a commanding 21-0 lead.