Purdue’s red zone work has looked solid in the raw numbers, but the Boilermakers know the scoreboard is telling a different story.
Through five games, Purdue has made 24 trips inside the red zone and come away with points on 22 of them. That puts the Boilermakers fourth and third, respectively, among Big Ten teams. But only 13 of those possessions ended in touchdowns, and that’s the part bothering Barry Odom’s team.
Saturday’s win in Champaign brought the issue back into focus. Purdue reached deep into Illinois territory four times, but settled for three field goals from Jacobo Echeverria Lozano. The lone red zone touchdown came late, when Antonio Harris punched in a one-yard run with 4:29 left in the game.
That kind of efficiency is enough to survive some days. It’s not enough to separate.
“Red zone scores the other day were four for four. Now, unfortunately, they weren't all touchdowns," head coach Barry Odom said on Monday. "So if we can get to the point that we're scoring touchdowns, then just, like, you know, this game we would have broken the thing open earlier.”
The challenge gets tighter once Purdue gets close. Space shrinks.
Receivers lose room to work. Defenses can sit on the ball and react faster.
Josh Henson pointed to the ground game as the biggest obstacle. Purdue has had success finishing drives from the 20- to 30-yard line range, but the run game has not been consistent enough once the field shortens.
"We've been good at scoring from the 20- to 30-yard lines, kind of in that area of the field," offensive coordinator Josh Henson said. "Obviously, when you get down low, there is no running by someone.
You have to execute the passing game in tight windows and in front of people. But the bottom line is you have to be able to run the ball.
We've got to get it schemed up better."
Purdue’s only first-half touchdown Saturday came on a 21-yard pass from Ryan Browne to Tra'Mar Harris, and that was one of just four touchdowns the Boilermakers have scored from outside the red zone this season.
Henson took responsibility for some of the issues, saying he needs to call better plays in that area and put his players in better spots to finish. But he also made clear that the front has to do more.
"When you get there, the space gets tighter, the safeties are a little lower, you don't have to cover as deep, they're a little faster reacting to the ball," Henson said. "We have to win one-on-one matchups on the edge to help us open up the run game. When we run it, we've gotta be more effective up front and move some people and grind out those extra three or four yards."
The field goals were enough against Illinois. Purdue can’t count on that kind of margin the rest of the way.
With plenty still left on the Big Ten schedule, the Boilermakers will need their red zone trips to end in touchdowns if they want the offense to keep pace. Henson has shown a willingness to mix things up, but the next step is turning that creativity into points that fully cash in once Purdue gets close.
In Other News...
Purdue Faces A New Spotlight As Its Next Leaders Start To Emerge
For the first time since the 2014-15 season, Purdue went through preseason All-Big Ten voting without a player on the list, a reminder of how much the Boilermakers are replacing as they move into a new era. It is a different kind of spotlight for a program that has spent years being defined by top-end talent, and it puts extra attention on the next wave of contributors who will have chances to grow into bigger roles.
Among the names to watch are redshirt freshman West, center Jacobsen and junior guard Cox, each of whom brings a different path toward eventual All-Big Ten consideration. Wests upside, Jacobsens presence in the middle and Coxs guard play give Purdue a few building blocks to monitor over the next couple of seasons, and by the end of the 2026-27 campaign the Boilermakers could have a much clearer answer about which of them is ready to carry that next banner. [Read more 🡒]