Purdue came out of Friday night with a 38-26 loss to Washington, and the game left the same familiar questions hanging over the Boilermakers.
The Huskies turned five turnovers into a win, but Purdue still had plenty of chances to take control and never made them count. Washington finished with 488 yards of offense, a season high outside of its game against FCS Eastern Washington, and the Boilermakers’ defense had too many breakdowns to survive it. That was especially frustrating given the way the night started: Purdue’s defense grabbed an interception on the opening play, then watched Hiduri Hines leave the game and eventually get carted to the locker room.
Head coach Barry Odom said Hines suffered a leg strain and wasn’t able to play in a way that would have kept him effective. That mattered.
With Hines out and Mister Clark still unavailable, Purdue had to keep reshuffling its coverage and paid for it repeatedly. Washington hit too many explosive plays, piling up 15 of them for 383 yards.
Even with a backup quarterback, the Huskies found way too much space.
Odom did not sugarcoat what happened up front, either. Purdue’s offensive line got overwhelmed, and the run game never showed up outside of Antonio Harris’ 60-yard burst.
The Boilermakers managed just 38 rushing yards on 26 carries otherwise, good for 1.46 yards per attempt. In pass protection, the story wasn’t much better, as Browne was sacked three times and spent much of the night under pressure.
That lack of balance made life harder on Ryan Browne, who had to force throws late as Purdue tried to climb back into the game. The offense’s inability to convert Washington’s mistakes was a major theme.
The Boilermakers forced five turnovers, but those takeaways produced only six points. Odom pointed to complimentary football as the difference between Purdue’s better stretches - like the games against Illinois and Minnesota - and a night like this one.
The stat line makes the missed opportunity even sharper. Purdue was plus-3 in turnover margin after Browne threw two interceptions late, and teams that win that category that decisively usually end up on the right side of the scoreboard. Instead, Washington escaped with a 12-point win, and Odom made it clear the outcome could have been far worse for Purdue if the Huskies had not been so sloppy with the ball.
Odom also praised the Ross Ade Brigade and the fans who came out for a Friday night kickoff, while noting that he doesn’t love those late-week games because they fall during the final week of the high school football regular season and make it harder for Purdue to bring recruits into town.
Even with the loss, Odom stressed that Purdue is still sitting at 2-2 and that its goals remain ahead of it. He also noted that the Boilermakers’ defeats have come against #4 Notre Dame, #9 UCLA, #17 Wake Forest, and a Washington team that was ranked #19 after Week 1.
Still, this one felt especially there for the taking. Odom’s bottom line was simple: Purdue should have done more with the chances it created, and a more dependable defense likely would have changed the whole picture.
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