EVANSTON, Illinois — The 2025 Purdue football season is on rinse and repeat mode.
This time it was at Northwestern’s makeshift Martin Stadium.
And adding insult was the loss of starting quarterback Ryan Browne, who exited the game after being tackled on Purdue’s first play of the second half.
Prior to (and after), Northwestern was dominant. The Wildcats controlled the game from start to finish, sending Purdue to a fifth straight loss Saturday, 19-0.
The Boilermakers have lost 13 consecutive Big Ten games since beating Indiana in the 2023 season finale. Saturday marked the fourth time in Purdue’s last 10 Big Ten outings that it was shut out.
What happened to Purdue football in last 7 days?
The Boilermakers left Minneapolis disappointed feeling they let an opportunity slip away, but at least there had been significant improvements.
All those positives failed to carry over. Purdue possessed the ball for just 7:39 during a first half where the Boilermakers had just two first downs. Northwestern was able to grind up 127 yards on 29 first-half carries and totaled 203 yards.
Purdue’s offense didn’t surpass 100 yards until late in the third quarter. By that point, the Wildcats already led 19-0. It was a far cry from the team that totaled 456 yards just seven days earlier.
Penalties continue to pile up for Purdue
With 17 combined penalties in losses to Illinois and Minnesota, Purdue’s trend continued.
The Boilermakers were flagged six times for 60 yards in the first half, while gaining just 57 yards. Two pass interference penalties came on the same drive, on a second-and-12 and on a fourth down, setting up Northwestern’s first touchdown and a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Purdue finished with eight penalties for 85 yards.
The turnover that wasn’t, then was
In a must-have drive early in the fourth quarter, Northwestern appeared to recover a fumble and return into field goal range. After review, Malachi Thomas’ knee was down.
On Purdue’s very next play, Malachi Singleton, in for the injured Browne, found Corey Smith on a deep ball. The 48-yard gain resulted in a fumble recovered by Northwestern with 13:05 remaining. It was the first of three Purdue turnovers, now totaling seven in the past two games.
Purdue forced a fumble on Northwestern’s ensuing drive, but for the second time had a drive conclude with a failed fourth-down conversion attempt that all but ended any hopes of a comeback.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football takeaways after loss at Northwestern, losing Ryan Browne
