Purdue football’s West Coast trip turned into a big night for former coach Ryan Walters’ defense.
Washington stomped the Boilermakers in a 49-13 victory. Purdue’s two-quarterback approach did not spark the offense, and the defense could not sustain a strong start.
Here’s what I liked, disliked and what the Boilers’ loss means.
What I liked in Purdue football’s loss at Washington
I’ve asked Purdue coaches the past couple of weeks whether it was time to give Malachi Singleton the chance to run the full offense earlier in a game. That seemed like a more obvious potentiality after the backup led the only scoring drive of the loss to Ohio State last week.
So the decision to alternate between Ryan Browne and Singleton did not come as a surprise. I’m not sure it helped the Boilermakers’ chances of winning the game. But it was time to see what each of the top two quarterbacks could do against a first-string defense other than their own.
The results were fairly miserable, even when you consider Washington came in as a top-25 defense. However, of Purdue’s 14 first downs, all but one came with Singleton in the game.
This season had reached a juncture where it was prudent to lean into the short and long-term future. Purdue needed a better idea of exactly what it has at quarterback heading into the offseason — and the transfer portal.
Will this performance put Singleton in the driver’s seat for the Bucket Game, or will this remain a quarterback timeshare? If nothing else, it gives Indiana something to factor into its prep for the season finale in two weeks.
∙ Nice game for Breeon Ishmail. The Michigan transfer defensive end recovered a bad snap fumble on Washington’s opening series and recorded a second-quarter TFL which, momentarily, appeared to be part of a big defensive stand.
Also, two more TFLs for CJ Nunnally IV, the former Akron edge rusher. Purdue’s coaches identified quality talent in the portal and brought it onto the roster. It simply did not — and perhaps could not — do it in the abundance necessary to beat teams like Washington.
What I disliked in Purdue football’s loss at Washington
That first half might have been Purdue’s worst-coached 30 minutes of the season.
Washington, you may have noticed, ran not one but two flea-flickers in the first half. Contrast that with the lack of offensive creativity on the other sideline. Once again, facing third-and-2 in obvious four-down territory, Purdue kept the ball on the ground and Singleton was stuffed. They followed with another run on fourth down, and Antonio Harris also came up short.
Odom compounded the failure by burning a challenge (and timeout) when the television replays certainly did not provide clear evidence of a conversion.
Midway through the second half, Purdue loosened up a bit. Singleton did throw on third-and-1 at midfield, and while the pass was incomplete, he converted the fourth-down run which always remained in the chamber. Then E.J. Horton took an end-around pitch for 31 yards.
The Boilers rode those adjustments to Spencer Porath field goal to cut the deficit to 35-3.
∙ Perhaps the broadcast angles were deceptive, but it sure looked like Purdue was talking way more trash than a 2-9 team has cause to. Washington was jabbing too, for sure. But when has a team taking the bait from its more talented opponent ever worked out for the underdog?
If Myles Slusher doesn’t follow up his big third-down hit in the second quarter by walking up the Huskies sideline and drawing a taunting flag, the outcome of the game probably does not change. It was definitely one of the contributing factors as to how this game became so lopsided.
∙ If Purdue fans were embarrassed about Slusher’s actions, I can’t imagine what they thought about Rico Walker drawing two unsportsmanlike flags on the same drive and getting ejected. (This was the fourth quarter, so they may not have been watching.)
∙ Not scoring points off that takeaway on Washington’s first possession continued a season-long theme. If you ever thought “complementary football” was an empty coachspeak cliche, I hope this season convinced you otherwise.
What Purdue football’s loss at Washington means
Purdue had been fighting hard to avoid exactly this sort of result. Not the loss, but the manner in which it was delivered. This did not look or feel like the more competitive losses to Michigan and even Ohio State.
Now all the eggs for a strong finish — win or lose — are in the Old Oaken Bucket against the No. 2 team in the country.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football score today at Washington, game stats, likes, dislikes
