Purdue 36 Wake Forest 38: Post Game Media Review

It was a heartbreaking way to lose a home game but even more so as Purdue looked to break a 21-game losing streak to Power 4 conference + Notre Dame opponents. Purdue rallied from being down 10 points late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win but couldn’t l into the endzone and had to settle for a field goal to send the game into overtime. Purdue salvaged their opportunity at a win by scoring on 4th down in the first overtime but couldn’t get a stop on 4th and 15 and that eventually led to Wake Forest converting their 2-pt conversion to lose 36-38.

Let’s hear from Purdue Head Coach Barry Odom and several players in the post game media availability.

• Barry Odom is very clearly aware of Purdue’s struggles against opponents from the Power 4 conferences over the last several seasons. Providing insight that the players and coaches were devastated by the loss was apparent following the game as many players were seen incredibly emotional in the tunnel after the game. He does appear to be a little frustrated that there is some call backs to Purdue under Ryan Walters and said that as an entire program they don’t reflect on things that occurred prior to his arrival.

• One of the things Odom is likely referencing in needing to get fixed is the number of penalties that Purdue has committed through the first two weeks. The first week is kind of understandable but costly penalties continuing into week two can set a dangerous trend that simply can’t continue if Purdue wants to win football games. Through the first two games for Purdue, the Boilers rank 106th out of 138 teams with 67.50 penalty yards per game and 114th out of 138 teams with 8.50 penalties per game.

• Odom clearly likes this football team with how he frequently speaks about his players. He so badly wants this team and this program to elevate itself to where it should be. Nobody is asking for what has happened at Indiana, but there is no reason Purdue can’t be an 8 to 9 win team on a somewhat consistent basis. Odom knows that this program is capable of that and it has the support from the fans to do it.

• The 4th and 15 play that cost Purdue the game was clearly an issue with some communication coming out of the Wake Forest timeout. Odom isn’t going to throw his players or staff under the bus in public but when you see a true freshman in Emoni Smith taking just his second snap ever in that moment, you have to wonder what happened. Smith was the player who didn’t run with the motion and then seemed to be out of position to make the tackle.

• The ability of Fame Ijeboi is clearly evident through the first two weeks. Odom had high praise for the transfer running back as he touched the ball 33 times and had 156 all purpose yard. That placed him 15th in the country with 273 all purpose yards through two games (currently leader is Duke’s Nate Sheppard with 434 ayrds). In just rushes, Fame carried the ball 27 times for 114 yards.

• It is currently unknown how long freshman offensive lineman Brock Brownfield will be out as he missed the entire Wake Forest game. That’s a big loss as Purdue is currently without starting offensive tackle Joey Tanona. The offensive line clearly looks good better than at any point it did last season and the adjustments they made with two starters were good. If Purdue can get those two back and healthy, it would be a huge boost to an offensive unit that looks like it can compete and score on teams.

• It’s clear Purdue likes their young tight ends in Luca Puccinelli and Jackson Berryman. As George Burhenn works his way back to being able to be fully ready from an injury, those two have gained a ton of trust from Offensive Coordinator Josh Henson. When you add in Kylan Fox, who was lost to injury, it may be that the tight end room was one of the deepest and most talented on the roster.

Barry Odom is very clearly aware of Purdue’s struggles against opponents from the Power 4 conferences over the last several seasons. Providing insight that the players and coaches were devastated by the loss was apparent following the game as many players were seen incredibly emotional in the tunnel after the game. He does appear to be a little frustrated that there is some call backs to Purdue under Ryan Walters and said that as an entire program they don’t reflect on things that occurred prior to his arrival.

One of the things Odom is likely referencing in needing to get fixed is the number of penalties that Purdue has committed through the first two weeks. The first week is kind of understandable but costly penalties continuing into week two can set a dangerous trend that simply can’t continue if Purdue wants to win football games. Through the first two games for Purdue, the Boilers rank 106th out of 138 teams with 67.50 penalty yards per game and 114th out of 138 teams with 8.50 penalties per game.

Odom clearly likes this football team with how he frequently speaks about his players. He so badly wants this team and this program to elevate itself to where it should be. Nobody is asking for what has happened at Indiana, but there is no reason Purdue can’t be an 8 to 9 win team on a somewhat consistent basis. Odom knows that this program is capable of that and it has the support from the fans to do it.

The 4th and 15 play that cost Purdue the game was clearly an issue with some communication coming out of the Wake Forest timeout. Odom isn’t going to throw his players or staff under the bus in public but when you see a true freshman in Emoni Smith taking just his second snap ever in that moment, you have to wonder what happened. Smith was the player who didn’t run with the motion and then seemed to be out of position to make the tackle.

The ability of Fame Ijeboi is clearly evident through the first two weeks. Odom had high praise for the transfer running back as he touched the ball 33 times and had 156 all purpose yard. That placed him 15th in the country with 273 all purpose yards through two games (currently leader is Duke’s Nate Sheppard with 434 ayrds). In just rushes, Fame carried the ball 27 times for 114 yards.

It is currently unknown how long freshman offensive lineman Brock Brownfield will be out as he missed the entire Wake Forest game. That’s a big loss as Purdue is currently without starting offensive tackle Joey Tanona. The offensive line clearly looks good better than at any point it did last season and the adjustments they made with two starters were good. If Purdue can get those two back and healthy, it would be a huge boost to an offensive unit that looks like it can compete and score on teams.

It’s clear Purdue likes their young tight ends in Luca Puccinelli and Jackson Berryman. As George Burhenn works his way back to being able to be fully ready from an injury, those two have gained a ton of trust from Offensive Coordinator Josh Henson. When you add in Kylan Fox, who was lost to injury, it may be that the tight end room was one of the deepest and most talented on the roster.