Postgame press release: Purdue Boilermakers 10 Nebraska Cornhuskers 28

The Purdue Boilers had another disappointing day on both sides with a 28-10 loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Although the defense made great strides, holding the Cornhuskers scoreless until 2:49 left in the third quarter, the offense’s ineptitude eventually caught up with them as Nebraska scored three consecutive touchdowns after the offense failed to consistently move the ball .

Let’s hear something from head coach Ryan Walters in his post-game press release:

A few things from this presser that I thought stood out. First, he was unwilling to blame anyone after another disappointing loss. His comments appeared to be very calculated and deliberate so as not to give any idea of ​​where he thought the blame should be placed. When he frequently said he wanted to look at the tape to see where the positives and negatives were, it was reminiscent of the frequent responses of a previous coach who had struggled: “We need to look at the tape.” This didn’t sit well with many Purdue supporters when it was clear the offense was letting down their good defensive efforts.

It’s also clear that these issues are weighing heavily on Walters, as the defense appears to have made some big changes to produce better results. Due to an injury to Antonio Stevens, Walters pushed Thieneman to the other safety position because he felt it would be too quick for a young player so close to the line of scrimmage. Thieneman responded with probably his best game of the season with 9 tackles (6 solo) and a pass breakup. Notably, he had a tackle behind the line of scrimmage when Nebraska attempted an outside run on third down in the first half.

What happens now will likely define the Ryan Walters era at Purdue. Does he want to make a drastic swing on the offensive side of the ball to turn around a unit that is clearly struggling? It may not seem like it since he believes his offense can run the ball with Mockobee and Love, but there’s no question that little is being done on the field to bolster and prevent the defense puts eight men in the penalty area.

I think it should also be noted that Cory Patterson, associate head coach and wide receivers coach, would likely be the next man up if Graham Harrell were relieved of his duties. He has no experience calling plays at any level, nor does any other staff member.

Players Post-Game Presser: Jaron Tibbs, Yanni Karlaftis, Dillon Thieneman, Max Klare

There’s not much to take from this players’ press release. The addition of Thieneman seems to have helped Purdue in some ways with making plays closer to the line of scrimmage, but the pass interference calls have really hurt the defense. That depends on skill and something Thieneman and Ryan Walters say can get better. The question will still be: Can Purdue stop the run enough to force teams to throw the ball? We’ll see if Wisconsin, Illinois and Oregon have some physical teams on the schedule.

General Thoughts:

I think it’s clear that most fans want to let go of Graham Harrell. The problem is that no one on Purdue’s staff has any experience calling plays, let alone installing their own system. If a change is made during the season, it will likely come after the Oregon game, when Purdue has a bye week ahead of a Northwestern team that is struggling like Purdue. If Purdue can’t pick up a win over the next three weeks, that would put Purdue at 1-6, and you could probably point directly to the offense as another reason why it’s at this position.