Ahead of a potential get right game for the Huskies against the 2-8 Purdue Boilermakers, I talked with Andrew Ledman of SB Nations Purdue site Hammer and Rails to learn more about this years Boilermakers team.
MS: These Boilermakers are led by first year head coach Barry Odom, who comes to West Lafayette after being at UNLV for 2 seasons. Though theyre off to a rough start, what do you think of the job Odom has done early in his tenure?
AL: Its very rare for a coach to come in and turn a program around immediately, yes I know Purdues rivals to the south have done it but the less said about them the better, and so expectations werent exactly sky high coming into this season given the depths your defensive coordinator brought us to. However, I think Odom has done a decent job at least making Purdue competitive. Its a low bar, I know. Purdue sits at 2-8 on the season, obviously bad, but they realistically should have won, at minimum, two of those games and I personally think they shouldve won three of them (Minnesota, Rutgers, USC) and would be sitting at 5-5 (which is a whole other perspective of course). They didnt win those games and so now youve got fans already talking about the hotseat for Odom which doesnt make a lot of sense.
For me, he hasnt done everything Ive wanted but you can at least see some improvement on the field in certain positions throughout the course of the season and thats certainly not something we could say over the last two years.
MS: The OC is Josh Henson, formerly of USC, who doubles as tight ends coach. What does the scheme look like, and who are the weapons on this team, led by quarterback Ryan Browne?
AL: Well, who are the weapons? Thats an interesting question because Purdues main weapon,running back Devin Mockobee, injured his ankle and is out for the season. Without him, Purdue has done running back by committee and they seem to be getting by but theres no real home run hitter amongst that group. The wide receivers are talented but have been incredibly disappointing. Theyve struggled with drops, poor route running, and just overall not getting open. So, maybe in retrospect they arent that talented? Its tough to say. The line has held up better than expected this season which I suppose is a plus. Then you get to the tight ends who have basically been non-existent so I wouldnt look for them to be much of a threat. The QB position is the real enigma on this team. Ryan Browne went from Purdue to UNC in the offseason and then returned prior to the start of the year and was anointed the starter. Every Purdue fan was relieved that he returned but now basically wants to never see him again. Hes put himself in the doghouse with most Purdue fans due to his boneheaded and back breaking turnovers especially at crucial times. Browne threw three interceptions in the red zone against USC. He threw a pick six in the fourth quarter against Minnesota. He turned the ball over in the final minutes of a tie game against Rutgers. Purdue lost those three games and most Purdue fans put that squarely on Browne. Malachi Singleton is the backup QB but the staff doesnt seem to trust him to throw the ball so if you see him coming in theres a very high probability its a run.
MS: The defense is coordinated by Michael Scherer, a former linebacker under Coach Odom while Coach Odom was at Missouri. What does this defense do schematically and who are the names to watch on that side of the ball?
AL: Again, I feel like schematics arent nearly as important here for the Boilermakers. They are 2-8 does it really matter what they run as their base defense? Purdue has been outgunned in most games this season. The secondary has been especially bad with players running into each other on at least three occasions resulting in deep receptions and/or touchdowns. Its not been good. Then theres the run defense where the Purdue DL has struggled to slow both fast small backs and big hulking backs. It doesnt seem to matter. The one bright spot appears to be the linebacker position where Mani Powell and Charles Correa have shown real improvement over the season and have become key playmakers for this Boilermakers defense.
MS: With a record of 2-8, its clear that this is a rebuilding year for the Boilermakers. That being said, what is the ceiling for this team in the future and how good of a job has Odom done to get them to where they want to go?
AL: I think Odom made some misses in his coaching hires and in the transfer portal. I would expect Odom to make some changes in the offseason especially looking at the WR coach and the secondary coach. I dont know this for certain but those two rooms have certainly been terribly disappointing. I think Odom recognizes the immense challenge in front of him and is trying to do his best to right the ship. Purdue just announced the hiring of UCLA GM Butler Benton to be the new executive director of player personnel. I think thats an acknowledgement that Purdue needs a more professionalized environment as the college football world changes. Given the difficulty of the schedule each year in the Big Ten right now I think most Purdue fans would be happy with returning to consistent bowl eligibility. Once there, lets see where it goes. Can Odom get Purdue there? In a couple years I think that he can, but will he be given the time and resources to do so?
MS: Its time for a score prediction! What will the score be in this first Big Ten meeting between these teams?
AL: This matchup confuses me. I cant really get a bead on who Washington is. You dont really have much of a signature win, though I guess you could point to Illinois? Then last week you lose to one of the worst Wisconsin teams in decades while managing just 10 points against them in what can surely be described as a rock fight. Purdue fans, and the handful of remaining players, certainly want to beat Washington just because of Ryan Walters. Fans here obviously have a very dim view of him following his tenure as the head coach. All that throat clearing out of the way, I just dont have enough faith in this Purdue team to pull off a victory. Would a victory shock me?Not particularly, but Im not expecting one. Ill take Washington 24 Purdue 17.
Thank you Andrew, and good luck to the Boilermakers the rest of the way! For my answers to his questions, head over to Hammer and Rails!